The Turners Novices’ Hurdle (registered as the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle) is the opening race of day two of the Cheltenham Festival. The Grade 1 event is off at 1.20pm on Wednesday 17 March and is raced over a trip of 2m 5f and will attract a stellar line-up for the 2027 renewal. The race is part of our Cheltenham tips for all 28 races, and the rest of the Wednesday card is previewed in our Cheltenham Day 2 tips.
Our team of tipsters, which includes Andrew Mount and Matty Sutcliffe, will provide their Turners Novices’ Hurdle tips here nearer the off…
Matty Sutcliffe’s Turners Novices’ Hurdle Tips
Matty Sutcliffe believes the outsider of the field could offer value in a huge field for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle. Free Spirit is likely to improve in this type of race, with a big field for cover having raced keenly on debut.
Joe Napier’s Turners Novices’ Hurdle Tips
Having been beaten on the line in a Dublin Racing Festival Grade 1 last time out, Ballyfad can gain compensation up in trip according to Joe Napier. His maiden win was very eyecatching.
Prices for next year’s race are tracked through the winter on our Turners Hurdle odds page, while our Cheltenham Day 2 trends break down the stats behind every Wednesday winner.
Turners Novices’ Hurdle Bookmaker Odds – Race 1, Wednesday 17th March 1:20
All About The Turners Novices’ Hurdle in 2027
Registered as the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle, and run as the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle before Turners took over the sponsorship, this is the intermediate Grade 1 of the Festival’s three championship novice hurdles, run over 2m5f. The field will only become clear late in the season, as several horses hold entries both here and in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over the shorter trip.
Turners Novices’ Hurdle Ante-Post Picture (November 2026)
Willie Mullins and Paul Townend landed the 2026 renewal with King Rasko Grey at 11/1, as Act Of Innocence filled second and 50/1 shot Zeus Power third, while 5/2 favourite No Drama This End was pulled up. All of the first four have since moved on to other targets.
Mister Yves and Sons And Lovers head an open early market at 20/1, with Supreme favourite Feel Gut and Champion Bumper winner The Mourne Rambler also quoted, so expect several of the leading novices to keep both options open until declarations.
Qualifications/Trends
Check out some of the key trends ahead of the 2026 Turners Novices’ Hurdle:
- Six-year-olds have won 8 of the last 10 renewals
- 5 of the last 10 renewals have been won by the favourite
- 8 of the last 10 renewals have been trained in Ireland
- All the last 10 winners have been rated 147 or higher
Turners Novices’ Hurdle History
Introduced in 1971, the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle was the original longer-distance novice hurdle, before the Albert Bartlett came along decades later.
Although Davy Lad, the 1977 Gold Cup winner, would win this race in 1975, perhaps the first marquee winner was the extraordinary Willie Wumpkins in 1973. He only won seven races in his life, but four of those came at the Cheltenham Festival. This was his first, before he added three Coral Cups to his tally.
The race also provided a seminal moment in the history of jumps racing, for it gave J P McManus his first ever win at the Cheltenham Festival courtesy of Mister Donovan in 1982. But for his win in the race, it was rumoured McManus may never have afforded to build the dynasty he has.
Davy Lad is the only Gold Cup winner to have won both races, but we have seen three horses go from this to Champion Hurdle glory in Istabraq, Hardy Eustace and Faugheen, all three of whom used their staying power up the hill to excellent effect the year(s) after.
Winners since 2000
| Year | Horse | Jockey/Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Monsignor | J:Norman Williamson T:Mark Pitman | 5/4F |
| 2001 | VOID | J:N/A T:N/A | VOID |
| 2002 | Galileo | J:Jason Maguire T:Tom George | 12/1 |
| 2003 | Hardy Eustace | J:Kieran Kelly T:Dessie Hughes | 6/1 |
| 2004 | Fundamentalist | J:Carl Llewellyn T:Nigel Twiston-Davies | 12/1 |
| 2005 | No Refuge | J:Graham Lee T:Howard Johnson | 17/2 |
| 2006 | Nicanor | J:Paul Carberry T:Noel Meade | 17/2 |
| 2007 | Massini’s Maguire | J:Richard Johnson T:Philip Hobbs | 20/1 |
| 2008 | Fiveforthree | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 7/1 |
| 2009 | Mikael d’Haguenet | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 5/2F |
| 2010 | Peddlers Cross | J:Jason Maguire T:Donald McCain Jr | 7/1 |
| 2011 | First Lieutenant | J:Davy Russell T:Mouse Morris | 7/1 |
| 2012 | Simonsig | J:Barry Geraghty T:Nicky Henderson | 2/1F |
| 2013 | The New One | J:Sam Twiston-Davies T:Nigel Twiston-Davies | 7/2 |
| 2014 | Faugheen | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 6/4F |
| 2015 | Windsor Park | J:Davy Russell T:Dermot Weld | 9/2 |
| 2016 | Yorkhill | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 3/1 |
| 2017 | Willoughby Court | J:David Bass T:Ben Pauling | 14/1 |
| 2018 | Samcro | J:Jack Kennedy T:Gordon Elliott | 8/11F |
| 2019 | City Island | J:Mark Walsh T:Martin Brassil | 8/1 |
| 2020 | Envoi Allen | J:Davy Russell T:Gordon Elliott | 4/7F |
| 2021 | Bob Olinger | J:Rachael Blackmore T:Henry De Bromhead | 6/4F |
| 2022 | Sir Gerhard | J:Paul Townend T:Willie Mullins | 8/11F |
| 2023 | Impaire Et Passe | J:Paul Townend T:Willie Mullins | 5/2 |
| 2024 | Ballyburn | J:Paul Townend T:Willie Mullins | 1/2F |
| 2025 | The New Lion | J:Harry Skelton T:Dan Skelton | 3/1 |
| 2026 | King Rasko Grey | J:Paul Townend T:Willie Mullins | 11/1 |
Cheltenham Festival Day 2 Racing Schedule