The Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival is going to make or break the bookmakers as there’s currently four odds-on favourites on the day. Bookies will be very eager to get them beaten, and they would love nothing better than to get Kopeck Des Bordes turned over in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
I think he is a deserved favourite of course, but odds-on for a Supreme looks far too short and there has to be better value in the race. Let me explain why.
I can take nothing away from his performance at the Dublin Racing Festival for a start. It was sublime, freak-like and has to be up there as one of the performances of the season. The way he ran with the choke out for the majority of the race and to still go on and win like that was something else.
However, I’m not so sure he can travel to Cheltenham, get through the preliminaries on the opening day, run like he did at Leopardstown with the choke out, and still win in that sort of manner. It would be some achievement if he’s even half as buzzy.
He reminds me of another Willie Mullins-trained runner who went to the Supreme with a ‘he can’t be beaten’ label and that horse was Getabird. He achieved a RPR of 153 after bolting up in the Moscow Flyer, the same RPR Kopeck Des Bordes got after his latest success.
Another free-going sort, Getabird was sent off the 11/8 favourite for the Supreme but he jumped off very buzzy and ended up tailed off. This is Cheltenham. It’s no joke, and you’re not going to get a soft lead. Best of luck Kopeck Des Bordes backers. If you’re on at a tasty price you have some sweat, but odds-on now? Not for me.
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