Novices’ Chase: Cheltenham Festival RaceCHELTENHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 1: Mick Fitzgerald and Lord Of Illusion lead the Jason Maguire riden Lord Noelie over an early fence before landing The Cheltenham and Three Counties Race Club Steeple Chase Race run at Cheltenham Racecourse on January 1, 2005 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images)

The Novices’ Chase is the showpiece steeplechase event for novice racehorses at the Cheltenham Festival. The race introduces novices to the arduous fences and distances of National Hunt racing’s most demanding race format.

The Novices’ Chase is one of the older races at the Cheltenham Festival and was first contested in 1946. The first Novices’ Chase winner was Birthlaw, ridden by Ted Vinall. The race continues to be run at the old course at Cheltenham Racecourse.

The Novices’ Chase is a Grade 1 steeplechase run over a challenging distance of 3 miles and 110 yards with horses required to jump a total of 19 fences. The Novices’ Chase, Cheltenham Festival race, is frequently targeted by trainers who wish their horses to make the difficult transition from hurdling to steeplechases.

Novices’ Chase Winners

The Novices’ Chase is one of the races at the Cheltenham Festival that holds the promise of introducing the public to potential future champion racehorses. An excellent example is the legendary Irish racehorse Arkle, who won the race in 1963 before going on to build a reputation as one of the finest steeplechasers in the history of National Hunt racing.

Irish jockeys have won the Novices’ Chase in the last three years of racing, but the name that stands out in the lists of Novices’ Chase winners is Peter Scudamore who won the race a record three years running between 1991 and 1993.

The National Hunt trainer with the record of most Novices’ Chase winners is held by Tom Dreaper. Two female trainers have also claimed top honours in the race with Jenny Pitman’s Nahthen Lad winning in 1996 and Henrietta Knight’s Lord Noelie winning the Novices’ Chase in 2000.

Novices’ Chase Betting

The Novices’ Chase, Cheltenham Festival race, is not a handicap event, and it is common for a strong favourite to emerge before the race. With little certainty over how former hurdlers will take to steeplechases, form in hurdle races is not always helpful when picking a winner.

As with other long races, a good Novices’ Chase betting tip is to strike off horses that haven’t previously managed to win over distances greater than three miles.

For live horse race betting we recommend William Hill, one of the world's leading bookmakers.