Novice (racehorse)

Last updated

A novice in horse racing is an inexperienced racehorse which has not run in a certain number of races of a particular type, or not won in such races. The definition of a novice is determined by the horse racing authority in a particular country or area.

Contents

Flat racing

In British Flat racing novice races are generally restricted to horses which have not won more than twice, have not won a race of a particular status or have not run more than twice. Specific conditions apply to auction races restricted to horses sold at public auctions. [1]

National Hunt racing

A novice in National Hunt horse racing is a horse which has not won in a particular type of race prior to the start of the current season. A novice hurdler has not won a hurdle race before the start of the current season, while a novice chaser has not won a steeplechase before the start of the current season.

A horse remains a novice until the end of the season in which it gains its first win in that particular category, no matter how many wins it achieves. Generally novices race against other novices although there is no restriction preventing novices competing against more experienced rivals. Occasionally a novice wins a major race outside novice company - Captain Christy in 1974 and Coneygree in 2015 won the Cheltenham Gold Cup as novices, [2] as did Make A Stand in the 1997 Champion Hurdle. Noble Yeats won the 2022 Grand National as a novice.

A modern development has seen a concession whereby horses that record their first win in a given sphere in March or April may contest novice events up to 31 October of that year. [3] This period was extended to 30 November from the 2022–23 season in British National Hunt racing. [4]

Principal novice races

The most important races run for novices in Great Britain are all run as Grade 1 events at the Cheltenham Festival

See also

Related Research Articles

The Challow Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs, and during its running there are ten hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late December. Prior to 1999 the race was sometimes run in early January. Initially contested as a two mile juvenile hurdle, the race was opened to older horses from the 1981–82 season onwards. After a hiatus during the mid 1990s, juvenile hurdlers are now excluded from the race.

The Champion Hurdle Trial is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain held each January, which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of about 1 mile 7½ furlongs, and with nine hurdles. It is currently sponsored by Unibet. Since 2019, the race has carried the name of The New One, a racehorse who had won the race every year from 2015 to 2018.

The Elite Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Wincanton over a distance of about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in early November.

The Sharp Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in November.

The Dipper Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs, and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year on New Year's Day.

The International Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in January.

The Contenders Hurdle was a Listed National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which was open to horses aged four years or older. It was run at Sandown Park over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile 7 furlongs and 216 yards, or 3,319 metres), and during its running there were eight hurdles to be jumped. The race took place each year in late January or early February.

The Imperial Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in March.

The December Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of about 3 miles, and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in December.

The Summit Juvenile Hurdle is a Listed National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged three years. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in December.

The Coral Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 5 furlongs, and during its running there are ten hurdles to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle, known for sponsorship purposes as the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. It is a handicap race for juvenile novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The National Hunt Challenge Cup is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain for amateur riders which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles 6 furlongs, and during its running there are twenty-three fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The Centenary Novices' Handicap Chase, known for sponsorship purposes as the Paddy's Reward Club Novices' Handicap Chase, is a Listed National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped. It was a handicap race for novice chasers with a handicap rating between 0 and 145, and it takes place each year in March.

The Pertemps Network Final is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles, and during its running there are twelve hurdles to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The Golden Miller Novices' Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Turners Novices' Chase, is a Grade One National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. It is a race for novice chasers and it is scheduled to take place each year on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The European Breeders Fund Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged between four and seven. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. It is a handicap race for novices, and it is scheduled to take place each year in March. It is currently sponsored by Betfair. The race was first run in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coneygree</span> British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Coneygree is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. In a career which ran from November 2010 to February 2019 he ran in eighteen races, winning nine times. In March 2015, he became the first novice chaser to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup for more than forty years. His subsequent career was hampered by injury and he did not run again in the Cheltenham Gold Cup after winning it.

The Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle, run as the Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle for sponsorship purposes, is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to fillies and mares aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The Liberthine Mares' Chase, currently run as the Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase, is a Grade 2 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to mares aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs, and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. It is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.

References

  1. ↑ "Definitions - Novice". British Horseracing Authority. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  2. ↑ Armytage, Marcus (13 March 2015). "Coneygree wins Cheltenham Gold Cup". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Novice horses". British Horseracing Authority. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  4. ↑ "Jump Pattern Committee update 22/23 season". British Horseracing Authority. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.