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Turners Novices' Hurdle 2025 - Free guide to Wednesday's opener at Cheltenham

jon-vine
Jon Vine
Editor
Last updated: Sat 22 Feb 2025 12:09
The 2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival is shaping up to be an exciting race, featuring top contenders like 'Final Demand' and 'The New Lion.' Final Demand has impressed with a dominant victory at the Dublin Racing Festival, while The New Lion stands out as Britain's best novice hurdler. Challengers like The Yellow Clay and Sixmilebridge also promise thrilling competitions. The final choice will depend on the ground conditions, with The New Lion favored on favorable ground and The Yellow Clay appealing on softer terrain.
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Jon Vine 22 Feb 2025
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  • Free guide to the 2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle
  • This race will take place on day two of the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday 12th March
  • The New Lion and The Yellow Clay feature in our verdict
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cheltenham novices' hurdle mark walsh
Cheltenham Festival. (Getty)

Day two of the Cheltenham Festival begins with the Turners Novices' Hurdle. Many future stars of the sport have claimed victory in this 2m5f Grade One and this year's renewal is shaping up to be the most competitive novice contest of the meeting.

Here's our free guide to the 2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle, featuring the latest odds, expert analysis and our best betting tips.

*Note - Best bets won't be finalised until the field has been confirmed*

2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle Odds


Name
Odds
Final Demand7/4
The New Lion3/1
Kawaboomga5/1
The Yellow Clay8/1
Kopek Des Bordes12/1
Potters Charm14/1
Bar16/1

2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle Tips - The Top Two


Final Demand leapt to the head of the Turners betting after a runaway victory at the Dublin Racing Festival. Willie Mullins' star was punted off the boards ahead of the Nathaniel Lacy and motored to a 12-length success without really being tested.

Paul Townend's mount was just as impressive when beating two future winners by 15 lengths on his hurdling debut at Limerick. I'm convinced that that was a really poor renewal of the Nathaniel Lacy, but Final Demand's victory was hugely impressive nonetheless.

Challow Hurdle winners have a dismal record at the Cheltenham Festival, but I've never seen a horse win that Grade One as easily as The New Lion did. Dan Skelton's rising star jumped neatly and travelled powerfully throughout. Harry Skelton was still unmoved in the saddle as the favourite hit the front and The New Lion cruised five lengths clear of the pack after the last.

JP McManus then threw his check book at previous owner Darren Yeats to purchase this unbeaten son of Kayf Tara. The New Lion has done everything very easily thus far and could have plenty more left up his sleeve.

2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle Tips - The Chasing Pack


Willie Mullins and JP McManus could team up with Kawaboomga, who was hammered in the Turners betting after his maiden hurdle victory at Fairyhouse, having finished second to Kopek Des Bordes on his stable debut. The Supreme Novices' Hurdle favourite jumped abysmally at Leopardstown over Christmas, but was still much too good for Kawaboomga. I wasn't that impressed with his win at Fairyhouse either, despite William Munny coming out and boosting the form since. 5/1 is a horrendous price.

In comparison, 8/1 about The Yellow Clay seems like excellent value. Gordon Elliott's star impressed in bumpers and is four-from-four over hurdles. The Yellow Clay was last seen claiming an eight length victory in the Lawlor's Of Naas Novices' Hurdle - a Grade One that Bob Olinger and Envoi Allen won before going on to taste Cheltenham Festival success.

Potters Charm blotted his copybook when losing to Sixmilebridge on Trials Day. Nigel Twiston-Davies' star had won his previous four starts over hurdles, including the Grade One Formby Novices' Hurdle at Aintree, and connections were quick to suggest that Potters Charm wasn't fully revved-up the last day, as they've always had the Turners in mind.

Sixmilebridge was getting five pounds from Potters Charm in the Classic Novices' Hurdle, but I doubt whether the favourite would have laid a glove on Fergal O'Brien's winner had they been running off level weights. Fergal's six-year-old has taken a step forward with each of his four starts over hurdles and course form around Cheltenham can never be underestimated.

Supreme Novices' Hurdle entrant Kaid d'Authie should improve for the step up in trip, but does have an awful performance at the Dublin Racing Festival to overcome. Kappa Jy Pyke and Kiss Will could bolster Willie Mullins' team further, but both have only won once over hurdles and neither has been tried at Graded level beforehand.

the new lion newbury
The New Lion will run in the colours of JP McManus for the first time at the Cheltenham Festival. (Getty)

2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle Tips


I have great respect for Final Demand and can't wait to see him jump fences next season. If he was running in the Albert Bartlett, then I wouldn't side against him. Yet, that Nathaniel Lacy he won looked like a terrible race to me and I'm not totally convinced that he has the turn-of-foot required to win this Grade One.

The going will have a huge bearing on who I back in this year's Turners. On decent ground, THE NEW LION (3/1) could prove extremely hard to beat.

Dan Skelton's star thrashed a decent rival in Belliano when making a winning hurdles debut at Chepstow. The New Lion was then a little workmanlike when following up at Newbury, but the runner-up that day has since won the Sidney Banks and the third and fourth are unbeaten in three starts between them since.

JP McManus' purchase has to reverse the curse of the Challow Hurdle, which hasn't produced a Cheltenham Festival winner this century. Yet, the way in which Harry Skelton's mount won that Grade One smacked of superstar quality and Dan couldn't have been more complimentary about The New Lion in the Skelton's pre-Cheltenham stable tour.

Final Demand would have a much better chance of beating The New Lion if the ground was to come up soft or worse. In such conditions, though, I'd be more tempted to back THE YELLOW CLAY (8/1), who offers plenty of each-way value at his current odds.

Gordon Elliott's star has done nothing wrong since switching to hurdles. The Yellow Clay wasn't at his best when completing a hat-trick at Navan in December, but more than made up for it with a commanding victory in the Lawlor's Of Naas. Elliott's six-year-old beat Wingmen and Jasmin De Vaux just as easily as Final Demand did in the Nathaniel Lacy. The price disparity between the two looks far too wide.

SIXMILEBRIDGE (16/1) is an interesting contender too. Fergal O'Brien's star was well-beaten in last year's Champion Bumper, but he seemed to relish the track when beating Potters Charm on Trials Day and he's done his best work on fairly testing ground. Despite his lengthy price, Sixmilebridge deserves his spot in this field.

Verdict

I won't be placing any bets here until the day two going becomes clear. The New Lion is by far the best novice hurdler in Britain and I'd fancy him to beat Final Demand on nice ground.

If conditions were more testing, The Yellow Clay and Sixmilebridge would be at the top of my shortlist for an each-way punt.

Best Bet1: The New Lion 2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle @3/1 at bet365 - 5 Units
Best Bet2: The Yellow Clay 2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle @8/1 at BOYLE Sports - 5 Units
Best Bet3: Sixmilebridge 2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle @16/1 at BOYLE Sports - 5 Units
The New Lion
2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle
@3/1 - 5 Units
Bet £10 Get £30
with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code NEWBONUS can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. #ad

Bet at bet365
The Yellow Clay
2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle
@8/1 - 5 Units
Bet £10 Get £30
in free bets

18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs Apply 18+. IRE/NI & UK online only. Max Free Bet £/€10. Win or win part of e/w outright singles. 5+ runners. 1st bet on each race. Free/void/antepost bets don't qualify. In event of a dead heat, offer won’t apply. Applies to First Past the Post result. Unnamed 2nd Favs don’t qualify. Acc & Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.

Bet at BOYLE Sports
Sixmilebridge
2025 Turners Novices' Hurdle
@16/1 - 5 Units
Bet £10 Get £30
in free bets

18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs Apply 18+. IRE/NI & UK online only. Max Free Bet £/€10. Win or win part of e/w outright singles. 5+ runners. 1st bet on each race. Free/void/antepost bets don't qualify. In event of a dead heat, offer won’t apply. Applies to First Past the Post result. Unnamed 2nd Favs don’t qualify. Acc & Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.

Bet at BOYLE Sports

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