2023 Challow Novices Hurdle Betting Odds at Newbury racecourse

Saturday, 30 December 2023

Newbury Racecourse plays host to a number of high-profile horse races throughout the calendar year and the last notable one of 2022 is the Challow Novices’ Hurdle. There are going to be a maximum of eighteen runners competing over two miles, four-and-a-half furlongs and Hermes Allen is the short-priced favourite for the race.

It’s easy to see why the bookies don’t want to offer too big a price about the Paul Nicholls-trained horse, with Harry Cobden booked to ride a horse that has won on his previous three outings, while Joyeux Machin, Vicki Vale and Attacca were all successful on their previous runs.

2022 Challow Novices’ Hurdle Tips

Hermes Allen is the highest-rated horse in this race and the five-year-old has been all the rage in the betting market for this outing. It’s hardly a surprise considering the way in which the runner won the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle on 11 November, with the runner taking so well to the Cheltenham track and winning by a solid nine lengths.

A repeat of that performance might be enough to win the Challow Novices’ Hurdle, with Bryony Frost previously giving the horse a tremendous spin in a Maiden Hurdle at Stratford, with potentially more to come from a five-year-old who has started featuring in the Cheltenham Festival antepost markets.

We’re looking for potential each-way alternatives to the backed favourite, with Joyeux Machin representing trainer Paul Nolan. The horse looked visually impressive when winning a Maiden Hurdle at Fairyhouse, with the five-year-old toppling favourite Viva Devito by five lengths and we’d expect a credible showing here.

As for Vicki Vale, she has the mares’ allowance for this encounter and that could be an enormous benefit. Although the horse will need to step up in class here, there was a seventeen-length victory in a maiden hurdle at Hereford in the middle of November, although this represents a stiffer assignment.


If you are looking for the best Newbury betting odds, then you’ve come to the right place. When each Newbury racecard becomes available, we are able to showcase the best horse racing betting sites and many of them will have Best Odds Guaranteed.

Being able to get Best Odds Guaranteed on horse racing means you are able to get an early price on a race and get paid at the Starting Price if the latter is bigger. There is also the opportunity to choose a horse racing bookmaker that has extra each-way places and it’s great to be able to always secure the best value.

The Challow Novices Hurdle betting odds have been available for several decades, with Tony McCoy having been one of the most successful jockeys in the history of the race. Classified was triumphant in 2001, while the Irishman then followed up a year later on Coolnagorna in 2002. Wichita Lineman, Taquin du Seuil and Captain Cutter also obliged for this rider.

Trainer Paul Nicholls has been able to steer a number of horses to victory in this National Hunt encounter that takes place at Newbury Racecourse. He scored with Cornish Rebel in 2003 and then claimed a double when saddling Denman in 2006. Fourteen years later, Bravemansgame was able to oblige in 2020 before Stage Star came home first in 2021.

We always recommend assessing the number of runners that are lining up and looking to get Newbury horse racing price boosts when it comes to the Lanzarote Hurdle. This is a race over two miles and four furlongs, with Poetic Rhythm, Champ and Thyme Hill also among the recent winners.