Novice (racehorse)
Encyclopedia
A novice in National Hunt
horse racing
is a horse
which has not won in a particular type of race prior to the start of the current season. A novice hurdler has not won a hurdle race
before the start of the current season, while a novice chaser has not won a steeplechase
before the start of the current season.
A novice remains a novice until the end of the season in which it gains its first win in that particular category, no matter how many wins it achieves. Generally novices race against other novices although there is no restriction preventing novices competing against more experienced rivals. Occasionally a novice wins a major race outside novice company - Captain Christy
won the Cheltenham Gold Cup
in 1974 as a novice, as did Make A Stand
in the 1997 Champion Hurdle
.
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
is a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
which has not won in a particular type of race prior to the start of the current season. A novice hurdler has not won a hurdle race
Hurdling (horse race)
A Hurdle race in England is a National Hunt horse race where the horses jump over obstacles called hurdles that are over three and a half feet high. They are typically made of brush, that has some flexability. Hurdle races always have a minimum of eight hurdles and a minimum distance of two miles ....
before the start of the current season, while a novice chaser has not won a steeplechase
Steeplechase (horse racing)
The steeplechase is a form of horse racing and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside...
before the start of the current season.
A novice remains a novice until the end of the season in which it gains its first win in that particular category, no matter how many wins it achieves. Generally novices race against other novices although there is no restriction preventing novices competing against more experienced rivals. Occasionally a novice wins a major race outside novice company - Captain Christy
Captain Christy
Captain Christy was an Irish-bred and Irish-trained racehorse, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a novice.In spite of an alarming tendency to make mistakes, Captain Christy was one of the very best Irish chasers of his era and his 30 lengths demolition of Bula in the 1975 King George VI Chase at...
won the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
in 1974 as a novice, as did Make A Stand
Make A Stand (horse)
Make A Stand is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from 1993 to 2000 he ran thirty times, both on the flat and over hurdles, and won twelve races...
in the 1997 Champion Hurdle
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online sportsbook StanJames.com, the race is now known as the Stan James Champion Hurdle...
.
Principal novice races
The most important races run for novices in Great Britain are all run as Grade 1 events at the Cheltenham FestivalCheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
- RSA Chase run over three miles 110 yardYardA yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
s. - Arkle Challenge Trophy run over two miles (3 km).
- Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle run over two miles five furlongFurlongA furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s. - Supreme Novices' HurdleSupreme Novices' HurdleThe Supreme Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 110 yards , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
run over two miles 110 yards. - Triumph HurdleTriumph HurdleThe Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
run over two miles one furlong and restricted to four-year-olds only.
See also
- Horseracing in the United KingdomHorseracing in the United KingdomHorse racing is a popular spectator sport in Great Britain, with hundreds of years of unique heritage. Gambling on horseraces is also considered the cornerstone of the British betting industry....
- List of British National Hunt races