Cheltenham Festival 2021 tips: Back Dusart to deliver for Nicky Henderson

Nicky Henderson often unleashes his smarter youngsters at Newbury, and that looked the case again on Thursday when DUSART made a successful debut over hurdles.

Being a half-brother to the hugely talented Simonsig, his pedigree certainly suggested that he could be potentially smart and was described by Racing TV pundit Steve Mellish as “the paddock pick” and “a really athletic gelding with plenty of substance” beforehand.

He raced exuberantly and, watching the race, you would not have said he was making his debut over hurdles as he jumped professionally throughout.

Despite lacking experience, he showed a good attitude to fend off the runner-up, Soaring Glory – a useful bumper performer who beat a subsequent winner on his hurdling debut – and the pair pulled clear of the third.

Admittedly, he was receiving 6lb from Jonjo O’Neill’s charge, but he was well on top at the finish and found plenty under pressure.

He is a best-priced 25-1 for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, a race which Simonsig won in 2012, which is tempting as connections may decide to take the same route as his half-brother.

He is also by Flemensfirth whose progeny – which includes Imperial Commander and Lostintranslation – are often seen to best effect over further than two miles.

However, the race turned into a sprint at Newbury and Dusart showed plenty of speed on good ground, and I think connections will keep him over two miles for the time being, especially as Nico de Boinville said afterwards that Dusart and Simonsig “are very different types”.

Nicky Henderson also said afterwards that, for a horse who had never run in a point-to-point or a bumper, he was “exceptional” and that Nico said, “he's as nice a young horse as he's ridden for a long time”.

The vibes from connections are clearly very positive and at a best-priced 20-1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with 888Sport, I can’t resist investing at those odds, even at this early stage of the season.

We will get a better idea of which race connections are favouring at the Festival for their five-year-old as the season goes on, but his price is likely to have shortened by then, so I have also had a punt on him each-way for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, just in case connections do decide to step him up in trip.

Suggested ante-post bets: 1 point each-way on DUSART at 20-1 with 888Sport for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

And 0.5 points each-way at a general 25-1 for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.