The Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle (known as the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle for sponsorship reasons) is a Grade 1
National Hunt
In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...
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 5 furlongs (4,225 metres), and during its running there are ten hurdles to be jumped. The race is for
novice
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience.
Religion Buddhism
...
hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Ra ...
in March.
History
The event was established in 1971, and it was initially called the Aldsworth Hurdle. The insurance company
Sun Alliance (later Royal & SunAlliance) began sponsoring the race in 1974, and it became known as the Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle. This association continued until 2006, and for the following three years the event was backed by
Ballymore Properties.
There were high winds on the day of the planned running in 2008, so the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle was rescheduled and run on Cheltenham's New Course. A new sponsor, Neptune Investment Management, began supporting the race in 2010.
Ballymore resumed sponsorship from the 2018 running.
The registered (non-sponsored) title of the race is now the Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle. This is in honour of Baring Bingham, a developer who purchased
Prestbury Park in 1898, and organised the first Cheltenham Festival in 1902.
Records
Leading jockey (4 wins):
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Ruby Walsh
Rupert Walsh (born 14 May 1979 in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland) is an Irish former jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen. Walsh is the third most prolific winner in Brit ...
– ''Fiveforthree (2008), Mikael d'Haguenet (2009), Faugheen (2014), Yorkhill (2016)''
Leading
trainer (5 wins):
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Willie Mullins
William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey.
Career
He commenced racehorse training in 1988 having previously worked as an assistant to his father Paddy Mullins and Jim Bolger. Willie is a fo ...
– ''Fiveforthree (2008), Mikael d'Haguenet (2009), Faugheen (2014), Yorkhill (2016), Sir Gerhard (2022)''
Winners
See also
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Horse racing in Great Britain
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. According to a report by the British Horseracing Authority it generates £3.39 billion total d ...
*
List of British National Hunt races
A list of notable National Hunt horse races which take place annually in Great Britain, under the authority of the British Horseracing Authority, including all races which currently hold Grade 1, 2 or 3 status.
History of the National Hunt Patter ...
References
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Racing Post:
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cheltenham.co.uk– ''Media information pack (2010).''
pedigreequery.com– ''Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle – Cheltenham.''
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External links
* Race Recording
{{Cheltenham Festival
National Hunt races in Great Britain
Cheltenham Racecourse
National Hunt hurdle races
Recurring sporting events established in 1971
1971 establishments in England