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Supreme Trial Novices’ Hurdle: Past Winners, Stats & History

Cheltenham November Meeting
Course:
Cheltenham
Old Course
Grade:
Grade 2
Length:
2m ½f
Last Winner:
Fennor Cross @ 3/1
Prize Money:
£50,000 (2022)

The Supreme Trail Novices’ Hurdle, officially the Sharp Novice’s Hurdle, is the last of the Graded contests on the Sunday on the Cheltenham November Meeting.

This was run for the first time in 1987 and is a trial race for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle which is the traditional curtain raiser at the Cheltenham Festival.

The list of previous winners boasts an array of quality horses including Cue Card, Dodging Bullets and Altior.

Supreme Trial Novices' Hurdle Course Map (Old Course)

Cheltenham Old Course Map

Supreme Trial Novices' Hurdle Past Winners

Year Winner SP Trainer Jockey
2022 Fennor Cross 3/1 John McConnell Simon Torrens
2021 I Like To Move It 4/6 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies
2020 For Pleasure 14/1 Alex Hales Harry Bannister
2019 Hang In There 6/1 Emma Lavelle Adam Wedge
2018 Elixir De Nutz 5/1 Colin Tizzard Harry Cobden
2017 Slate House 5/2 Colin Tizzard Harry Cobden
2016 Moon Racer 9/4 David Pipe Tom Scudamore
2015 Altior 2/1 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville
2014 Vyta Du Roc 3/1 Nicky Henderson Barry Geraghty
2013 The Liquidator 6/4 David Pipe Tom Scudamore
2012 Dodging Bullets 5/4 Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh
2011 Steps To Freedom 11/8 Jessica Harrington Robbie Power
2010 Cue Card 8/13 Colin Tizzard Joe Tizzard
2009 Loosen My Load 5/2 Henry de Bromhead Andrew Lynch
2008 Golan Way 8/1 Sheena West Jamie Goldstein
2007 I'msingingtheblues 14/1 Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh
2006 Moon Over Miami 16/1 Charlie Mann Noel Fehily
2005 Boychuk 8/1 Philip Hobbs Richard Johnson
2004 Marcel 5/1 Martin Pipe Timmy Murphy
2003 Self Defense 2/1 Emma Lavelle Barry Keniry

About the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Trial

Grey Horse Parading at Cheltenham Racecourse
Steven Jones, flickr

As the first race of the Cheltenham Festival, the noise that greets the start of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is unlike any other race. Winning the hugely important Grade 1 is the culmination of a lot of hard work including runs at any number of trials. As the title suggests, the Sky Bet Supreme Trial Novices’ Hurdle run at Cheltenham’s November Meeting is one such important trial and so is always worth paying attention to, even so many months before the main event the following year.

Several Changes but Always a High Class Contest

The Sharp Novices’ Hurdle was first run in 1987. That first race was run as the A. F. Budge Novices’ Hurdle. Over subsequent years the race underwent several name changes with companies including Flowers Fine Ales, Anglo Irish Bank and Opus Energy signing up as sponsors before Sky Bet took over in 2013 and ran the race under its current name. During the various name changes the race has officially been registered as the Sharp Novices’ Hurdle which remains its official name.

Chart Showing the Race Sponsors of the Sharp Novices' Hurdle Between 1987 and 2022

The name isn’t the only thing to have changed with this race though. The inaugural contest was open only to three-year-olds before the age restriction was quickly lifted with the contest subsequently open to all novice hurdlers aged four and older. The distance is another thing that has changed over the years, from 2 miles initially, to 2 mile 1 furlong between 1992 and 1994, and then to the current trip of 2 miles ½ furlong.

The Grade of the Sharp Novices’ Hurdle is one of the most stable elements of the race. It first achieved Grade 2 status in 1989 where it has remained ever since. That grading has helped to attract many high class horses who are embarking on the early stages of their jumps career with several going on to compete at the Cheltenham Festival.

Altior an Exception

Altior is one of a high number of promising (just a slight understatement in hindsight) horses to use the Sharp Novices’ Hurdle to show how good he was. At the time, he was described as having “a touch of class about him” so it was by no means clear to racing analysts how far he would go but Altior was the favourite for the race and used his big frame to justify the support he got in the betting.

Nicky Henderson’s superstar really showed what he was all about when he won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle itself at the Cheltenham Festival. Completing the double in both races is a very rare feat indeed which proved to be too much even for the likes of Cue Card and Dodging Bullets.

Chart Showing the Performance of the Sharp Novices' Hurdle Winner in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle Between 1987/88 and 2021/22

The main reason for that are that the calibre of competition is obviously higher at the Cheltenham Festival whilst this is a race usually won by four or five-year-olds who are still developing and learning the ropes so have a tendency towards unpredictability.

One thing that Altior had in common with the vast majority of race winners is that he was right at the top of the betting. This is not a race in which it pays to back long shots as those outside of the top three in the bookies’ markets have a poor race. It’s also important for punters to lend their support to horses who have already had a few runs and ideally a win or two over hurdles.

Other Races of Note at Cheltenham

  • Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
  • Arkle Chase
  • Arkle Trial Novices' Chase
  • Ballymore Novices' Hurdle
  • Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
  • Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
  • Champion Bumper
  • Champion Hurdle
  • Cheltenham Gold Cup
  • Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
  • Cotswold Chase
  • December Gold Cup
  • Festival Hunters' Chase
  • Greatwood Hurdle
  • International Hurdle
  • November Handicap Chase
  • Paddy Power Gold Cup
  • Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle
  • Queen Mother Champion Chase
  • Ryanair Chase
  • Shloer Chase
  • Stayers’ Hurdle
  • Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
  • Supreme Trial Novices' Hurdle
  • Triumph Hurdle
  • Triumph Hurdle Trial
  • Turners Novices’ Chase

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