Mares Hurdle Tips
- 14/03/2023
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The Mares Hurdle tips for the Cheltenham Festival 2023 will take an in-depth look at this exciting field from the opening day.
As one of the day’s big Grade 1 highlights, our racing experts will examine the list of declared runners once the final declarations are announced ahead of the fixture.
We will also be looking through some of this popular fillies & mares contest’s history and looking at prior trends to put together predictions.
This year’s field has yet to be announced, but taking the top honours for the 2022 edition was Marie’s Rock for trainer Nicky Henderson, ridden to the win by Nico de Boinville.
Mares Hurdle Tips – Overlooked Outsiders
As part of our big Mares Hurdle betting tips from this year’s Cheltenham Festival, we are taking a look at some of the dark horses in the field.
We will have a clearer picture of who those will be in Mares Hurdle odds, closer to the start of the Festival, when the market is shaping up better.
Last year’s winner Marie’s Rock came home at a huge 18/1 SP – the biggest odds winner since 20/1 shot Whiteoak won the inaugural running of the race back in 2008. Three of the last four winners won at double-figure odds, so it can pay to look further down the betting in this race.
So the field does need to be examined deeply, and our racing experts will have some outsider Mares Hurdle betting tips.
A look at this year’s underdogs will be available closer to the race.
2023 Mares Hurdle Runners + Odds – Tuesday 14th March 4:10
| Horse/Form | Silks | Jockey/Trainer | Odds |
| Maries Rock
P11-11 |
 |
J: Nico de Boinville T: Nicky Henderson |
5/2 |
| Honeysuckle
11-132 |
 |
J: Rachael Blackmore T: Henry De Bromhead |
10/3 |
| Epatante
13-221 |
 |
J: Aidan Coleman T: Nicky Henderson |
9/2 |
| Brandy Love
/121-3 |
 |
J: Paul Townend T: Willie Mullins |
11/2 |
| Love Envoi
112-11 |
 |
J: Jonathan Burke T: Harry Fry |
7/1 |
| Echoes In Rain
35-2F1 |
 |
J: Patrick Mullins T: Willie Mullins |
7/1 |
| Queens Brook
2-3121 |
 |
J: Davy Russell T: Gordon Elliott |
12/1 |
| Theatre Glory
11-U31 |
 |
J: Daryl Jacob T: Nicky Henderson |
14/1 |
| Shewearsitwell
15P411 |
 |
J: Danny Mullins T: Willie Mullins |
16/1 |
| Midnight Ginger
1-2315 |
 |
J: James Martin T: Andrew J Martin |
150/1 |
When the complete runner’s list is declared for the 2023 Mares Hurdle betting, our tipsters will give their calls on his fantastic contest.
There are ante-post Mares Hurdle betting odds to look through, with some of those who could be going in the fixture getting priced up early.
Among those towards the head of the ante-post betting in the 2023 Mares Hurdle odds is Marie’s Rock, who won the race last year. Nicky Henderson’s mare followed that performance up with a win in the Irish Mares Champion Hurdle and returned this season with a dominant win in the Relkeel Hurdle in January.
Love Envoi is another British runner in with a chance, having won the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival last year and won both her races so far this season. She has only tasted defeat once in her career, when soundly beaten by Brandy Love at Fairyhouse at the end of last season.
Willie Mullins’ Brandy Love is probably the pick of the Irish runners set to line up here, and could be a popular pick if she’s able to repeat her demolition job over Love Envoi in the Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final at Fairyhouse.
Another Irish raider is Shewearsitwell, another from the Mullins yard. She is yet to travel outside of Ireland but has won her last two races impressively, so now might be the time for her to venture over to English shores and take on the Brits at the Festival.
Watch for our Mares Hurdle betting tips as well as recommendations for all of the races from this year’s Cheltenham Festival. The Mares Hurdle runs on Tuesday, 14th March 2023.
How to pick a Mares Hurdle winner
For the next part of this racing preview, we consider how to pick a Mares Hurdle winner. One of the first ports of call would be to arm yourself with some of the top betting tips, like the ones from our dedicated tipsters.
With horse racing betting, it’s all about wading through those trends and the form. Here are a few pointers to help get you started, but our racing experts will look through these and a whole lot more to make recommendations.
There have only been three favourites taking a win in the last ten renewals of this race. None of the previous six renewals have been won by the favourite, so it may to look away from the market leader here.
All three winning favourites have done so at odds-on, so if there’s a heavy favourite it may well be worth siding with them.
Last 10 Mares Hurdle Winner Odds
- 2022 Marie’s Rock 18/1
- 2021 Black Tears 11/1
- 2020 Honeysuckle 9/4
- 2019 Roksana
- 2018 Benie Des Dieux 9/2
- 2017 Apples Jade 7/2
- 2016 Vroum Vroum Mag 4/6
- 2015 Glens Melody 6/1
- 2014 Quevega 8/11F
- 2013 Quevega 8/11F
There is one clear contender for the leading trainer for the Mares Hurdle. That is Willie Mullins, who has won 9 of the 15 runnings of the race. No other trainer has managed more than one victory in that sequence.
There isn’t a jockey trend as such, with no current jockey having won the Mares’ Hurdle more than once in any of the last fifteen renewals (Ruby Walsh won the race EIGHT times before retiring). But, Paul Townend has won once and placed in six of his other seven appearances in the fixture.
Each of the last fifteen winners have been bay horses, and each of those had won at least once in their three previous starts. However, none of the last 15 winners of this fixture did so at a price of more than 20/1.
The one final trend, which ties in with the preference for Willie Mullins, is that all but three of the fifteen Mares’ Hurdle winners at the Cheltenham Festival have been from Ireland.
There are fascinating trends to browse through for the Mares Hurdle, so keep a keen eye out for the top Mares Hurdle tips from our expert tipsters.
All About The Mares Hurdle: Past and Present
The Mares Hurdle is officially registered as the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle. The Close Brothers Group currently sponsors it.
The Mares Hurdle is on the turf of Cheltenham’s Old Course and is a 2m 3f 200 yard trip for the runners. Around the course, there are ten10hurdles that the competitors have to clear on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival.
This is also one of the newer races at the Festival – first being run in 2008. The first time it was held was on the New Course on the Festival’s final day, but it was moved to Day 1 the following year.
The Mares Hurdle was moved up to its current Grade 1 status in 2015.
How Do Horses Qualify For the Mares Hurdle Race?
The Mares Hurdle is open to runners that are four years and older. However, 4-year-olds are set at a weight of 10st 11lb while 5-year-olds plus will carry 11st 5lb.
What is the Mares Hurdle Prize Money in 2023?
Marie’s Rock got herself in front for the win in the 2021 Mares Hurdle and collected the first prize of £67,524. The rest of the purse was completed with payouts of 2nd £25,440, 3rd £12,732, 4th £6,360, 5th £3,192, 6th £1,596, 7th £792, 8th £408.
Mares Hurdle Past Winners
5-year-old Whiteoak won the inaugural 2008 Mares Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Then came along one of the extraordinary Cheltenham Festival horses, Quevega, trained by Willie Mullins.
Quevega, with jockey Ruby Walsh on her back each time, won the Mares hurdle for six straight years. It was a phenomenal streak of form from her. Other notable winners have been Apple’s Jade, Honeysuckle and last year’s winner Marie’s Rock.
| Year | Horse | Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2022 | Marie’s Rock | 18/1 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
| 2021 | Black Tears | 11/1 | Jack Kennedy | Mrs Denise Foster |
| 2010 | Honeysuckle | 9/4 | Rachael Blackmore | Henry De Bromhead |
| 2019 | Roksana | 10/1 | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton |
| 2018 | Benie Des Dieux | 9/2 | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2017 | Apples Jade | 7/2 | B J Cooper | Gordon Elliott |
| 2016 | Vroum Vroum Mag | 4/6F | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2015 | Glens Melody | 6/1 | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2014 | Quevega | 8/11F | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2013 | Quevega | 8/11F | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2012 | Quevega | 4/7F | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2011 | Quevega | 5/6F | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
Other Races on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival
The Mares Hurdle betting will be in focus on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival 2023, and it is the fifth of seven races on the day’s card. Here’s the complete list of races for Day 1.
13:30 The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
14:10 The Arkle Challenge Trophy
14:50 The Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase
15:30 The Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy
16:10 The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
16:50 The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race
17:30 The National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Steeple Chase