Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle (Formerly Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle) Race Card

The Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle, which is also known as the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle for sponsorship reasons, is a Grade 1 National Hunt race that’s run on the Old Course at Cheltenham. It’s for novice hurdlers and it takes place annually on the Wednesday of the Cheltenham Festival.

The race itself is known by many racing fans as the ‘Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle’, or simply as ‘the Ballymore’. This is because Ballymore Properties were the title sponsor of the race for many years.

On this race card page, our experts have outlined all the key information you need to know about the race, including their Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle tips.

Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle (Formerly the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle) Runners and Entries 2024

The runners and entries for the Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival can be found below.

This is a full list of entries, but there will be declarations 5 days before the race, and final declarations 48 hours before.

Gallagher Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) (Registered As The Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle) (GBB Race)

1st
Paul Townend

Ballyburn

Age: 6
Weight: 11.5
OR: 157
J:
 
Paul Townend
T:
 
W P Mullins
took keen hold, raced in second, led after 2 out, shaken up and 6 lengths ahead last, easily
2nd
Sean O'Keeffe

Jimmy Du Seuil

Age: 5
Weight: 11.5
OR: N/A
J:
 
Sean O'Keeffe
T:
 
W P Mullins
held up in last, headway 2 out, went second before last, soon outpaced and no chance with winner
3rd
Mr P W Mullins

Ile Atlantique

Age: 6
Weight: 11.5
OR: 148
J:
 
Mr P W Mullins
T:
 
W P Mullins
towards rear but in touch with leaders, headway 2 out, soon outpaced, went third and hit last, no impression run-in

Ballymore Novices Hurdle Tips

Below you will find all of our tips for the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. Looking to place other bets on the day’s action? Head over to our daily tips page.

Exeter - March 19 2024
Exeter 15:00
3
James Bowen

Numitor

J: James Bowen
T: Heather Main
James Bowen

Numitor

bet365
£10.00 Returns £100.00
9/1
midnite
£10.00 Returns £100.00
9/1
betfair
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
betfred
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
betMGM
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
betuk
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
betvictor
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
betway
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
coral
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
grosvenor
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
ladbrokes
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
paddy_power
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
skybet
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
william_hill
£10.00 Returns £95.00
17/2
9/1
Age: 10
Weight: 11-9
OR: 132
Days: 340
DateCourseDistanceTypeWeightPosition
14/04/23AIN21Sft10-6PU
25/03/23NBY20Sft11-92
24/02/23WAR20Gd11-113
27/12/22CHP19.5Sft11-0PU
25/11/22NBY20Gd11-23
Exeter 16:00
3
Ned Fox

Desert Fortune

J: Ned Fox
T: Venetia Williams
Ned Fox

Desert Fortune

bet365
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
betMGM
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
betuk
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
betvictor
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
grosvenor
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
midnite
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
skybet
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
william_hill
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
betfred
£10.00 Returns £28.75
15/8
betway
£10.00 Returns £28.75
15/8
coral
£10.00 Returns £28.75
15/8
ladbrokes
£10.00 Returns £28.75
15/8
betfair
£10.00 Returns £27.50
7/4
paddy_power
£10.00 Returns £27.50
7/4
2/1
Age: 7
Weight: 11-4
OR: 90
Days: 21
DateCourseDistanceTypeWeightPosition
27/02/24LEI20Hy11-72
28/03/23HUN25Sft12-0PU
02/02/23FAK23.5Gd11-75
22/12/22FFO20Sft10-79
17/11/22WCN15Gd11-27
Wetherby - March 19 2024
Wetherby 16:15
3
Jordan Nailor

Mister Barclay

J: Jordan Nailor
T: Tom Symonds
Jordan Nailor

Mister Barclay

bet365
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
betfair
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
betfred
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
betMGM
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
betuk
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
betvictor
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
betway
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
coral
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
grosvenor
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
ladbrokes
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
midnite
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
paddy_power
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
skybet
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
william_hill
£10.00 Returns £55.00
9/2
9/2
Age: 6
Weight: 11-6
OR: 91
Days: 23
DateCourseDistanceTypeWeightPosition
25/02/24HER21.5Sft11-27
25/01/24WET19.5Sft11-53
26/12/23WET19.5Sft10-82
17/11/23DON21Gd11-17
06/04/23HER16GS10-133
Wetherby 14:45
3
Aaron Anderson

Raffles Wonder

J: Aaron Anderson
T: Rebecca Menzies
Aaron Anderson

Raffles Wonder

bet365
£10.00 Returns £19.09
10/11
william_hill
£10.00 Returns £19.09
10/11
betfred
£10.00 Returns £18.33
5/6
betvictor
£10.00 Returns £18.33
5/6
betway
£10.00 Returns £18.33
5/6
coral
£10.00 Returns £18.33
5/6
ladbrokes
£10.00 Returns £18.33
5/6
midnite
£10.00 Returns £18.33
5/6
skybet
£10.00 Returns £18.33
5/6
betfair
£10.00 Returns £18.00
4/5
betMGM
£10.00 Returns £18.00
4/5
betuk
£10.00 Returns £18.00
4/5
grosvenor
£10.00 Returns £18.00
4/5
paddy_power
£10.00 Returns £18.00
4/5
10/11
Age: 7
Weight: 11-10
OR: 86
Days: 5
DateCourseDistanceTypeWeightPosition
14/03/24HEX16Hy11-01
24/02/24NCS17Hy11-43
07/02/24SED17Sft11-76
06/01/24NCS20.5Sft11-010
23/12/23NCS17Gd11-211
Wolverhampton (AW) - March 19 2024
Wolverhampton (AW) 20:00
2(2)
Archie Young

Prince Ali

J: Archie Young
T: Deborah Faulkner
Archie Young

Prince Ali

betfair
£10.00 Returns £37.50
11/4
betvictor
£10.00 Returns £37.50
11/4
paddy_power
£10.00 Returns £37.50
11/4
skybet
£10.00 Returns £37.50
11/4
midnite
£10.00 Returns £36.00
13/5
bet365
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
betfred
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
coral
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
ladbrokes
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
betway
£10.00 Returns £34.00
12/5
betMGM
£10.00 Returns £32.50
9/4
betuk
£10.00 Returns £32.50
9/4
grosvenor
£10.00 Returns £32.50
9/4
william_hill
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
11/4
Age: 6
Weight: 9-9
OR: 62
Days: 4
DateCourseDistanceTypeWeightPosition
15/03/24WOL9.5St9-62
26/02/24WOL9.5St10-33
07/01/24WOL9.5St9-610
10/12/23WOL8.5St9-06
04/12/23WOL9.5St8-132
Wolverhampton (AW) 19:30
3(7)
Ben Coen

Bernie The Bear

J: Ben Coen
T: Linda Perratt
Ben Coen

Bernie The Bear

bet365
£10.00 Returns £37.50
11/4
betfair
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
betMGM
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
betuk
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
grosvenor
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
paddy_power
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
william_hill
£10.00 Returns £35.00
5/2
midnite
£10.00 Returns £34.00
12/5
betfred
£10.00 Returns £32.50
9/4
betvictor
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
betway
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
skybet
£10.00 Returns £30.00
2/1
coral
£10.00 Returns £28.75
15/8
ladbrokes
£10.00 Returns £28.75
15/8
11/4
Age: 4
Weight: 9-6
OR: 52
Days: 12
DateCourseDistanceTypeWeightPosition
07/03/24NCS6St9-92
23/02/24LIN7St8-75
13/02/24NCS7St9-54
02/02/24NCS6St8-123
25/01/24NCS6St8-132
Wolverhampton (AW) 18:00
8(6)
Joey Haynes

Munificent

J: Joey Haynes
T: Chelsea Banham
Joey Haynes

Munificent

coral
£10.00 Returns £50.00
4/1
ladbrokes
£10.00 Returns £50.00
4/1
paddy_power
£10.00 Returns £50.00
4/1
betfair
£10.00 Returns £47.50
15/4
betvictor
£10.00 Returns £46.00
18/5
betfred
£10.00 Returns £45.00
7/2
betMGM
£10.00 Returns £45.00
7/2
betuk
£10.00 Returns £45.00
7/2
grosvenor
£10.00 Returns £45.00
7/2
midnite
£10.00 Returns £45.00
7/2
skybet
£10.00 Returns £45.00
7/2
william_hill
£10.00 Returns £45.00
7/2
bet365
£10.00 Returns £43.33
10/3
betway
£10.00 Returns £43.33
100/30
4/1
Age: 6
Weight: 9-3
OR: 52
Days: 19
DateCourseDistanceTypeWeightPosition
29/02/24CFD5St9-17
12/02/24WOL5St9-24
10/01/24KEM6St/Slw8-74
30/12/23WOL7St9-211
03/11/23NMK5Hy8-86

First race of Ladies day

The Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle is the opening contest on day two of the Cheltenham Festival. It appears on most race cards as the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle because Gallagher is the title sponsor.

The race is open to novice hurdlers who are aged four and above. The race itself is run on the Old Course over a distance of about two miles and five furlongs (4,225 metres), and during its running there are 10 hurdles to be jumped.

The overall purse for this race is £136,000 and £75,965 of this is given to the winner.

As it’s the first race of Ladies’ Day at the Festival, the horses that take part in the Baring Bingham are usually treated to a particularly large roar from the watching punters.

History of the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle (Formerly the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle)

The Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle was added to the Festival calendar in 1971, when it was known as the Aldsworth Hurdle. Since then, a number of different companies have sponsored the race, including Sun Alliance, Ballymore Properties and Neptune Investment Management. Today, the race is sponsored by Gallagher, so the sponsored title of the race is the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle. That said, it’s still known by many fans as ‘the Ballymore’.

The registered (non-sponsored) title of the race remains the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle. The race is named after Baring Bingham, a property developer who bought Prestbury Park in 1898 and organised the first ever Cheltenham Festival in 1902.

Recent years

In recent years, Willie Mullins has dominated the Baring Bingham. His horses have won the race six times since 2008, and this makes him the leading trainer of the race. He’s won the race with:

  • Fiveforthree (2008)
  • Mikael d'Haguenet (2009)
  • Faugheen (2014)
  • Yorkhill (2016)
  • Sir Gerhard (2022)
  • Impaire Et Passe (2023)

Four of those winners (Fiveforthree, Mikael d'Haguenet, Faugheen and Yorkhill) were ridden by Ruby Walsh. His four victories in the race make him the leading jockey in the history of the Baring Bingham.

It’s also worth noting that although this race is open to horses aged four and above, the last four-year-old horse to win the race was Crystal Spirit in 1991. Impaire Et Passe was five when he won the race last year, but the previous five-year-old to win the race was The New One in 2013. As a result, if you’re looking for Baring Bingham tips, it may be best to focus on older horses.

Previous Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle Winners

Looking for an insight into who might win the race this year? Well, take a look at this table, which contains key stats and info about the last 10 Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle winners.

Year Winner Age SP Trainer Jockey
2023 Impaire Et Passe 5 5/2 Willie Mullins Paul Townend
2022 Sir Gerhard 7 8/11 Willie Mullins Paul Townend
2021 Bob Olinger 6 6/4 Henry de Bromhead Rachael Blackmore
2020 Envoi Allen 6 4/7 Gordon Elliott Davy Russell
2019 City Island 6 8/1 Martin Brassil Mark Walsh
2018 Samcro 6 8/11 Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy
2017 Willoughby Court 6 14/1 Ben Pauling David Bass
2016 Yorkhill 6 3/1 Willie Mullins Ruby Walsh
2015 Windsor Park 6 9/2 Dermot Weld Davy Russell
2014 Faugheen 6 6/4 Willie Mullins Ruby Walsh
2013 The New One 5 7/2 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies

Ballymore Novices Hurdle FAQs

Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle (Formerly the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle) Tips

If you’re looking for our Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle tips, then scroll to the top of this page. Alternatively, head over to our Day 2 Tips page. Here you’ll be able to see a full rundown of each horse we’re backing on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.

You can also see all the latest odds for this race on our Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle Odds page. This page will show you which bookmakers are offering the best price on each horse in the race.