Love Me Tender Enters Supreme Novices Market After 20-Length Listowel Win
Willie Mullins may have found another interesting novice hurdler for the 2027 Cheltenham Festival after Love Me Tender produced a 20-length win on his jumping debut at Listowel.
The four-year-old had already attracted plenty of attention during the summer when joining Mullins from Germany, eventually starting favourite for the Ebor at York.
That particular experiment did not work out as planned, with Love Me Tender finishing tenth after racing too freely, but his first appearance over hurdles offered a very different result.
Sent off the 4/9 favourite for the two-mile maiden hurdle at Listowel on September 23rd, Love Me Tender made virtually all the running under Paul Townend before pulling clear of Approval to win by 20 lengths.
Bookmakers immediately took notice and cut him from 33/1 to 20/1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, although it is worth stressing that Mullins has not named the Festival opener as his target.
For now, Love Me Tender is simply another interesting novice from Closutton. However, given his Flat background, obvious speed and the manner of his Listowel win, it is easy to see why the Supreme market reacted.
Love Me Tender Makes Light Work of Listowel Rivals
On paper, Love Me Tender was entitled to win his maiden hurdle. He had shown useful ability on the Flat and was rated 96 when lining up at Listowel, while several of his opponents had already shown fairly ordinary form.
Even so, there was plenty to like about how he did it when Townend sent him forward from the start and, although he was not completely fluent at the opening couple of flights, his jumping improved as the race developed.
Turning for home, most of the field were already struggling. Bud Fox briefly travelled as though he might offer some resistance, but once Townend allowed Love Me Tender to increase the pace, the race quickly became one-sided.
He moved clear before the second-last and produced arguably his best jump at the final hurdle before coming home 20 lengths ahead of Approval. Bud Fox was another length and a half away in third.
The bigger question is what happens when he meets horses capable of matching his speed.
From Ebor Favourite to Novice Hurdler
Love Me Tender came to Mullins after beginning his career in Germany with Peter Schiergen, where he won his first two starts before finishing fourth in Listed company at Chantilly in October 2025.
His profile was interesting enough for him to become a major Ebor gamble when making his first start for Mullins at York in August, where he eventually started as the 7/2 favourite for the valuable handicap but finished tenth of 22 behind Daiquiri Bay.
The result itself was not necessarily disastrous, the bigger problem being how much energy he used during the race.
Mullins had already identified that tendency before sending him to Listowel and said afterwards that the horse had again been very keen despite winning so easily.
Speaking after the race, Mullins said the obstacles could teach Love Me Tender to settle and race more correctly, while experience should also improve him.
Does Love Me Tender Have the Speed for the Supreme?
A horse good enough to be favourite for the Ebor clearly possesses plenty of ability on the Flat, and Love Me Tender showed at Listowel that he has more than enough speed to be effective over two miles.
That makes the Supreme an obvious race for bookmakers to price him for, given that the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival places a major emphasis on speed, jumping and the ability to settle through what can be a strongly run contest.
His jumping also improved throughout the Listowel race, which is encouraging considering it was his first public appearance over hurdles.
At least there he could afford to race enthusiastically because he was considerably better than most of his opposition, but can he do the same thing in a Grade 1 at Cheltenham?
If a horse wastes energy during the first mile of the Supreme, the famous climb towards the finishing line can expose him very quickly. However, Mullins clearly believes Love Me Tender can learn to conserve more energy, and further novice hurdle experience should tell us much more.
One Race Is Not Enough to Make a Supreme Horse
A 20-length victory naturally attracts attention, particularly when the winner is trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend.
He may have beaten Approval comfortably, but this was still maiden company rather than a major novice hurdle trial, and the next stage will be far more informative.
Mullins will want to see whether the gelding settles better, whether his jumping continues to improve and how he reacts when facing stronger opposition.
There could even be another Flat appearance first, and Love Me Tender currently holds an entry in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket on October 10th, another long-distance Flat handicap.
That makes his immediate programme particularly interesting.
Another Mullins Novice to Watch
Cheltenham Festival markets regularly react quickly whenever a Willie Mullins novice wins in impressive fashion, and Love Me Tender is the latest example.
His move from 33/1 to 20/1 for the 2027 Supreme Novices Hurdle is understandable after such a wide-margin success, but September is far too early to assume that will be his Festival destination.
He clearly has plenty of natural ability, has speed from the Flat, and he appears to have taken well to hurdles, with Mullins believing that jumping could help him become a more settled racehorse.
Either way, Love Me Tender has gone from disappointing Ebor favourite to one of the more interesting novice hurdlers at Closutton in the space of a month.
That alone makes his next appearance well worth watching.
BETFRED
