Zaidpour Racehorse Profile

The Supreme Novices Hurdle traditionally opens the Cheltenham Festival and is greeted with roaring cheers by the huge crowd. The Grade 1 race over two miles always guarantees a few special performances and this year is no different.

Many agree that the four-year-old Bay Gelding Zaidpour is unlucky not to be the outright favourite this year currently sitting as second favourite at a best price of 8/1. The horse is owned by Mrs S Ricci and trained by Willie Mullins. The horse was bred from Red ransom and Zainta (Kahyasi).

Zaidpour comes from Nowhere

Zaidpour has only ever competed in four races, coming first twice and second twice. These races have varied in length; 8 furlongs, two 16 furlong races and a 20 furlong race. These races were with a combination of small and large fields.

The horse’s debut came in the summer of 2009 over 8 furlongs at Longchamp. The weight of the horse was very low owing to the then age of two-years-old. The field was small with only six runners but it was clear that Zaidpour had more gas in the tank and was suited for longer races as opposed to sprints.

Willie Mullins waited over a year to enter the horse in another race with a victory over 20 furlongs coming last November. The heavy ground at Punchestown seemed to suit Zaidpour perfectly and a new jockey in Paul Townend has allowed a successful relationship to start blossoming.

This first win came in a field of 22 runners with horses clustered up right until the very end of the race. Zaidpour seemed to thrive on having horses to run with and broke for the line when urged to by the jockey inside the final few furlongs.

A similar distance race followed at Fairyhouse in December last year over a similar distance but with a much smaller field. Zaidpour was heavily odds on and Townend simply repeated the same pattern over the last few furlongs as the horse romped to a win by 12 lengths.

The last race Zaidpour was in was a 16 furlong race in a field of five at Leopardstown. On this occasion the horse lost by a neck but not too much should be read into the result as it took remarkable perseverance by the winner to hold off a late surge from Zaidpour.

There are no planned race entries for this French starlet before Cheltenham, which will allow Mullins to get the horse into perfect shape. It will also allow Paul Townend to work with the horse on developing a perfect late finish.

The main strength that this horse possesses is an immense ability to finish late in a race. Zaidpour is quite content to sit in and around other runners but responds brilliantly as soon as Townend urges the horse forwards to race for the line. Ground also doesn’t seem to matter as wins and second places have come over soft and heavy turf.

The worry with a hold up horse is always going to be pace and the threat that the field could open up a gap too big to claw back. However, Zaidpour remains a very good bet to win the Cheltenham opener and should at least place.