Two weeks. Today.
Runners will barge toward the tape for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. The start. The roar. The pace. The tempo. The climb. The finish. The celebration.
Kopek Des Bordes will set off with eight hurdles in front of him and the weight of the world on top of him. There is nothing like an Irish banker winning the first. Well, there was nothing like it back in the day when there were but a few Irish bankers. My first Cheltenham in 2002, Like-A-Butterfly won the opener and I heard a roar I had never heard. Nowadays, Irish bankers will storm the shores for most of the 28 races over the four days. That number won’t matter when the tape goes up for the Supreme and Kopek Des Bordes, an undefeated French-bred phenom for Willie Mullins, kicks off the best four days of sport. Money down. Nerves up.
And, yes, I catch myself wading into The Racing Post racecards for two weeks in the future and watching the Road to Cheltenham with Lydia Hislop and Ruby Walsh to find anything beyond Kopek and crew.
Champion Hurdle favorite Constitution Hill went for a racetrack gallop at Kempton today. All systems go there, much different than last year when he and most of his stablemates at Seven Barrows were struggling to keep apace with the Cheltenham countdown. The undefeated hurdler struggled at Kempton last year and was withdrawn from Cheltenham and the rest of the season. This year, the 8-year-old has returned with two facile wins and is all set to defend his title in the Champion Hurdle. He’s 8/13 favorite with two weeks to go.
“We’ll be OK,” trainer Nicky Henderson said.
Two weeks. Tick. Tick. Tick.
