Mares' Novices' Hurdle

Race Overview

About the Mares' Novices' Hurdle

The Mares' Novices' Hurdle is a dedicated championship for novice mares hurdlers — a Grade 2 contest over two miles and one furlong that provides the next generation of female hurdlers with their own Festival stage.

The race provides a dedicated opportunity for mares in their first season over hurdles to compete against their peers, rather than having to tackle the open Supreme Novices' Hurdle or Ballymore Novices' Hurdle against colts and geldings. The slightly extended trip of two miles one furlong suits mares who have shown their best form at around this distance during the season.

Willie Mullins dominates this race just as comprehensively as he does the other mares-only contests at the Festival. His novice mares — many of whom have come through the bumper ranks with outstanding form — regularly arrive at the Festival as short-priced favourites, and the challenge for opposing punters is identifying whether any of his main rivals represent a genuinely credible alternative at a bigger price.

The Mares' Novices' Hurdle has tremendous predictive power for the Grade 1 Mares' Hurdle in future seasons. Many winners of this race go on to develop into top-class mares hurdlers who eventually compete — and win — the senior championship in subsequent years. Identifying an outstanding Mares' Novices' winner is therefore a valuable piece of ante-post information for future Festival betting.