Mares Novices Hurdle Betting Preview – Cheltenham Day 3 Tips (2025)

The Mares Novices Hurdle is the opening race on Day 3 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and 24 runners have been declared for one of the biggest horse racing betting heats of the season.

We’ve known the early entries for the Mares Novices Hurdle for some time now but decisions have been made and all eyes will be on Prestbury Park on Thursday afternoon.

Here, we look at some of the leading players in the Cheltenham odds for this year’s race, with a Mares Novices Hurdle selection ahead of the 2025 renewal.

This race was initially dominated by Willie Mullins, who won the first five editions, trained the first two home in 2019, and saddled four of the first five in 2020.

However it’s not all doom and gloom for the other trainers, Henry De Bromhead and Harry Fry have had a look in too, so it can be done.

Gavin Cromwell’s Sixandahalf marginally heads the betting at 3/1 after her emphatic  victory at Fairyhouse in January.

She jumped well and didn’t look like she needed any more practice over hurdles. Off the back of that win Cromwell immediately aimed her at the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and comes straight to the Cheltenham Festival without an intervening run.

Having claimed a Punchestown bumper in April, Cromwell’s five-year-old went on to enjoy a successful period on the Flat, scoring at Cork and Newmarket before finishing third in the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh. Her hurdling debut could hardly have gone any better and she’s a big player up against her own sex.

Apparently Maughreen is set to bring 80 cheerleaders with her to Cheltenham on Thursday. The six-year-old, who is related to the legendary Faugheen on her dam’s side, rocked up by an impressive 11 lengths in her bumper debut at Punchestown last January.

Despite a subsequent setback that kept her off the track for nearly a year, Maughreen returned triumphantly in a mares’ maiden hurdle at the same venue, securing her direct route to the Cheltenham Festival.

Joseph O’Brien’s Galileo Dame was smart on the Flat and finished a fine second to  Wendrock on her jumping debut at Leopardstown over Christmas, a run from which she was sharper for when she returned a month later, but was unfortunately just touched off again.

The stable did have Triumph Hurdle aspirations too but they have opted to run here instead.

Having been recruited from the French ranks having won a couple of bumpers, Karoline Banbou is sure to have plenty of support in the betting.

A comfortable winner of a Mares Maiden Hurdle at Fairyhouse, Willie Mullins’ five-year-old could be absolutely anything going forward. Much more will be required at Cheltenham but she is unexposed and held in high regard by Mullins.

Paul Nicholls rates JUST A ROSE and Jubilee Alpha as his best chances of a winner at Cheltenham, with the pair up against one another here.

Just A Rose has run just once for Nicholls, when hugely impressive at Taunton under Freddie Gingell, who will maintain the partnership, while Harry Cobden rides Jubilee Alpha, a Taunton Listed winner who was also successful at Windsor’s Winter Million meeting. Preference is for the Gingell ridden horse on this occasion.

SELECTION: JUST A ROSE (E/W)