The mares novice hurdle opens Thursday’s action at the Cheltenham Festival and Lambourn trainer Jamie Snowden is hoping his runner, La Conquiere, will make it a third winner at the Festival and his second with a mare.
“We were always going to go Novice hurdling route this season.”
A seven-year-old, Snowden describes La Conquiere as: “a lovely mare, full of speed and jumps great.”
Two wins and a half length second this season she has been mightily impressive and justified the excitement that built after her Grade Two bumper at Aintree Grand National Festival.
“Her form this season has been very good, she won a maiden at Uttoxeter, very well and then she won that listed race at Newbury pretty impressively.
La Conquiere in overdrive!
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 31, 2025
Second in a Grade 2 bumper at Aintree last time, @jamiesnowden's talented mare gets up late under @GavinSheehan92 at @UttoxeterRaces on hurdling debut… pic.twitter.com/NeLlgK7CAv
Following her listed win she was given a two pound penalty to take into her next race, having beat Jaminska, who was a good third at Cheltenham in October behind the 127 rated Fortune De Mer.
Her third run came in the new year, at Ascot in a four runner mares hurdle.
“She ran a brilliant race,” the trainer said.
“We stepped her out of Novice company into an open Grade Two race, and she obviously just got beat but she was giving the winner a penalty and probably just got beaten for a lack of experience against a proper battle-hardened warrior.”
Only loosing by a half length and beating Nicky Henderson’s highly rated Joyeuse the race gave plenty of promise that with a bit more experience she would stand in good order to have a go at the Festival.
“That experience won’t be lost on her.”
La Conquiere hasn’t had the most straightforward route to Folly House where Snowden trains, “She was second first time out in Ireland at Thurles and then she came over to us.”
With plenty of trainer option’s for Spurrier, Slemeck, Henriques & Co, who bought the mare after her second place at Aintree, he was delighted to keep her around so she could continue her journey with the team in Lambourn.
“She stayed in the yard and she’s been very good this season over hurdles and hopefully she can continue to be so.”
The mares novice is a hotly contested renewal this year, with the Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever heading the market for Willie Mullins.
There is plenty of depth crossing the channel, with the Irish currently occupying the top five places in the market.
However, Snowden believes he has “the best of the British contingent,” and currently at 18/1 for Thursdays opener, La Conquiere could be one going under the radar.
On Thursday the two time festival winning trainer will be at Cheltenham with a real chance, but balancing the occasion with the job will be no issue.
“My day wouldn’t look too dissimilar to any other day where, you know, you’re up in the morning and up on the gallops.
“Luckily Cheltenham’s only anΒ hour away so we can probably see a couple of lots out, do declarations andΒ then get off up to Cheltenham.
