The Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 hurdle race 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, and during its running there are ten hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival meeting.

The role of honour for this race includes some of brightest young stars of recent times. Not only has the event been won by, what looked at the time, to be future Gold Cup winners such as French Holly, Barton and Monsignor, but also horses that have gone on to win the Champion Hurdle, including the great Istabraq and more recently Hardy Eustace.

History:

The event was established in 1971, and it was initially called the Aldsworth Hurdle. The insurance company Sun Alliance (later Royal & Sun Alliance) 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.

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.

Race Previews:

First Lieutenant gets up late to mug Rock On Ruby in 2011.

Previous Winners:

Popularity: 8% [?]