CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 1 TIPS AND PREVIEW: SUPREME NOVICES HURDLE

The Supreme Novices Hurdle has seen so much action and attention pointing towards Cousin Vinny and the free bet offers that are seemingly attached to him at several sportsbooks. If you're examining the highest-backed horses for Cheltenham you'll undoubtably find Cousin Vinny near the top of the list, but I think with the ground conditions softening up, it's going to favour horses who are superior in the hurdles format. Click here to get your FREE BET up to £100 from Blue Square! Considering the fact that P.W Mullins has no track record of success in hurdles races, you have to look elsewhere if you're going to be cashing in on a victory here. Personally, the two horses with the strongest odds include Torphichen and Michael Flips. Torphichen is just off a sizeable hurdles victory at Sandowne on February 13. Torphichen is putting his 100% hurdles record on the line here and could be a strong contender, especially if he's in the leading back heading into the last hurdle. Torphichen has a tendency to pull away late on and this could be another very positive race. The late action seems to be heading towards a young upstart named Michael Flips. There were rumors of A P McCoy getting on top for this race, but he'll be piloting the Henderson's Ainama instead. Michael Flips hasn't run since his December 26th victory at Kempton over Fairyland where A P McCoy recovered from a late mistake to secure an emphatic victory. This Irish horse has a solid record in hurdles racing and I'm expecting a lot from him. At 10/1, he's definitely worth a shot and offers up significantly more value than Cousin Vinny. Recommendation: Michael Flips E/W @ 10/1