The Cheltenham Roar will be unleashed as the tapes go up for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Tuesday afternoon and the four-day festival begins. Our betting experts can provide you with some top tips for the race, alongside some of the best sign up offers available from UK betting sites for Cheltenham.
Arguably, the curtain-raiser could be as good as anything we see this week with a deep field of 12 contenders set to contest the Grade 1 two-miler, pitting the best of British and Irish novices’ together.
Supreme Novices’ betting offers & free bets
One of the best sign up offers available for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is from BOYLE Sports. You can receive £40 in free bets from the Cheltenham BOYLE Sports sign up offer, as well as your money back as a free bet if your horse loses in the first race at Cheltenham.
If you have already signed up to BOYLE Sports then don’t worry, as Paddy Power are offering you £60 in free bets for Cheltenham, whilst Sky Bet’s sign up offer gives you £50 in free bets.
Check out over £250 of free bets on offer from betting sites below.
| Best Horse Betting Sites | Supreme Novices’ Betting Offers |
| Paddy Power | £60 in free bets when you bet £10 on Cheltenham |
| BOYLE Sports | Get £40 in free bets & money back as a free bet if your horse loses in the first race at Cheltenham |
| Sky Bet | £50 in free bets when you place a £1 bet |
| Betfred | £40 in free bets when you bet £10 |
| BetMGM | Bet £10 get £40 in free bets |
| William Hill | Bet £10, get £40 in free bets |
| Tote | Money Back as a free bet up to £10 on Supreme Novices’ |
Supreme Novices’ betting offers & free bets – Key T&Cs:
- Paddy Power: New customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on Cheltenham on odds of min EVS (2.0), get 6x £10 in Free Bet Builders, Accumulators or multiples to use on any sport. Rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Apple Pay or Debit Card will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
- BOYLE Sports: 18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs Apply
- Sky Bet: New customers only. £5 minimum deposit. First minimum £1 single, e/w, or multis bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 5 x £10 bet tokens. Free bets for multiples only. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets are non-withdrawable. 7 Day free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. Further T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad
- Betfred: New customers only. 00:00 06/03/26 – 23:59 13/03/26. Register with FRED40, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £20 in Sports Free Bets & £20 in Acca Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment exclusions & T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org
- BetMGM: New cust. Deposit £10+ in 7 days & bet on sports. Min odds apply. Reward = 4 x £10 Free Bets (2 x £10 Bet Builders & 2 x £10 Sports bet). Valid 7 days. Free bets not valid on e-sports & non UK/IE horse racing. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
- William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. Online only. For new UK register customers using promo code G40. Deposit & place £10 cash single bet (min odds 1/2) on sportsbook (excl. Virtuals). Get £40 in Free Bets (4x£10), valid for sportsbook (excl. Virtuals), 7 days expiry, must use in full (£10 each). Not valid with deposits via PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay or WH PLUS Card. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply.. www.begambleaware.org #ad
- Tote: Online cash bets only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Opt-in required. Place a cash win or EW bet on the first race at Cheltenham Festival (1.20pm) on 10/03/2026 and receive the equivalent value up to £/€10 in Tote Credit if the selection comes second, third or fourth. Applies to customers’ first cash win and win part of EW bets only per race. If fewer than five runners come under starters orders the offer will be withdrawn. Credited within 24 hours of bet settlement. 7-day expiry. Full T&C’s apply. 18+. Gambleaware.org.Full T&Cs apply.
Supreme Novices’ Betting Tips
Check out our selections for the first race of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival below.
Stars on show in Cheltenham opener
The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle looks to be a top class renewal, with a field of 12 engaged and lots of them boasting stellar credentials.
Little wonder, then, that it is threatening to veer towards 3/1 the field as antepost jolly Old Park Star eases in the market since declarations were made.
Nicky Henderson’s unbeaten hurdler has three convincing wins on his CV already and looked hugely impressive in his Haydock Grade 2 win last time.
The Seven Barrows supremo knows a good performer when he has one and isn’t usually slow to come out with it, but Henderson has more than once suggested Old Park Star is no hero in his work at home.
He is going into the deepest waters he will have contested now and it will be interesting to see how he fares in a warm race. He’s overlooked for another possible star.
Mighty Park could be mighty good
Willie Mullins has won the Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser a record eight times, including last year with Kopek Des Bordes, and the Closutton colossus could strike again with MIGHTY PARK now.
The French import won by 38-lengths at Fairyhouse on his stable debut in the colours of JP McManus. It wasn’t the strongest of contests but the form has received some boosts and it was a taking effort.
All roads seemingly led to the Turners over 2m5f at this meeting but connections instead opted for this race over the shorter trip and seemingly with more depth to it.
The vibes from the Mullins yard suggest he could be something special and while one maiden win is far from an ideal prep, he’ll have plenty of work done at home.
He turns up in the Supreme on the occasion of his owners’ 75th birthday and could well kick-start a big day for the green and gold McManus hoops by adding to his record tally of Cheltenham winners.
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Baron Noir to outrun big price
The likes of El Cairos, Talk The Talk and Leader d’Allier are very obvious dangers to the big pair in the market but so, too, could be BARON NOIR at a chunky price for Alan King.
He beat El Cairos in a bumper at Punchestown last season and has done more over hurdles this season, albeit without showing the possible superstar-potential that the now Gordon Elliott-trained inmate has exhibited.
Still, four times as big in the betting, Baron Noir is no backmarker here. He won nicely at Kempton in January despite it being a tactical contest and this race was immediately being touted.
Owned by the Noel Fehily Racing Syndicate, the former jockey has put on record his belief Baron Noir can improve significantly amongst better horses going a proper gallop. If indeed he does, he could be capable of running into the frame at meaty odds.
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