The Turners’ Novices Hurdle is the first race of Ladies Day at Cheltenham, taking place at 13:20, and this Grade 1 race is contested over two miles and five furlongs, and of course is over hurdles, as the name suggests.
A big talking point of the Cheltenham Festival this year is the movement of the final hurdle on the course being moved around 80 yards closer to the final turn, meaning a longer run-in to the line.
This may sound like an insignificant piece of information, but it has the capability to change these races drastically: horses breathe over hurdles, and the lack of a hurdle closer to the line means the horse will need more stamina for a big finish.
The Contenders
The favourite for this year’s race is No Drama This End, trained by Paul Nicholls, ridden by Harry Cobden, and it’s their only favourite of the week.
"Excited?"
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) March 10, 2026
"Very"@CobdenHarry on his mount in the first race on Day Two of Cheltenham – No Drama This End in the 1.20pm.
Watch the full Day Two Tipping show on YouTube! pic.twitter.com/SjX6n0B1pt
No Drama This End is the only horse in the race that has won over the course and distance, which is a big positive, given the difficulties some find in climbing the famous Cheltenham hill.
Sober, who is the current 2nd favourite, spent the first three years of his racing career as a flat horse, and horses that spent significant time on the flat typically struggle in this race.
An intriguing selection choice is Jack Kennedy electing to ride Ballyfad over Skylight Hustle. Gordon Elliott’s number one jockey chose the horse coming off the back of a second place to Talk the Talk, who came 7th in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle yesterday, so the form doesn’t look great.
Skylight Hustle, on the other hand, is a Grade 1 winner after his December win at Leopardstown, seeing off a reasonably weak field, with the aforementioned Talk the Talk falling at the last hurdle.
Bossman Jack is also worth a second look at 14/1, with connections to last year’s winner, The New Lion.
Betting Odds (as of article release)
No Drama This End – 5/2
Sober – 7/1
King Rasko Grey – 8/1
Act Of Innocence – 8/1
Sortudo – 10/1
Skylight Hustle – 10/1
Ballyfad – 11/1
Bossman Jack – 14/1
I’ll Sort That – 14/1
BAR
Overnight, the odds changed dramatically, with the English Novices rising to the top of the market, predicting that the Irish may not have the best crop of Novice Hurdlers.
This could purely be a reaction to yesterday’s result, after Nicky Henderson won the Supreme Novices’ with Old Park Star.
Author’s Predictions
No Drama This End appears to be the best horse in the race, and I can’t see anything beating it, so we’ve got No Drama This End to win, and probably by a few lengths.
And there are a couple of double-digit odds that could tempt me, but I’m leaning towards Skylight Hustle for an each-way bet.
So to confirm, my predictions are for No Drama This End to win, and for Skylight Hustle to place.
