Cheltenham Festival 2026 Ante-Post Tips - Back Willie's Supreme contender at 25/1

Jon Vine

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Last updated: Wed 21 Jan 2026 15:28

Jon Vine 21 Jan 2026

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Ante-Post Tips for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival
Le Divin Enfant looked good when winning at Thurles recently
We're backing Willie Mullins' youngster at 25/1 for the 2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle

Appreciate It, running in Le Divin Enfant's colours, winning the 2021 Supreme Novices' Hurdle under Paul Townend. (Getty)

Our second ante-post selection for the Cheltenham Festival is a promising contender for the 2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle, who impressed on his recent hurdling debut.

Here's my second ante-post selection for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.

2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Tips - Le Divin Enfant

Willie Mullins tends to dominate the novice hurdle races at the Cheltenham Festival, so I'm keen to get one of his top young hurdlers on-side at an early stage. While he faced little in the way of competition, I was taken by the way LE DIVIN ENFANT (25/1) opened up on his hurdles debut at Thurles, and fancy he could be one of Willie's better novices.

Le Divin Enfant raced twice as a three-year-old in France back in 2024, finishing fourth on both occasions. This Saint Des Saints gelding ran green on his bumper debut in July of that year, before finishing ten lengths adrift of a certain Lulamba in an 18-furlong maiden hurdle.

Paul Townend was eager to get on with things aboard the 1/6 favourite at Thurles. The market leader seemed to be doing a half-speed throughout, but jumped well on the whole and pulled 23 lengths clear of his closest rival over the final furlong, as the rest of the field finished strung out behind him.

Willie Mullins has had plenty of fun with The Masterson's horses down the years. Kilcruit won a Grade One bumper. Champ Kiely and Appreciate It both won Grade Ones as novice hurdlers, with the latter scoring in the Supreme in 2021.

Le Divin Enfant's next port of call seems certain to be the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown on Boxing Day. Mullins has Sortudo entered there, but he seemed more of a staying prospect to me. Love Me Tender and Davy Crockett are likely runners in JP McManus' colours. Bambino Fever and Doctor Du Mesnil have been entered too, but their prices suggest that Mullins has other targets in mind for his much-talked-about duo.

In the immediate aftermath of his win at Thurles, Paul Townend said that Le Divin Enfant "gave him the feel of a good horse, without dipping into the tank at all". His full brother, Imperial Saint improved when stepped up in trip, but Mullins' youngster didn't look short of speed to me at Thurles, and a Grade One win over Christmas would establish Le Divin Enfant as one of Willie's leading contenders for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

2026 Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post Bets Book

Name	Race	Price Taken	Price Now
Honesty Policy	2026 Stayers' Hurdle	16/1	16/1
Le Divin Enfant	2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle	25/1	NA

Verdict

Le Divin Enfant is our ante-post selection for the 2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

Le Divin Enfant

2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Ante-Post Tips

@25/1 - 5 Units

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