Turners Novices’ Hurdle: Could a 50/1 shot be team Britain’s biggest chance?

Ireland have been dominant in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in recent years, winning eight of the last 10 renewals. The home team managed to take it last year however, when The New Lion got the better of The Yellow Clay.

A lot of the British-trained runners in the betting for this season’s race seem more likely to go for the Supreme, which only leaves us with two realistic contenders.

We’re going to take a closer look at the two horses in question, one of which is a whopping 50/1. Take a look at our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.

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CLAIM

No Drama This End

The Paul Nicholls-trained No Drama This End won a bumper at Warwick last term but finished down the field in the big Grade 1 at Cheltenham. He has been a much improved horse over hurdles so far and remains unbeaten in three starts over timber.

All of those victories have come in graded company and he took the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle last time out. Nicholls has been there many times before with Challow winners, none of which managed to come out on top at Cheltenham. Horses who win the Challow have an awful record at Cheltenham.

He has impressed this season however and has proven himself to be tactically adaptable, which will certainly come in handy. Only 4/1 at the moment, he heads the market but that’s likely to change over the next couple of months, with Mullins’ battalions yet to properly announce themselves.

Starzand

Philip Hobbs and Johnson White train this promising gelding, who remains unbeaten in two starts under rules. Starzand looked very smart when winning a bumper at Ffos Las in March, despite being plenty keen enough in the early stages.

The son of Harzand won a maiden hurdle at the same track back in October and hasn’t been seen since. Surely the best is yet to come from him but you would like to see him run again before March. Connections need to get the cotton wool off and the 50/1 won’t last should he win a better race soon.

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