National Hunt Novices Chase
Over the distance of 3m6f, the National Hunt Challenge Cup is the joint-longest race of the week at the Cheltenham Festival.
This race is for amateur riders only and is only open to novice chasers. It was won in 2017 by Tiger Roll, while in 2023, Gaillard Du Mesnil came out on top for Willie Mullins. Last year’s winner was awarded to Corbetts Cross, trained by Emmet Mullins.
Find tips and trends below for this year’s renewal of the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup.
A maximum field of 16 runners will compete on the Old Course in the final race on day one this year. Jonjo O’Neill holds the record for the most wins as a trainer with six successes. The Jackdaws Castle man has one runner lined up for this year’s race with Hasthing.
Challenge Cup National Hunt Tips
Horses who sit high in the odds tend to perform well here with 14/1 winner Le Breuil being the largest winner in recent history. Eight horses currently sit under 14/1 in the odds.
Haiti Couleurs is the current favourite going into the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, having previously achieved wins at Aintree in November, as well as Cheltenham back in December.
Respondent Grey is currently priced at 8/1 and could be a good option for each way given the good form having achieved 4 top 3 finishes in the last 5 runs, including two first-place finishes.
Transmission is another runner leading the odds for this race, and it's no surprise when considering the form over long-distance courses. In the last 5 runs, Transmission has finished in the top 2 in 4 of those races, including two 1st place finishes.
The National Hunt Chase is the joint-longest course at the festival, and Transmission’s form over distances of 3m could come in beneficial.
To view the National Hunt Challenge Cup, you must click the link above to watch the live stream and be logged into your BetUK account.
