12th - 15th March 2024

Switch Device Tracker Login Now

13:30 Cheltenham 14 Mar 2024 View Racecard

1 Turners Novices' Chase
Grade 1 | Registered As The Golden Miller | GBB Race | Class 1 | 5YO plus
Winner £98,472 - 11 declared to run
2m 3f 168y
Soft-heavy in places
Draw Advantage: None
Weather: View course guide

Last year’s race

QuickBet
Winner: Stage Star
Jockey: Harry Cobden
Trainer: Paul Nicholls
Owner: Owners Group 044
Age: 7 Weight: 11st 7lbs
Starting Price: 15/2
Season Form Figures: 1211
Previous Best: 1st - Class 2 Handicap, Cheltenham (Jan 2023)

By Paul Jones

This will be the eleventh running since its upgrade to Grade 1 status and the fourteenth all told.

Big stat coming up given that so few can have tried - five winners since that upgrade were winning at
the Cheltenham Festival for a second time. Just two entries could achieve that feat, the 2022
Champion Bumper winner, Facile Vega , or last season’s Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap
Hurdle winner, Iroko .

Nine winners since the upgrade had run at the previous year’s meeting. The first two years since the
upgrade were dominated by horses to run well at the Festival before and then Vautour (Supreme)
and Yorkhill (Baring Bingham) were recording their second Festival victories here when successful, a
feat that the former Triumph Hurdle winner, Defi Du Seuil, then emulated followed by Samcro 12
months later having won the Baring Bingham and then Bob Olinger in 2022 completed the same
festival double.

Galopin Des Champs would have won the Turners two seasons ago of course had he negotiated the
final fence and he was also a former festival winner having won the Martin Pipe the previous season.

The Killiney Novices’ Chase at Punchestown in January (or Betting Better With Sky Bet Chase as it
was known this year) has been the best recent guide. Although he was extremely fortunate at
Cheltenham, Bob Olinger completed the Killiney-Turners double as did Sir Des Champs (2012) and
Yorkhill (2017) whereas Envoi Allen was odds-on to do so after winning at Punchestown but he fell
when sent off at 4/9 favourite. This season’s running witnessed Spillane’s Tower beat Blood Destiny.

Nine winners since the upgrade had run at the previous year’s meeting. The first two years
since the upgrade were dominated by horses to run well at the Festival before.

Considering that the Ryanair Novice Chase (Grade 1) at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival over the same
distance is just around the corner in their own backyard and some of their better novices are held
back for that, for the Irish to win nine of the first 13 runnings is a notable achievement. They even
posted a 1-2-3 in 2015 in addition to 2020, though it was a surprise British-trained 1-2 last season
with Stage Star beating Notlongtillmay who raced in first and second throughout whilst the Irish-
trained favourite and second-favourite were paying too much attention to each other in behind and

QuickBet
could never get to the leaders.

Willie Mullins has won it four times with Sir Des Champs, Vautour, Black Hercules and Yorkhill and that
would have been five had Galopin Des Champs not stumbled on landing after the last.

Of the 13 winners so far, ten had won their previous race of which nine had contested a Grade 1
chase earlier in the season. Of the trio beaten on their previous start, Noble Prince was only defeated
by a short-head; Black Hercules fell at the final fence when leading whereas Samcro had an off day
on Boxing Day and was freshened up brilliantly to be at his best when his coat changed in the spring.

The four British-trained winners, Taquin Du Seuil, Defi Du Seuil, Chantry House and Stage Star, all ran
in at least one novice chase at Cheltenham earlier in the season.

If we stretch back to the 1989 Festival and concentrate on what was the four novice chases run up to
three miles (the National Hunt Chase over 3m6f from now on is more of a stamina test which I
believe is an advantage to older, more-experienced novices), there has been no winning novice over
the age of eight.

If you want to look back to hurdles form for clues, ten of the last 11 winners had won a pattern race
over timber, six of them having won a Grade 1 novices’ hurdle.

At a glance summary
POSITIVES NEGATIVES

Won at the Cheltenham Festival before Failed to finish in the first two last time out

Irish-trained (notably Willie Mullins) Aged 9+

Winner of a Grade 1 novices’ hurdle Not run in a chase at Cheltenham before if

trained in Britain

For more betting and trends analysis visit Paul Jones Horseracing.
 Latest odds from Stats Guides
Tuesday 12 March
Turners Novices' Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The
Golden Miller) (GBB Race) Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)
Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase (Grade 1)
No. Horse Odds
Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
FACILE VEGA (IRE) (40)
3 J P Townend T W P Mullins 15/8 Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1)
Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle (Registered As The
GREY DAWNING (IRE) (61) David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle) (Grade 1)
5 J Harry Skelton T D Skelton 9/4
Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Registered As
The Fred Winter) (Premier Handicap)
GINNY'S DESTINY (IRE) (47)
4 J H Cobden T P F Nicholls 9/2 National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys'
Novices' Chase (Grade 2)

QuickBet
IROKO (FR) (128)
13/2 Wednesday 13 March
6 J Jonjo O'Neill Jr. T O Greenall & J
Guerriero
Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)
DJELO (FR) (40) Brown Advisory Novices' Chase (Grade 1) (Registered
2 J Charlie Deutsch T Miss V Williams 20/1
As The Broadway Novices' Chase)

ZANAHIYR (IRE) (30) Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)

10 J J W Kennedy T G Elliott 20/1
Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)

LETSBECLEARABOUTIT (IRE) (46) Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase

8 J K M Donoghue T G P Cromwell 25/1
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup
Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
View full racecard Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Standard Open
National Hunt Flat Race) (Grade 1)

Thursday 14 March

Turners Novices' Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The

Golden Miller)
Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier
Handicap)
Ryanair Chase (Registered As The Festival Trophy)
(Grade 1)
Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (Grade 1)
Trustatrader Plate Handicap Chase (Premier
Handicap)
Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered
As The Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle)
Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur
Jockeys' Handicap Chase
 Friday 15 March

JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)

County Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) (Registered
As The Spa Novices' Hurdle)
Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1)
St. James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open
Hunters' Chase
Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase (Registered As The
Liberthine Mares' Chase) (Grade 2)
Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle

QuickBet
Previous winners
Year Going Ran Winner Draw Age Weight OR Form Last Trainer (Distance) Jockey SP Time
run

2023 Soft 7 Stage Star 7 11 7 - PP- 47 P Nicholls (69 miles) Harry Cobden 15/ 5:01.94
1211 days 2

2022 Soft 4 Bob Olinger 7 11 4 - 2111-11 60 H De Bromhead Rachael 6/ 5 5:07.65

days Blackmore

2021 Good to 8 Chantry 7 11 4 - 113-131 29 N Henderson (51 Nico De 9/ 1 5:01.75

Soft House days miles) Boinville

2020 Soft 12 Samcro 8 11 4 - 225- 77 G Elliott Davy Russell 4/ 1 5:07.32

1F2 days

2019 Good to 10 Defi Du Seuil 6 11 4 - 47- 40 P Hobbs & J White B J Geraghty 3/ 1 4:59.53
Soft 5121 days (90 miles)

2018 Soft 9 Shattered 7 10 11 - 7-11211 76 G Elliott Jack Kennedy 4/ 1 5:11.30

Love days

2017 Good 8 Yorkhill 7 11 4 - 111-411 53 W P Mullins Ruby Walsh 6/ 4 4:58.90

days

2016 Good 9 Black 7 11 4 - 117-11F 32 W P Mullins Ruby Walsh 4/ 1 4:55.00

Hercules days

2015 Good 8 Vautour 6 11 4 - 11-1121 53 W P Mullins Ruby Walsh 6/ 4 4:46.30

days

2014 Good 12 Taquin Du 7 11 4 - 6- 54 Jonjo O'Neill (1 miles) A P McCoy 7/ 1 4:56.50

Seuil 11321 days

2013 Good to 13 Benefficient 7 11 4 - 7- 47 A J Martin Bryan Cooper 20/ 5:04.90

Soft 21241 days 1

2012 Good 10 Sir Des 6 11 4 - 111-111 47 W P Mullins Davy Russell 3/ 1 4:52.80

Champs days

2011 Good 11 Noble Prince 7 11 4 - 354- 53 P Nolan A P McCoy 4/ 1 4:49.70

122 days

Latest Cheltenham Festival Video

JPR One targets Arkle glory

Tuesday, 12th March 2024

Gordon wishing for Cheltenham dry spell

Monday, 11th March 2024

More rain wanted for Moore squad

Monday, 11th March 2024

Frost talks Champion Bumper ride

Monday, 11th March 2024
Latest Cheltenham Festival News
Henderson talks Sprinter's comeback
Monday, 11th March 2024 Walsh salutes Mullins on 'incredible achievement' of
Festival century
Cheltenham Festival ground update Wednesday, 13th March 2024
Monday, 11th March 2024

QuickBet
El Fabiolo's departure offers Cheltenham reprieve for
Milan Tino the perfect type for Boodles bookmakers
Friday, 8th March 2024 Wednesday, 13th March 2024

Bromley on Munir and Souede runners Magical Mullins brings up 100th Festival winner with
Champion Bumper success
Friday, 8th March 2024
Wednesday, 13th March 2024
Ricci on upcoming Cheltenham targets
Captain Guinness and Blackmore rise to the occasion
Friday, 8th March 2024 in dramatic Champion Chase
Wednesday, 13th March 2024
Declan Rix's Friday Cheltenham selections
Friday, 8th March 2024 Langer Dan repeats Coral Cup victory for Skelton team
Wednesday, 13th March 2024
More Videos
Envoi Allen 'in mighty form' for pursuit of back-to-back
Ryanair wins
Wednesday, 13th March 2024

Grey Dawning all set for rematch with Ginny's Destiny

Wednesday, 13th March 2024

Mullins impressed, as Fact To File proves too strong in

Brown Advisory
Wednesday, 13th March 2024

'Wow' performance sees Bally burn off rivals to claim

Gallagher glory
Wednesday, 13th March 2024

Hopes high Teahupoo has what it takes for Stayers'

Hurdle gold
Wednesday, 13th March 2024

© 2024 At The Races. All Rights reserved Privacy policy Tax Strategy Modern Slavery Statement About Us
ATR Player Terms ATR FAQs Advertising Settings Contact Us
Change website layout: Desktop
Switch Site
Site

QuickBet