Neptune Investments Novices’ Hurdle14 Mar 2000: Charlie Swan rides Istabraq to win The Smurfit Champion Hurdle Race during the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse in England. Phil Cole/Getty Images

The Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle, formely known as the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle, introduces some of the most promising novices in national hunt racing to the challenging world of jump racing. 

The Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle is a relatively recent addition to the Cheltenham Festival and was first run in 1971 when Midsprite raced to victory ridden by Macer Gifford. The race is a Grade 1 hurdles event and is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham Racecourse.

The Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle is only open to four years old and above novices. Horses are required to cover a distance of 2 miles, 5 furlongs and 10 hurdles. As a middle length hurdle race Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle winners need to be able to balance speed and stamina during this demanding race.

NI Novices’ Hurdle Betting & Trends

Age: Few surprises here given that it's a novices' race, with all winners since '98 aged in the 5- to 6-year-old age range.
Odds: Last five winners priced between 7/2 and 20/1. Four of these priced under 17/2, and only one antepost favourite making it home first during this period.
Jockey: Ruby Walsh has taken two race wins during the past five years.
Trainer: Walsh's Irish trainer, Willie Mullins, trained both of his jockey's winners.
Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle Tip: An each-way or place punt on the antepost favourite is probably not out of place. However, each-way bets on the events to 7/2 margin should pay better dividends over the long run.

Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle Winners

As a novice event the Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle produces a new winner every year. Whilst the race does not have the reputation of producing future champions, it was the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle that introduced the excellent Istabraq to the racing world when he won the race in 1997.

Some of the finest jockeys in national hunt racing have won the Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle. As might be expected the Irish have put in a strong showing in the short history of the race, and the jockey with the most Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle wins is Charlie Swan with three winner titles.

No trainer can claim supremacy in the Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle with none having trained more than two winners. In fact it has been over a decade since any trainer has claimed more than one title, with Aidan O’Brien the last trainer to accomplish this feat.

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