Sir Gerhard made outright Supreme favourite after sustained market support

Sir Gerhard has ousted Constitution Hill as ante-post favourite for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle, with some bookmakers cutting him for the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday week.

The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old is a leading candidate for both the Supreme and the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle the following day, for which he is the general 11-10 favourite, after his unbeaten start over hurdles including a Grade 1 victory at the Dublin Racing Festival last month.

However, he has moved clear at the top of the betting for the festival curtain-raiser with William Hill among others and is now 2-1 favourite (from 5-2) ahead of the Nicky Henderson-trained Constitution Hill, who remains a 5-2 chance alongside Mullins' Dysart Dynamo at 11-4.

1.30 Cheltenham: Supreme Novices' Hurdle racecard and betting

Henderson also has general 4-1 shot Jonbon towards the top of the market for the Supreme, a race the trainer last won with Shishkin two years ago.

William Hill spokesperson Tony Kenny said: "It seemed as if Sir Gerhard was destined for the Ballymore on Wednesday, but all the support for Willie Mullins' horse in the last 24 hours has been in the Supreme market.

"It's been pretty strong support too and Sir Gerhard has surpassed Constitution Hill as the favourite for the festival opener at 2-1, with Nicky Henderson's contender a 5-2 chance.

"Might the money for Sir Gerhard in the Supreme mean Dysart Dynamo heads to Wednesday's Ballymore? Well, he's now just 15-8 for that contest as punters try to guess which way Mullins is leaning."

Should Sir Gerhard be the Closutton trainer's chief contender, he would bid to give Mullins a record-extending eighth Supreme success and back up Appreciate It's victory in the race last year.

He would also attempt to become the first horse to complete the Champion Bumper-Supreme Novices' Hurdle double since the Mullins-trained Champagne Fever did so in 2012 and 2013.

'It would elicit an almighty roar from the stands'

By Sam Hendry

What I want to happen

The Supreme is the race I most look forward to at the Cheltenham Festival and what better way would there be to start this year's event than with an almighty duel between the festival's two most successful trainers, Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins.

Constitution Hill and Jonbon in the Seven Barrows corner taking on formidable Closutton duo Sir Gerhard and Dysart Dynamo would elicit an almighty roar from the stands and provide a contest befitting of the occasion.

These four emerged as the leading Supreme candidates from an early stage and have dominated the ante-post market for months, and if you approached four random people for an opinion on the winner there's every chance you'd be met with four different answers.

What I expect to happen

It should still be an enthralling contest, with the Henderson pair certain to line-up barring any last-minute hiccups, but it is widely expected that Mullins will choose to split up Dysart Dynamo and Sir Gerhard – both of whom have shaped as if a step up in trip would be little obstacle – with one potentially heading to the Ballymore.

Ireland's champion trainer has plenty of others lined up for the Supreme and with the Ballymore looking a weaker event on paper it would give him a great opportunity to land the opening races on day one and two while also allowing his number one jockey Paul Townend to ride both.

Kilcruit is also knocking at the door, trying to turn this party of four into a party of five, and he would represent a more than efficient replacement in Mullins' elite tag team, even if his form over hurdles does not have the substance yet of his stablemates.

Supreme Novices' Hurdle betting

William Hill: 2 Sir Gerhard, 5-2 Constitution Hill, 11-4 Dysart Dynamo, 4 Jonbon, 7 Pied Piper, Kilcruit, 12 Mighty Potter, 14 bar

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