Whether you are a fan of horse racing or not, you've probably heard of the Rising Stars Novices Chase. It's a race where horses who haven't raced before have the chance to run in a race with horses who have. This is a good way to teach your horse to become more familiar with the track and help them improve their performance. Besides, it's fun to watch!
Previously run at Chepstow, the Rising Stars Novices' Chase is staged at Wincanton each November. The Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase takes place over four and a half furlongs. It is open to horses aged four and over and is the first leg of the Cheltenham Festival.
In the past, Rising Stars Novices' Chase winners have gone on to win big races. Nicky Henderson's Hunting Lore won the 1996 race. Other notable winners include Black Jack Ketchum, who won the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2005.
The race is also one of the first serious trials for top staying novices. Six of the 12 winners went on to win a subsequent race.
The Boodles 'Rising Stars' Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 race for novice chasers held at Wincanton racecourse on Saturday 5th November 2022. The race is backed by leading bespoke diamond jeweller Boodles as part of a two-year sponsorship deal.
Envoi Allen has been a regular winner in novice contests but will be running in a Grade 2 race for the first time. Gordon Elliott has reportedly indicated that the horse will run in the Champion Hurdle next season. A tilt at the showpiece would mean a significant opportunity cost for the novice.
The horse has run four times over hurdles, including at the Cheltenham Festival, but he will be taking on a more experienced and slicker field this time. He is 11-8 for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle. If he runs in tomorrow's Stroud Green Hurdle, his odds could drop further.
If he can manage to pull off a good display at Wincanton on Saturday, it would be an exciting prospect. He could also be a contender for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle or Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Featuring on the first day of the Welsh Racing weekend will be the Grade 2 Persian War Novices' Hurdle. This is a two and a half mile handicap hurdle race open to novice hurdlers aged four years and over. The race is worth PS50,000 in prize money. It is the first graded contest of the new jumps season and looks to be a hotly contested affair.
The Persian War was first run at Chepstow in 2000. It has been won by four of the last twelve winners and has a history of being a good stepping stone for future staying hurdlers. It is also a stepping stone for the novices as well.
The unibet Persian War Novices' Hurdle is an attractive looking race. Its name is a nod to a famous horse that won three consecutive Champion Hurdles. It is the first graded contest of this year's new jumps campaign and is the best-looking event of the weekend. The event is likely to attract some of the best novice hurdlers in the country.
The event is not to be confused with the other event on the cards on the Friday afternoon, the PS75,000 Silver Trophy. The most impressive winner is likely to be the unbeaten 10-year-old Quid Pro Quo, who won the Grade 1 Newton Abbot and Grade 2 Warwick a couple of weeks ago. The name of the game is getting the best of the best to the right races at the right time.
The unibet Persian War has a long history and it is also worth noting that it was the first ever graded race at Chepstow. This is one of the best two day races in the country and will be an event not to be missed.
Despite the fact that the Hyde Novices' Hurdle hasn't been held in nearly a decade, it's still a Grade 2 race at Cheltenham. It's held in November and has seen some notable past winners. The first winner, Nicky Henderson's Hunting Lore, won in 1996. Other winners include Philip Hobbs and Black Jack Ketchum. The last eighteen winners have been five and six years old, including Coneygree in 2015.
In the last eighteen Hyde Novices' Hurdle winners, six have gone on to win their next race. The last winner, Black Jack Ketchum, went on to win the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2005. He went on to win the 2010 Hennessy Gold Cup. The next year, Fingal Bay and On The Blind Side won the Winter Novices' Hurdle at Sandown.
Majestic Marked By Darkness is another winner. He received hip and elbow ratings from the OFA. He was also awarded Best of Opposite Sex and 1st AOH. He also earned his Herding Advanced "A" title, and 6 points toward his herding championship.
Majestic Avatar Storm Warning is another son of Majestic Hot Topic STDs, and he earned another win over champions. He won Best Of Winners and Winners Dog at the Warren County Kennel Club's (1) show. He also earned two more points toward his conformation championship. He was also awarded WD/BW for one point at the James River Kennel Club show.
Majestic Whole Towns Talking is another Border Collie. She's a daughter of Ch Avatar Catch Me If U Can Bayshore. She's earned a 4 Point Major at the Tualatin Kennel Club show. She's also bred to Ch Brackenhill Lots Of Tartan, and she earned two more points toward her conformation championship.
Taking place each year on the Saturday before the Cheltenham Festival, the Rising Stars Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase held over a distance of around three and a half miles at Wincanton. It is open to horses aged four years and over, and is one of the first serious trials for top staying novices at the Festival. It is not surprising to see five and six-year-olds make the cut. Several of the winners have gone on to win more races throughout the years.
The Rising Stars Novices' Chase has seventeen fences to navigate over the course of the three and a half mile course. The most impressive thing about this race is the sheer volume of horses that turn up. One of the biggest reasons for this is the success of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the National Hunt season in general. As a result, the number of runners in the Rising Stars Novices' Chase usually increases by more than a factor of two from one year to the next.
Often regarded as one of the more difficult races for top novice staying chasers, the Hyde Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase held at Cheltenham in November. It is also a race in which possible Ballymore Novices' Hurdle contenders are often contested. In recent years, several of the winners of the Hyde have gone on to success over fences, with Fingal Bay and On The Blind Side both winning the Winter Novices' Hurdle at Sandown, and Coneygree and Diamond Harry both winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup as novices.
The Hyde Novices' Hurdle takes place on the first weekend in November, and is held over two miles and five furlongs. In recent years, two of the winners have gone on to win the Challow Novices' Hurdle at Newbury, and two have also won the Bristol Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. There has also been success for other horses, such as Coneygree, which won the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a novice in 2015. In addition to these, a few of the winners of the Hyde have gone onto win the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, and Black Jack Ketchum, who was ridden by Tony McCoy, won the Chepstow Derby in 2005.
The Rising Stars Novices' Chase is another race in which novice chasers are allowed to compete, and is run at Wincanton Racecourse over four and a half furlongs. Held on Saturday, November 5th in 2022, the race is open to horses aged four and older.