The excitement at Prestbury Park rolls into Wednesday afternoon as the tapes go up for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle to kick off Day 2 of the festival. Our resident betting experts are on hand to provide you with top tips for the contest, alongside some of the most lucrative sign-up offers currently available from UK betting sites for Cheltenham.
This highly anticipated showdown could easily be one of the races of the week, with a stellar field of rising stars set to clash in the Grade 1 test, once again pitting the finest British and Irish novices against one another.
Turner Novices’ betting offers & free bets
Come and get one of the best sign up offers available for the Turner Novices’ Hurdle is from BOYLE Sports. You can receive £40 in free bets from the Cheltenham BOYLE Sports sign up offer, as well as your money back as a free bet if your horse loses in the first race at Cheltenham.
If you have already signed up to BOYLE Sports then don’t worry, as Paddy Power are offering you £60 in free bets for Cheltenham, whilst Sky Bet’s sign up offer gives you £50 in free bets.
Check out over £250 of free bets on offer from betting sites below.
| Best Horse Betting Sites | Turner Novices’ Betting Offers |
| Paddy Power | £60 in free bets when you bet £10 on Cheltenham |
| BOYLE Sports | Get £40 in free bets & money back as a free bet if your horse loses in the first race at Cheltenham |
| Sky Bet | £50 in free bets when you place a £1 bet |
| Betfred | £40 in free bets when you bet £10 |
| BetMGM | Bet £10 get £40 in free bets |
| William Hill | Bet £10, get £40 in free bets |
| Tote | Money Back as a free bet up to £10 on Supreme Novices’ |
Turner Novices’ betting offers & free bets – Key T&Cs:
- Paddy Power: New customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on Cheltenham on odds of min EVS (2.0), get 6x £10 in Free Bet Builders, Accumulators or multiples to use on any sport. Rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Apple Pay or Debit Card will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
- BOYLE Sports: 18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs Apply
- Sky Bet: New customers only. £5 minimum deposit. First minimum £1 single, e/w, or multis bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 5 x £10 bet tokens. Free bets for multiples only. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets are non-withdrawable. 7 Day free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. Further T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad
- Betfred: New customers only. 00:00 06/03/26 – 23:59 13/03/26. Register with FRED40, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £20 in Sports Free Bets & £20 in Acca Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment exclusions & T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org
- BetMGM: New cust. Deposit £10+ in 7 days & bet on sports. Min odds apply. Reward = 4 x £10 Free Bets (2 x £10 Bet Builders & 2 x £10 Sports bet). Valid 7 days. Free bets not valid on e-sports & non UK/IE horse racing. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
- William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. Online only. For new UK register customers using promo code G40. Deposit & place £10 cash single bet (min odds 1/2) on sportsbook (excl. Virtuals). Get £40 in Free Bets (4x£10), valid for sportsbook (excl. Virtuals), 7 days expiry, must use in full (£10 each). Not valid with deposits via PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay or WH PLUS Card. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply.. www.begambleaware.org #ad
- Tote: Online cash bets only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Opt-in required. Place a cash win or EW bet on the first race at Cheltenham Festival (1.20pm) on 10/03/2026 and receive the equivalent value up to £/€10 in Tote Credit if the selection comes second, third or fourth. Applies to customers’ first cash win and win part of EW bets only per race. If fewer than five runners come under starters orders the offer will be withdrawn. Credited within 24 hours of bet settlement. 7-day expiry. Full T&C’s apply. 18+. Gambleaware.org.Full T&Cs apply.
Turner Novices’ Hurdle Betting Tips
The second afternoon of the Cheltenham Festival begins with the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Hurdle over 2m5f.
This was won last year by The New Lion and, in recent times, has gone to the likes of Faugheen, Samcro, Envoi Allen and Impaire Et Passe. Prior to Dan Skelton’s winner a year ago, 10 of the 11 previous winners were Irish-trained, Willoughby Court for Ben Pauling in 2017 the exception.
Paul Nicholls has never won this race, despite having had some major challengers, and the Ditcheat trainer possibly has his biggest hope of the week lining out now.
Cracking contest in prospect
Much like Tuesday’s curtain-raiser, this day two opener looks a belter of a race on paper and a field of 22 runners is up on recent years. It is, on that basis, a real old-fashioned Cheltenham Festival betting heat.
Ballyfad (second) and King Rasko Grey (third) played their parts in a cracking Tattersall Ireland Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown last month behind Talk The Talk, who put that form to the test in the Supreme on Tuesday.
Both are players here and they join Gordon Elliott’s Skylight Hustle and Nicky Henderson’s Act Of Innocence amongst those very likely to take front rank when the cards are being played in what simply looks a stellar renewal.
Nicholls’ Drama to end here
Nicholls has had some close calls in this contest. The mighty Denman was denied by Nicanor in 2006 before going on to chasing greatness while recent winners of Newbury’s Challow like Bravemansgame, Stage Star, Hermes Allen and Captain Teague have all met defeat in this contest on their next starts.
Nicholls has talked those novices up to some degree or another en route to Cheltenham, but there does appear to be something extra in terms of the glint in his eye when he references NO DRAMA THIS END.
The Walk In The Park gelding ran well in the Champion Bumper here last season (ninth) and is 3-3 this season over timber. It wasn’t a wide-margin win at Newbury in December, but he controlled it, and there was no doubting his supremacy.
His strong-travelling style should be aided by the likes of I’ll Sort That pouring on coal from the front.
Before The New Lion last year, 20 Challow winners had come here and been beaten, though many had run well. Perhaps, like buses, No Drama This End can make it two in a row and justify Nicholls’ lofty assessment of his ability.
Turner Novices’ Betting Tip 1: NAP: No Drama This End @ 9/2
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Sortudo not written off
Not for the first time, Paul Townend has overlooked SORTUDO. He prefers King Rasko Grey, one of two contenders in the Galopin Des Champs’ silks for the Turley team.
The top jockey had a tough choice to make, but Danny Mullins looks the main beneficiary of that now.
Sortudo came off second-best in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Naas in January behind I’ll Sort That as trainer/jockey Declan Queally saw his charge knuckle down and battle every inch of the way, having made the running.
There wasn’t much that rider Patrick Mullins could have done on the day; he produced Sortudo at the optimal moment, but, on that occasion, they were repelled.
A top bumper horse, Sortudo was having just his second start over timber that afternoon and the experience will stand to him.
Willie Mullins forewarned punters this week to give due consideration to his perceived second-string horses in the markets. Sortudo fits the profile of one who can fulfil his prophecy.
Turner Novices’ Betting Tip 2: Next Best: Sortudo @ 12/1
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