RacingBetter News
	Monday 18th January 2021

Metier Can Prove His Class In The Supreme

Harry Fry’s unbeaten hurdler Metier has excelled on the track so far in the 2020/21 National Hunt campaign but there could be a lot more to come from the five-year-old. In his three wins this season, Metier has prevailed by a combined distance of over 27 lengths. He has looked completely dominant and has had no problems with the varying ground conditions on the track.

Metier opened his account over hurdles with success at Newton Abbot in a novice contest. He then featured in a class two race at Ascot where he justified going off as the evens favourite in the betting.

It was Fry’s novice’s last outing which really proved he was good enough at the top level as he won the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown.

This was his first appearance at the highest grade and he made it look easy work, scoring by 12 lengths after stretching away from a strong field in the closing stages.

His success at the Esher-track forced the bookmakers to cut his odds for the 2021 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival in March. He can now be backed at 6/1 in the Cheltenham betting with Paddy Power.

Metier could be one of the most exciting novices we have seen in training for a number of years. A win at the Festival will be a huge result for his yard and it would suggest he may be a Champion Hurdle contender next season.

Newbury Next For The Exciting Novice

Fry’s runner is set to have one more appearance before Cheltenham as he is entered to appear at Newbury next month in a handicap contest. He has been assigned 11st-4lb for that assignment and if he is successful, it will be an impressive weight-carrying performance.

Metier is the highest-rated horse in the field at Newbury. He has an official rating of 149 following his victory in the Tolworth Hurdle. No horse has been able to score in this race and then go on to land the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle so there is a chance for the British-trained horse to make history this year.

Appreciate It The Biggest Danger To Fry’s Star

The betting suggests the biggest threat to Metier at Cheltenham is Appreciate It who is the 9/4 favourite in the ante-post market for the 2m race at the Festival.

Appreciate It finished second in the Champion Bumper last season and will travel across from Ireland from Willie Mullins’ strong operation in Ireland.

The Irish horse has not put a foot wrong in his two appearances over hurdles this season. He broke his maiden at Cork where he went off at 1/12 in the betting. Mullins then entered his runner in the Grade One Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown which he won by nine lengths.

A clash between Appreciate It and Metier is one of the best duals of the week at the Festival this year. At the current odds, Metier offers much better value than his rival from Ireland.

The countdown is on for the biggest week of the year in National Hunt racing. This year Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is scheduled to take place on the 16th March and it looks set to be a great renewal.