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13:20Supreme Novices' Hurdle
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16:00Champion Chase
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17:20Champion Bumper
Mares Hurdle
15:20 Cheltenham Festival
2025-03-11
Winner: £69,887.34
Runners: 10
Going: Good To Soft
No. of hurdles: 10
Distance: 2m3f200y
The Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle is a Grade 1 hurdle run over 2m4f and restricted to mares. It is run on day one of the Cheltenham Festival and is a relatively new addition to the meeting, having first been staged in 2008. Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins has dominated the Mares’ Hurdle, having won nine of the 14 runnings including the six in a row with star mare Quevega.
NO.DRAW
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3(0)
336-23
Gala Marceau
-
J: Brian Hayes
T: W P Mullins
6
11-5
145
149
Runner-up in the 2023 Triumph but only sixth to Lossiemouth in this last year; got a lot closer to her stablemate in a Punchestown Grade 1 in May but not at her best when third in 2m5f Warwick Listed race (soft) on reappearance 31 days ago; may come on for the outing but even a return to her peak form is unlikely to be enough.
NR(0)
-1P441
Casa No Mento
-
T: Nigel Twiston-Davies
7
11-5
134
143
Listed novice hurdle winner last spring; showed she's also useful over fences when landing a Bangor novice chase (around 2m2f, heavy) 13 days ago but about 8l behind Take No Chances in an Ascot Listed hurdle prior to that and there's nothing in her record to suggest she'll be up to the task here.
2(0)
111-37
Dysart Enos
-
J: Jonathan Burke
T: Fergal O'Brien
7
11-5
135
146
Won her first six starts under rules (three bumpers and three novice hurdles); lost her unbeaten record but advanced her form again when third of 15 to Burdett Road in the Greatwood here (2m, good) on reappearance but a touch disappointing when only seventh in another valuable handicap hurdle at Ascot (2m, good to soft) just before Christmas; doesn't obviously shape as if crying out for a longer trip but has stamina in her pedigree and was second in a 3m point before embarking on her rules career.
9(0)
1-112F
Lossiemouth
-
J: Paul Townend
T: W P Mullins
6
11-5
160
165
Successful at the last two Cheltenham Festivals, latterly a ready winner of this on heavy ground; took her 2m4f record to 3-3 (all Grade 1s) when proving too strong for Teahupoo in the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse (yielding) on reappearance in November; second to Constitution Hill back at 2m in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton next time and narrowly ahead of State Man when departing four out in the Irish Champion at Leopardstown last month; hard to beat if none the worse for that heavy tumble.
10(0)
111-26
Queens Gamble
-
J: Paul O'Brien
T: Harry Derham
7
11-5
136
143
Listed winner in bumpers and over hurdles; runner-up in a Grade 3 handicap at Newbury in November after almost a year off and advanced her RPR again when sixth of 19 at Leopardstown (2m2f, soft) last month; plenty more will be needed in this race, though.
5(0)
-21531
Jetara
-
J: Sam Ewing
T: Mrs John Harrington
7
11-5
146
154
Placed in two Grade 1 novice hurdles last spring (2m4f, heavy/yielding) and won a Listed mares' hurdle at Limerick (2m7f, good) in October; below par when 16l third to July Flower at Leopardstown over Christmas but back to her best in first-time cheekpieces (retained today) when narrow winner of a Doncaster Grade 2 (3m, good to soft) in January.
11(0)
431531
Take No Chances
-
J: Harry Skelton
T: Dan Skelton
7
11-5
140
147
Consistent mare who has won Listed and Grade 2 events over 2m this season, seeing off Kargese at Ascot for the latter; just as effective over this trip but probably no more than a place contender.
7(0)
223-31
July Flower
-
J: Rachael Blackmore
T: Henry De Bromhead
6
11-5
148
153
Only ninth to Dysart Enos in an Aintree Grade 2 bumper in her first spell with Henry de Bromhead but did well over hurdles back in France subsequently (third in French Champion Hurdle in May) and improved again returned to this yard when beating Kala Conti by 4l to win a Leopardstown Grade 3 (good to yielding) in December; interesting runner for a yard with a good recent record in this (they won it twice with Honeysuckle and also saddled the second, third and fourth last year).
8(0)
15-122
Kala Conti
-
J: Jack Kennedy
T: Gordon Elliott
5
11-5
145
152
Four-time winner over hurdles, including of a 2m Grade 2 juvenile last winter; proved herself at 2m4f when chasing home July Flower in a Leopardstown Grade 3 (good to yielding) in December; freshened up since; has finished out of the first two only once in eight starts but will need a career best if she's to enhance that record here.
6(0)
/1-321
Joyeuse
-
J: Nico de Boinville
T: Nicky Henderson
6
11-5
138
147
Unexposed mare who built on a promising 2m4f handicap debut second here in no uncertain terms when an impressive winner of the valuable William Hill Hurdle at Newbury (2m, soft) last month, taking her form figures to 11321; another chunk of improvement is required but no shock were she to find it.
4(0)
1141-1
Jade De Grugy
-
J: Danny Mullins
T: W P Mullins
6
11-5
151
160
This classy mare's only defeat from five starts for Willie Mullins was when fourth to Golden Ace in the Dawn Run at this meeting last year; relished the step back up in trip when a dominant winner of a Grade 1 mares' novice at Fairyhouse (2m4f, heavy) on her final start last season and she returned to give weight and a beating to five rivals in the Grade 3 Quevega at Punchestown (2m4f, soft) 19 days ago; further progress is likely and she can give stablemate Lossiemouth most to do.
RACING POST TIP
Lossiemouth
Willie Mullins can rule this race again. Jade De Grugy looked the one to beat after her impressive reappearance success at Punchestown but the late decision to switch stablemate LOSSIEMOUTH from the Champion Hurdle changes the dynamic. She coasted home in this 12 months ago and will again be very hard to beat if none the worse for her heavy fall in last month's Irish Champion. Henry de Bromhead is another with a strong recent record in this and his July Flower looks best of the rest.
Cheltenham Free Bets
MARES HURDLE PREVIOUS WINNERS
| Year | Horse | Previous Form | Age | Price | Trainer | Jockey |
| 2024 | Lossiemouth | 1211-1 | 5 | 8-13F | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2023 | Honeysuckle | -132 | 9 | 9-4F | Henry De Bromhead | Rachael Blackmore |
| 2022 | Marie’s Rock | 317P1 | 7 | 18-1 | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville |
| 2021 | Black Tears | 22-331 | 7 | 11-1 | Denise Foster | Jack Kennedy |
| 2020 | Honeysuckle | 11-111 | 6 | 9-4 | Henry De Bromhead | Rachael Blackmore |
| 2019 | Roksana | 3-1112 | 7 | 10-1 | Dan Skelton | Harry Skelton |
| 2018 | Benie Des Dieux | 33-1-11 | 7 | 9-2 | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2017 | Apple’s Jade | 1-2212 | 5 | 7-2 | Gordon Elliott | Bryan Cooper |
| 2016 | Vroum Vroum Mag | 11-111 | 7 | 4-6F | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2015 | Glens Melody | 4-7521 | 7 | 6-1 | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
MARES HURDLE KEY TRENDS AND STATS
Key trends
- Trained in Ireland, 8/10
- Aged between six and seven, 8/10
- Ran to an RPR of 150 or above, 7/10
- Had won on their previous start, 7/10
- Had previously not won at Grade 1 level, 6/10
Other factors
- Lossiemouth (2024) and Apple’s Jade (2017) are the only winning favourites in the last decade.
- Two winners in the last decade, Marie’s Rock (2022) and Glens Melody (2015) won a Listed mares’ hurdle at Warwick beforehand.
We have all the best Cheltenham Betting offers ahead of placing your bets on the 2025 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR - MARES HURDLE 2024
It may not have had the emotions of Honeysuckle’s poignant win the year before, but it still brought to us the next star mare off the rank when Lossiemouth outclassed her opposition. The five-year-old was viewed as one of the bankers of the week and she duly delivered when obliged by three lengths under Paul Townend. She was the final leg of a glittering big-race treble for Townend and Willie Mullins, following Gaelic Warrior and State Man’s wins. Henry de Bromhead still managed to saddle the second, third and fourth when Telmesomethinggirl, Hispanic Moon and Lantry Lady all ran huge races.