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The Classic Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 2 novices’ hurdle race run over 2 miles and 56 yards on the New Course at Cheltenham in late January. The race was inaugurated, over the slightly longer distance of 2 miles and 110 yards, in 2005 and initially run as the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Novices’ Hurdle. Sponsorship subsequently passed to Ballymore Properties, Neptune Investment Management and back to Ballymore in 2018.

Nicky Henderson, who was responsible for Aigle D’Or (2008), Bobs Worth (2011), Santini (2018) and Birchdale (2019), and Alan King, who was reponsible for Batonnier (2012), Ordo Ab Chao (2015), Yanworth (2016), and North Lodge (2022), are the leading trainers in the history of the Classic Novices’ Hurdle. Bobs Worth, of course, went on to complete a notable hat-trick at the Cheltenham Festival, winning the Spa Novices’ Hurdle (2011), the RSA Chase (2012) and the Cheltenham Gold Gup (2013) in successive years.

The 2007 winner, Wichita Lineman, also won twice at subsequent Cheltenham Festivals, justifying favouritism in the Spa Novices’ Hurdle (2007) and the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase (2009); on the latter occasion, the King’s Theatre gelding was the subject of a memorable ride – later voted the greatest in the history of the Cheltenham Festival – by A.P. McCoy.

The 2023 renewal of the Classic Novices’ Hurdle is scheduled for Festival Trials Day, Saturday, January 28. Horses that feature prominently in the ante-post betting for the Spa Novices’ Hurdle, a.k.a. Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, are an obvious starting point, but punters might like to note that just two of the last ten favourites for the Classic Novices’ Hurdle have won. That said, eight of the last ten winners were in the first three in the betting, with the other two returned at 12/1 and 16/1 respectively.

Ahead of the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the main topic of conversation was whether or not defending champion Al Boum Photo, trained by Willie Mullins, could emulate Golden Miller, Cottage Rake, Arkle and Best Mate by winning the ‘Blue Riband’ event three years running. Still only a 9-year-old, Al Boum Photo was sent off 9/4 favourite to do so but, having been outpaced on the run to the second-last fence, could only stay on to finish a creditable third, beaten 5½ lengths.

Victory went to Minella Indo, trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Jack Kennedy, who stayed on gamely in the closing stages to beat stable companion A Plus Tard, ridden by Rachael Blackmore, by 1¼ lengths. Sent off at 9/1, Minella Indo was the lesser-fancied of the pair, but few would begrudge him his victory after he had looked all over the winner of the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival before failing to withstand an extraordinary finishing effort by Champ, who made up eight lengths or more from the final fence. History was made, not by Al Boum Photo, but by Henry de Bromhead, who became the first in his profession to saddle the winners of the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup at the same Cheltenham Festival.