Cheltenham Festival 2025 Odds: Sixandahalf Could Star In Mares Novices’ Hurdle

The Ryanair Mares Novices’ Hurdle is the Day 3 opener at the Cheltenham Festival, with this race having been in operation since 2016 and it was Willie Mullins who won on five consecutive occasions. 

Since then, it’s been all change, with Jeremy Scott saddling Tuesday’s Champions Hurdle winner Golden Ace to victory 12 months ago.

The latest crop of novice mares will battle it out over two miles and one furlong on Thursday, with Sixandahalf regarded as the most likely winner by betting sites. 

However, her odds suggest that something is likelier to spring out of the pack to win rather than the Gavin Cromwell-trained charge passes the post first.

Dan Skelton is emerging as a leading trainer at the Festival these days and he’s saddled this six-year-old to consecutive wins at Newbury, with the latest of these coming in the Grade One Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle. 

It was a victory by nearly five lengths when sent off at odds of 9/4 with , with this coming after a previous success in a less competitive race at the same track, although it’s clear that Skelton regards his charge as among his best chances of success at Cheltenham.

Skelton told a Jockey Club press event: “He looks in outstanding condition and his coat is one of the most forward of all our horses. I love his attitude and Harry [Skelton] loves riding him, He’s very adaptable and can do it all".

After the most recent outing, Cromwell said: "She jumped really well and you could not have asked for better. She's not very big but she has an engine and a great attitude".

However, the mare doesn’t have much experience jumping hurdles and this will be her first time at Cheltenham, with the same applying to Maughreen who might help Mullins to return to the winners’ enclosure after a four-year hiatus in this race. 

We haven’t exactly learned a great deal about the six-year-old after a win at Punchestown at the end of January, where the horse enjoyed a facile victory as the 4/11 favourite with horse racing betting sites on heavy ground. 

At nearly twice the price, Karoline Banbou is another from the Mullins stable and she was able to oblige as the 4/9 favourite at Fairyhouse at the beginning of February.

This came after failing to produce the goods at odds of 1/2 when turning out in the middle of December at Naas. 

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Galileo Dame is the only four-year-old entered in the race, with Joseph O’Brien training a horse who really outperformed her odds of 16/1 on betting apps when being narrowly beaten in a Grade One juvenile hurdle at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival. 

This came after a bright showing in a three-year-old maiden hurdle at the same course in December, with Jubilee Alpha and Aurora Vega also potential contenders at bigger prices.