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Turners Novices' Hurdle Odds Selection Odds The New Lion 6/4 Final Demand 7/4 The Yellow Clay 5/1 James's Gate…
Wednesday 12th March 13:20
The Turners Novices' Hurdle is the opening race on day 2 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. Below, you'll find our Turners Novices' Hurdle betting tips from our expert horse racing analysts David Young and Will Smith who has been featured on William Hill Racing and Racing TV. All of our Cheltenham betting tips are 100% free and available for every race taking place at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
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| Bookie | Selection | Best Odds | Market | Bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Kel Histoire | 12/1 | EW 3 Places ‘without Final Demand and The New Lion’ Turners Novices’ Hurdle |
Place Bet |
|
The Yellow Clay | 6/1 | Win Turners Novices’ Hurdle |
Place Bet |
Date of Tips: 12/03/2025
Disclaimer The odds for these selections were correct at the time of publishing (08:00 12/03/2025) but may have changed since. Please check the latest price before placing your bet.
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Betting without markets have been a friend of the column on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival, and I’m hoping that Day 2 will start off in similar fashion.
The Turners Novices’ Hurdle at 1.20 is by far the deepest and most high quality of the three novice hurdles, and Final Demand and The New Lion have plenty of style and substance to their form and profiles.
Beyond them, for all that The Yellow Clay is likeable and solid, I’m left wondering by the performances of some of Gordon Elliott’s horses on Day 1 whether they show their hand too much perhaps to some degree before the spring, whereas other trainers maybe develop their horses later in the season.
To that end, could The Yellow Clay be vulnerable for the places to some of those completely unexposed at bigger odds? So too, similar comments could potentially apply to Potters Charm, who has shown himself to be very good, but is there more to come?
Instead, the recommendation is to back Kel Histoire at 11/1 each-way in Bet365’s market ‘without Final Demand and The New Lion’ for 3 places. There wasn’t much between him and Kaid D’Authie when vying for this 1-star * recommendation, but just the fact that I feel Kaid D’Authie might be suited by a more galloping and less tight and turning track in time.
Kel Histoire has to find plenty on bare form, but he cosily won on hurdle debut for Willie Mullins, and then was mightily inconvenienced by a slow pace in the Moscow Flyer Novices’ Hurdle. Stepping up in trip, drying ground and a proper pace will all suit Kel Histoire, and he can surprise a few.
I’ve long thought that THE YELLOW CLAY was made for this race, and his trainer Gordon Elliott has named checked this throughout the season alongside confirming that he will be an even better horse on better ground. I agree, and his form this season stacks up with Final Demand but I do believe the set up of this race will suit THE YELLOW CLAY more than him.
THE YELLOW CLAY had two campaigns in bumpers and must have met with a setback between those but he’s unbeaten this season, as he was in his first season bumpering, and he’s always been regarded as a quick horse by connections which I believe he is too. He will need a career best effort to land this, but the same is true for almost all of his rivals and I believe that he is the horse most suited to this race, albeit in a very competitive race.
THE YELLOW CLAY – 1.5 STAR WIN @ 6/1 (Bet365)
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| Selection | Odds |
|---|---|
| The New Lion | 6/4 |
| Final Demand | 7/4 |
| The Yellow Clay | 5/1 |
| James's Gate | 10/1 |
| Sixmilebridge | 10/1 |
| Potters Charm | 14/1 |
| Kiss Will | 20/1 |
| Kel Histoire | 25/1 |
| Kaid D'Authie | 25/1 |
| Kappa Jy Pyke | 25/1 |
| Jacob's Ladder | 33/1 |
| Port Joulain | 40/1 |
| Supersundae | 40/1 |
| Bleu De Vassy | 40/1 |
| The Big Westerner | 40/1 |
| Inn At The Park | 40/1 |
| No Questions Asked | 40/1 |
| Wingmen | 50/1 |
| Sounds Victorius | 66/1 |
| Forty Coats | 66/1 |
| Whinney Hill | 100/1 |
| Turners Novices’ Hurdle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Distance | Type |
| Wed 12/03/2025 | 13:20 | 2m 5f | Hurdle |
The Turners Novices’ Hurdle is the opening race on day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival. It is a Grade 1 race that covers a distance of 2 miles and 5 furlongs. The race is open to novice hurdlers aged four years or older and is run on the Cheltenham Old Course. The Turners Novices’ Hurdle features 10 hurdles to be jumped and has produced some great winners such as Faugheen, Samcro, and Envoi Allen.
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New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. £/€10 min qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £10 Win + £/€10 Place). Receive £/€20 Tote Credit, £/€10 Free Sports Bet and 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry on free bets & Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org. #ad
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Previous Tips
2024 Novices’ Hurdle Tips [expired]
by Will Smith…
The make-up and betting markets of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Gallagher (Baring Bingham/Ballymore) Novices’ Hurdle have been like the plot of an Agatha Christie novel, or perhaps a Harlan Coben adaptation for the millennials out there. More twists and turns than is imaginable!
With 7 horses still entered in both races, and 6 of them trained by Willie Mullins, we are officially no closer to knowing the final fields and subsequently the likely market leaders of both races.
However, if market vibes and grapevine tittle-tattle are to be believed, then the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle seems to be the intended destination of Ballyburn, and he is into odds-on for this race following the confirmation stage.
The final twist could come with Sunday’s weather, as varying forecasts suggests an amount of rain is to fall on the south-west of England, and surely if it was a fair-sized chunk then Ballyburn could still run in a heavy ground Supreme. But all the signs suggest that is unlikely.
What is does do is increase the chance of long-time Supreme Novices’ Hurdle ante-post fancy Slade Steel running in the race, as connections seem hell-bent on avoiding their Dublin Racing Festival conqueror Ballyburn. 8/1 each-way is available widely and with the ‘non-runner, no bet’ concession in play across the board too, there is plenty of value in Slade Steel for the Supreme still.
There could be a 5-way fight for Supreme Novices’ Hurdle favouritism, and it would be a cracking way to kickstart the meeting. While I’m not entirely convinced that Ballyburn would need a slog over 2m5f to be seen to best effect, so following declarations for the Wednesday opener on Monday morning, there may be some each-way value to be had in the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle.
But quite where it lies, or whether it is a live angle, are two things I will attempt to unravel in the coming days…
2023 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Tips [expired]
The Willie Mullins-trained Champ Kiely made all to win the Grade 1 Lawlor’s at Naas in January over 2m 4f, a good run even if there were a few flights omitted in the home straight. He is much respected here and can take top honours under Danny Mullins.
The seven-year-old will need to be as sharp as a tack today given the quality of the opposition but I think he will be the horse most suited to the ground conditions and will boss this race from the front.
Forecast backers may want to perm Hermes Allen and Impaire Et Passe with Champ Kiely for a potential nice return.
Champ Kiely (NAP) @ 8/1 with Bet365
2020 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Tips [expired]
Envoi Allen will be seen by many as the Irish (perhaps whole Festival) banker of the week in the opening race on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.
I am a fully paid up member of the abilities and quality that the horse possesses, and it may seem fanciful to suggest that he will find one too good in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. But there are factors in play within ante-post betting, that would suggest backing Sporting John at 6/1 each-way with Bet365 NRNB, to be a decent play at this stage.
Factor number one is the weather, as despite a dry(ish) forecast for the next week or so, it would surely only take one or two downpours on the eve of the Festival to turn the ground heavy – in which case Envoi Allen could re-route to the Supreme on day one.
Factor two is the fact that Philip Hobbs has the likely favourite for the Albert Bartlett in the shape of Thyme Hill, suggesting that he would be keen to keep him in that race and not divert him to the intermediate trip – leaving the path clear for the JP McManus’-owned and Hobbs-trained Sporting John to run here.
Factor three is the aforementioned owner, who has another horse to aim at the Supreme, that being the Nicky Henderson-trained Chantry House.
Factor four, the final and perhaps most pertinent point, is the unquestionable ability that Sporting John clearly has – maybe I should have started with this argument, as it surely forms the basis to any horse race!
Even if Envoi Allen gets there fit and well on the day, Sporting John has shown more than enough in his three forays to the racecourse this season, to suggest that he can give Gordon Elliott’s superstar a tough race.
Two simple tasks in lesser class races left the visual impression that he would be a factor when upped in grade. He duly did so when sluicing up in a class 2 novice hurdle at Ascot two weeks ago, in the fastest time on the card. The strong impression is that we haven’t seen anywhere near the ceiling of his latent talent yet – here’s hoping we do next Wednesday.
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