• 15/03/2023
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This preview of the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival covers all angles of the opening race of Day 2.

Our horse racing experts dive into the form and trends for the Ballymore to deliver the top recommendations, looking at the front runners in the betting and any longer priced dark horse picks.

We will also look at some of the past winners and explore who could be the key contenders in this year’s Grade 1 renewal.

The list of runners for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle odds haven’t been announced yet, but last year’s winner Sir Gerhard continued an excellent trend of favourites delivering the odds in this race.

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Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Tips – Overlooked Outsiders

There have been some shorter-priced winners in the recent editions of the Ballymore at the Cheltenham Festival. Four of the last five have been favourites, including each of the last three runnings.

But as with horse racing, that’s not the way all of the time, so our tipsters do look at the longer-priced options, the overlooked outsiders.

An example of needing to look deeper happened recently in the 2019 Ballymore when City Island defied 8/1 odds to get his nose in front.

Two years before that, there was an even bigger winner, with Willoughby Court scoring from 14/1 Ballymore Novices’ odds. Upsets happen, and the underdogs are not to be dismissed. 

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2023 Ballymore Novices’ Runners + Odds – Wednesday 15th March 1:30

Horse/Form	Silks	Jockey/Trainer	Odds
Impaire Et Passe 1-11		J: Paul Townend T: Willie Mullins	15/8
Hermes Allen 31-111		J: Harry Cobden T: Paul Nicholls	11/4
Gaelic Warrior 5-4121		J: Patrick Mullins T: Willie Mullins	9/2
Good Land 2/1U11		J: Michael O’Sullivan T: Barry Connell	5/1
Champ Kiely 1-1141		J: Danny Mullins T: Willie Mullins	15/2
Ho My Lord F1		J: Mark Walsh T: Willie Mullins	20/1
American Mike 2-3124		J: Dacy Russell T: Gordon Elliott	33/1
Marble Sands 2-1151		J: Paddy Brennan T: Fergal O’Brien	40/1
Persian Time 2-12		J: Adrian Heskin T: Nicky Henderson	100/1
Master Chewy -3F226		J: Sam Twiston-Davies T: Nigel Twiston-Davies	150/1

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Forty-eight hours before the Ballymore Novices’, the final declarations for the race will be in. We’ll know at that point just what the lineup is. But it is always worth trying to get a jump on participants.

Ballymore, Novices’ ante-post odds can help punters start to paint a picture of who could be going into the Grade 1 contest.

Hermes Allen is currently one horse towards the head of the ante-post betting, having won the Challow Novices’ Hurdle at the end of 2022. Paul Nicholls’ runner had previously won the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle over C&D in November, so he could be a lively option if connections send him down this route. 

But Willie Mullins’ Impaire Et Passe is one to watch, having ran out a comfortable winner of the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle in January, in what was just his second race over hurdles. The Irish trainer has won three of the last nine renewals, so it often pays to see which horses he enters in the race.

Other notable options include Champ Kiely, Gaelic Warrior and the unbeaten Facile Vega, although they may yet opt to go for other races at the Festival. 

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How to pick a Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle winner

We will have plenty of top Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle tips to come for this year’s renewal as our tipsters size up the form and stats.

If you are looking at picking a Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle winner, then those recommendations will be a great place to start.

One of the leading trends is how often the favourite has won the Ballymore recently. In the last ten renewals, the favourite has produced half of the wins, including each of the last three.

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Last 10 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Winner Odds

• 2022 Sir Gerhard 8/11F
• 2021 Bob Olinger 6/4F
• 2020 Envoi Allen 4/7F
• 2019 City Island 8/1
• 2018 Samcro 8/11F
• 2017 Willoughby Court 14/1
• 2016 Yorkhill 3/1
• 2015 Windsor Park 9/2
• 2014 Faugheen 6/4F
• 2013 The New One 7/2

Another of the more significant trends for the Cheltenham Festival’s Ballymore has seen eight of the last ten winners be 6-year-olds. The ones to break the trend was The New One in 2013 when he got the win as a 5-year-old, and last year’s winner Sir Gerhard (7 years old). 

But that still leaves a streak of seven of the last eight being at the 6-year-old mark. There has not been a winner bigger than 20/1 in the previous 20 editions. All but one of those had won within the 90 days before taking on the Ballymore.

Nineteen of the last 20 Ballymore winners had recorded a win within their last three starts as well. A female horse has not won the Ballymore, albeit only 10 have been entered in the previous 20 editions.

Our racing experts will look at trends like those for this year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle betting tips.

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All About The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle: Past and Present

The inaugural edition of the Ballymore was in 1971, and it was initially called the Aldsworth Hurdle. It’s known today as the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle for sponsorship reasons.

The official name is the Baring Bigham Novices’ Hurdle, and it is a Grade 1 hurdle open to horses four years and older. The contest, over a distance of 2m 5f, is hosted on the Old Course, with ten hurdles to be negotiated.

The top current jockey in the last 20 editions of the Ballymore is Davy Russell, who has taken the title three times from eleven attempts. The all-time leading jockey is Ruby Walsh, with four wins.

As for the top trainer, Willie Mullins has taken five victories from 36 previous runners entered across the last 20 renewals. The only other two trainers to have won it more than once in that same period are Nigel Twiston-Davies and Gordon Elliott, who have both done it twice.

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How Do Horses Qualify For the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Race?

The Ballymore is only for novice hurdlers. The minimum age of runners is four years old, and as this is open to both male and female runners, any filly or mare gets a 7lb allowance.

The weight for 4-year-olds is 10 st 13lb, with an 11st 7lb set for entrants of 5 years and upwards. 

What is the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Prize Money in 2023?

Sir Gerhard took the win last year by a distance of three and a half furlongs for Willie Mullins, ridden by Paul Townend. Sir Gerhard took the top prize money of 1st £76,030.08. The rest of the payouts were 2nd £28,685.57, 3rd £14,389.07, 4th £7,220.57, 5th £3,656.57, 6th £1,861.07, 7th £956.57. The purse for the 2023 Ballymore is yet to be set.

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Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Past Winners

There have been a lot of famous winners of the Ballymore, given that it is a big Grade 1 feature at the Cheltenham Festival. For example, the great Istabraq won the race back in 1997 as a 5-year-old.

Two-time Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace landed the Ballymore in 2003, as did the brilliant The New One in 2013, followed by the equally exciting Faugheen. More recent notable names include Envoi Allen and last year’s winner Bob Olinger.

Year	Horse	Odds	Jockey	Trainer
2022	Sir Gerhard	8/11	Paul Townend	Willie Mullins
2021	Bob Olinger	6/4F	Rachael Blackmore	Henry De Bromhead
2020	Envoi Allen	4/7F	Davy Russell	Gordon Elliott
2019	City Island	8/1	Mark Walsh	Martin Brassil
2018	Samcro	8/11F	Jack Kennedy	Gordon Elliott
2017	Willoughby Court	14/1	David Bass	Ben Pauling
2016	Yorkhill	3/1	Ruby Walsh	Willie Mullins
2015	Windsor Park	9/2	Davy Russell	D K Weld
2014	Faugheen	6/4F	Ruby Walsh	Willie Mullins
2013	The New One	7/2	Sam Twiston-Davies	Nigel Twiston-Davies
2012	Simonsig	2/1F	Barry Geraghty	Nicky Henderson
2011	First Lieutenant	7/1	Davy Russell	M F Morris

Other Races on Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival

Day 2 is Ladies’ Day at the Cheltenham Festival, and the Ballymore is the opening fixture of the day at 1.30 pm. Here are the rest of the races for Wednesday at the Festival:

13:30 The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1)

14:10 The Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase (Grade 1)

14:50 The Coral Cup Hurdle (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Grade 3)

15:30 The Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeplechase (Grade 1)

16:10 The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeplechase

16:50 The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (Grade 3)

17:30 The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1)