Cheltenham Turners Novices’ Hurdle 2023 runners and riders: A horse-by-horse guide

The Turners Novices’ Chase is a Grade 1 novice chase that starts day three of the Cheltenham Festival and is run over a trip just short of two and a half miles on the New Course.

This race was added to the Festival programme in 2011 and Willie Mullins has already racked up four victories, with Sir Des Champs (2012), Vautour (2015), Black Hercules (2016) and Yorkhill (2017).

Vautour’s win under Ruby Walsh in 2015 rates as one of the great modern-day displays from any novice over fences at the Cheltenham Festival.

This year’s renewal will seemingly focus on Gordon Elliott’s Mighty Potter, unbeaten over fences and winner of back-to-back Grade 1 races in Ireland either side of Christmas on his way to this test.

He looks tailor-made for this race but he faces plenty of competition, with Festival scorer and course chase winner Banbridge, for Joseph O’Brien, another leading contender. Home hopes could rest with the likes of Stage Star for Paul Nicholls and Balco Coastal for Nicky Henderson.

This race has been dominated by Irish horses, who have won nine of the 12 editions. Jonjo O'Neill (Taquin du Seuil, 2014), Philip Hobbs (Defi Du Seuil, 2019) and Nicky Henderson (Chantry House, 2021) are the only UK-based trainers to saddle winners. Gordon Elliott (Shattered Love, 2018 and Samcro, 2020) is the only trainer other than Mullins to have won the race more than once. 

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The Turners Novices' Chase takes place at 1.30pm on Thursday March 16 and is the first race on day three of the Cheltenham Festival.

Final declarations are on Tuesday

1 Adamantly Chosen – Jockey tbc (T: Willie Mullins) 14/1 (**)
Made a good start with two autumn wins over fences and twice second in Grade 1s since Christmas. Got closer to Mighty Potter latest but still a sizable gap to trim.

2 Appreciate It – Jockey tbc (T: Willie Mullins) 4/1 (**)
Favourite for last month’s Irish Arkle but could do no better than third. Has perhaps come to chasing too late in his career and younger rivals are preferred. 

3 Balco Coastal – Jockey tbc (T: Nicky Henderson) 9/1 (**)
Won a Kempton handicap over 2m 4½f on soft ground at Christmas off 133 and second in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown since. That was a career-best – another may be needed now. 

4 Banbridge – Jockey tbc (T: Joseph O’Brien) 3/1 (****)
Handicap winner at this meeting last year and had the speed to win an Arkle Trial in November. Long way behind Mighty Potter next time and second in the Irish Arkle since. 

5 Christopher Wood – Jockey tbc (T: Venetia Williams) 100/1 (*)
Runner-up in modest company at Hereford and Lingfield since the turn of the year and now 0-3 over fences. A major stunner if he breaks his duck now. 

6 Hollow Games – Jockey tbc (T: Gordon Elliott) 20/1 (*)
Third behind Banbridge over hurdles here last March. Victorious first time over fences in November but held in a fairly tame Grade 1 contest at Christmas and this asks a lot of him. 

7 I Am Maximus – Jockey tbc (T: Willie Mullins) 20/1 (*)
Has run well in all three chase starts but yet to win and was fourth behind Mighty Potter at the Dublin Racing Festival last month. Job on to turn things around.

8 James Du Berlais – Jockey tbc (T: Willie Mullins) 14/1 (**)
Easy winner of a Fairyhouse beginners’ chase on New Year’s Day but trailed in last of six as Mighty Potter put on a clinic at Leopardstown last month. Rebound needed.

9 McFabulous – Jockey tbc (T: Paul Nicholls) 
Newbury Grade 2 winner in November ahead of Thyme Hill. Tends to do best in small fields and should find a few of these too classy. 

10 Mighty Potter – Jockey tbc (T: Gordon Elliott) 5/4 (*****)
Has looked immaculate in winning three chases this season in Ireland, two at Grade 1 level. Fluent jumper sets a high bar and will take some halting.

11 Notlongtillmay – Jockey tbc (T: Laura Morgan) 66/1 (*)
Three from three over fences for his training, winning the last two easily at Musselburgh, but is entering a different realm now and has about 20lb to find on Mighty Potter. 

12 Sir Gerhard – Jockey tbc (T: Willie Mullins) 6/1 (**)
Won the Ballymore here in fine style last year but was defeated afterwards by Mighty Potter. Just one run en route back here and, while he won, it wasn’t any sort of test. 

13 Stage Star – Jockey tbc (T: Paul Nicholls) 10/1 (***)
Has won 3-4 over fences for Britain’s champion trainer but the lone defeat came in a weak Grade 2 contest. Won a handicap here off 142 in January and could have more in him. 

14 Unexpected Party – Jockey tbc (T: Dan Skelton) 66/1 (*)
Some solid form in defeat this season but comes up a long way shy on ratings and, no matter how it’s dressed up, has yet to win in this discipline. 

One of the three Grade 1 novice chases at the Cheltenham Festival, the Turners Novices' Chase is potentially revealing in terms of where these young horses will be aiming when they graduate into open company as it offers an intermediate test of stamina. 

Just four runners – none of them from the UK – turned up last year as heavyweight duo Galopin Des Champs and Bob Olinger scared off the opposition. Galopin Des Champs pressed on in the home straight and had the race in the bag until he pecked on landing after jumping the final fence and fell, leaving Bob Olinger to pick up the pieces and win for Rachael Blackmore and Henry De Bromhead. 

Mighty Potter is 5/4 favourite for Elliott after impressing in his Grade 1 wins in Ireland this season, latterly at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival in February when he powered up the home straight for a decisive win. He’s a big, scopey sort and really jumps his fences well.

Banbridge was fast enough to win an Arkle Trial at this course this season for Joseph O’Brien and shouldn’t be ruled out in haste. He’s 3/1 in the betting ahead of the Mullins-trained pair Appreciate It at 4/1 and Sir Gerhard at 7/1. 

Stage Star at 10/1 is the shortest-priced UK runner in the betting and while his form has been decent this season, he may do well to lower the hopes of the strong raiding party. 

Mighty Potter hasn’t put a foot wrong over fences and is going to be hard to topple in this race on form. Some have worries over quicker ground but the latest weather forecast is sure to ease any concern on that front. He looks one for favourite backers. 

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