The Cheltenham festival is less than eight weeks and with that in mind we have picked out an ante-post selection for the Grade Two Mares Novices' Hurdle on the penultimate day of the four day meeting.
Homecheltenham festivalnewscheltenham festival ante post grade two mares novices hurdle selection 2023
Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post Grade Two Mares Novices' Hurdle Selection 2023
Grade Two Mares Novices' Hurdle Tip
Halka Du Tabert 14/1 E/W
This years renewal of the Grade Two Mares Novices' Hurdle could be a cracker with some potentially very smart prospects going to post.
Looking through the current market, favourite Luccia looks tough to beat if all is well with the horse and Ashroe Diamond having ran well in two Grade One events against the boys this season can't be overlooked but at 14/1 with Coral, Unibet and bet365, HALKA DU TABERT looks very interesting from an each way perspective.
Trained by Gordon Elliott and owned by Kenny Alexander, who landed the race in 2021 with Telmesomethinggirl, this mare looks to have a big future.
Bought for 260,000gns in December 2021 off the back of bolting up in a three mile PTP at Borris House by 30 lengths, she has since been seen twice under rules and looks a bit of a monster.
Making her rules debut for the yard at Naas in November 2022, she landed a bumper close home over two miles obviously learning a lot for the experience.
Sent hurdling straight after that back at Naas in December, she went on to bolt up by 11 lengths in a 25 runner Mares Maiden, seeing off nice types Eabha Grace and Law Ella comfortably.
At 14/1 she looks overpriced in the market and although there is some nice mares in the betting for the race, she has a big chance of hitting the frame, with more improvement to come the more she races.