Cheltenham Festival 2025 Tips - Willie's novice offers value in competitive Turners

Both of Britain's Grade One-winning novice hurdlers have been confirmed for the Turners' Novices' Hurdle. The New Lion has been snapped up by JP McManus following his stylish victory in the Challow Hurdle, while the Twiston-Davies team are eager to step Potters Charm back up in trip following his win in the Formby at Aintree.

It's been eight years since Britain last won the old Baring Bingham and we've seen plenty of home hotpots soundly trounced in recent years. Challow Hurdle winners have an extremely poor record at the Cheltenham Festival and Nigel Twiston-Davies hasn't celebrated a Grade One winner over hurdles at Cheltenham since The New One scored in the 2013 Turners.

The leading Irish contender seems to be The Yellow Clay, following his victory in the Lawlor's Of Naas this weekend. Gordon Elliott earmarked the Turners as his target after that Grade One win, but The Yellow Clay looks every inch a three-mile stayer to me. The Albert Bartlett would be much more suitable.

In each of the last three years, Willie Mullins has won the Turners Novices' Hurdle with his best novice hurdler. Sir Gerhard, Impaire Et Passe and Ballyburn all won top races over two miles before stepping up in trip at the Cheltenham Festival. Willie himself has said that he likes to run speed horses in the Turners and stamina horses in the Supreme.

By his lofty standards, the Champion Trainer has endured a slow start to the season with his novice hurdlers. Jasmin De Vaux was soundly beaten in the Lawlor's Of Naas, making the form of his Champion Bumper look even more suspect.

Going into this season, KOPEK DES BORDES (14/1) was expected to rank highly in Willie's novice brigade. Mullins only ran his five-year-old once during his bumper season, and Patrick Mullins' mount was wildly impressive in taking out the same Fairyhouse bumper that Brighterdaysahead won the previous year.

Mullins waited until the 4YO maiden hurdle on day one of Leopardstown's Christmas Festival to unleash Kopek Des Bordes over hurdles. The favourite didn't jump well at all, making mistake after mistake on the first circuit. Turning for home, Patrick Mullins took aim at the front-running Whinney Hill and Kopek Des Bordes swept into the lead. Another slow jump at the final flight slowed his momentum, but the market leader picked up again to repel highly-regarded stablemate Kawaboomga and maintain his unbeaten record.

Kopek Des Bordes is now likely to carry the tag of favouritism into the 2m Grade One at the Dublin Racing Festival, where he will come up against stablemates Salvator Mundi, Kaid d'Authie and Kel Histoire. I have no doubt that Mullins' five-year-old is quick enough and classy enough to land that Grade One. However, a look through Kopek Des Bordes breeding suggests that his future lies over longer distances and having Paul Townend - who was riding at Kempton on Boxing Day - in the saddle should help sharpen his jumping up considerably.