A novice hurdle is a jumps race for horses that had not won a hurdle race before the start of the current season. A juvenile hurdle is narrower again: it is restricted to the youngest horses allowed to jump, three-year-olds in the autumn who turn four on 1 January. This guide explains both race types, how long novice status lasts and what to look out for in novice form. It is part of our horse racing guides series.
They are hard to miss at this time of year. Today’s cards at Sandown and Ffos Las each include a novices’ hurdle, a maiden hurdle and a novices’ handicap hurdle, while Naas stages a novice hurdle and two maiden hurdles.
What is a novice hurdle?
A novice hurdler is a horse that had not won a hurdle race before the current season began. The key point is that it keeps that status for the rest of the season, even after it wins. A horse that breaks its duck over hurdles in November can carry on running in novice hurdles until the season ends.
Novice status only counts wins over hurdles. A horse that has won on the Flat or in a bumper can still be a novice hurdler, which is why novice hurdles mix horses stepping up from bumpers with former Flat horses and point-to-pointers. If you are new to the obstacles themselves, our guide to the difference between hurdles and chases covers the basics.
How long does a horse stay a novice?
Usually for one season after its first hurdle win. In Britain the season runs from straight after Sandown’s Jump Finale in late April to the following April, so a horse that wins its first hurdle in October stays a novice until the next Finale.
There is an exception for late-season winners, with the dates set by the BHA each season. In 2020/21, for example, a horse that won its first hurdle race between 1 March and 24 April 2021 stayed a novice until 31 October 2021. That gives horses who win in the spring a run in novice company the following autumn.
A horse that does not win in its first season over hurdles is still a novice the next season. That is how you end up with experienced, exposed horses that are technically still novices.
Novice, maiden and novices’ handicap hurdles
The word “novice” covers several race types on a British card, and the conditions decide who can run. The main ones:
- Maiden hurdle: for horses yet to win, with the race conditions setting out exactly which previous wins rule a horse out.
- Novices’ hurdle: for novices, so previous winners can run, normally carrying a weight penalty for each win. Some races also cap the number of wins, such as “which have not won more than one hurdle race”.
- Novices’ handicap hurdle: a handicap restricted to novices with an official rating, where weights come from the handicapper rather than penalties. Our guide to how ratings and weights work in handicaps explains the system.
The Flat uses “novice” differently, with a cap on the number of wins rather than a seasonal cut-off. Our explainer on maiden and novice races on the Flat covers that version, so check which code you are reading about.
What is a juvenile hurdle?
Juvenile hurdles are for the youngest jumpers. Under BHA rules no horse can run over hurdles until 1 May of the year it turns three, so juveniles start as three-year-olds. Every racehorse has its birthday on 1 January, so from January these horses race as four-year-olds, and they are treated as juveniles until 30 April.
Many juvenile hurdlers come from the Flat, which gives them racing experience and speed but not always a good jumping technique. The division builds towards the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, a Grade 1 restricted to four-year-olds and the opening race on Gold Cup day. In Ireland, the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown in February is a key trial.
Junior National Hunt hurdles
Since October 2022 Britain has also run Junior National Hunt Hurdles. Like juvenile hurdles they are for three-year-olds in the autumn, but they are restricted to horses that have not run on the Flat or in any race before October of that season. From the 2025/26 season the BHA moved their start to the beginning of November, to give trainers more time with these horses at home.
A win in one of these races does not stop a horse running in novice hurdles the following season, and from 2025/26 a Junior hurdle penalty is not carried into juvenile or novices’ hurdles in the same season, except Class 1 races. A winner does lose its maiden status over jumps.
Grade 1 novice hurdles and the 110 rating rule
The best novices end up in Graded races, with the spring festivals at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown as the main targets. Since 2025/26, the BHA has required a horse to have a rating or assessment of at least 110 to run in a British Grade 1 novices’ or juvenile hurdle.
The BHA said this brings these races into line with open Grade 1s and Grade 1 novice chases, which already had minimum ratings. For readers, it means a runner in one of these races has already shown a certain level of ability over hurdles.
What is a novice chase?
The same principle applies over fences. A novice chaser is a horse that had not won a chase before the start of the current season, however many hurdle races it has won. Beginners’ chases sit below them: weight-for-age races for horses that have not yet won over fences.
Many novice chasers are last season’s novice hurdlers, and our guide to what hurdle form tells you on a chase debut looks at how that switch works.
Why novice hurdle form can be hard to read
Novices are lightly raced and often improving quickly, so one run can be a poor guide to the next. A few things worth weighing up:
- Jumping. Novices are still learning, and a mistake at a key flight can undo a promising run. Watch the replay rather than relying on the result.
- Penalties. A previous winner may be giving weight to unexposed rivals, which can be a big ask against a well-bred newcomer.
- Where the form comes from. Bumper, Flat and point-to-point form all count for something, but none of it proves a horse can jump at speed.
- Pace. Small-field novice hurdles can be steadily run and turn into a sprint, while the BHA has said novices’ handicaps are typically run faster than equivalent weight-for-age races.
- Ground and trip. Many novices are racing on soft winter ground or over a new distance for the first time.
None of these points is a reason to back a horse on its own. They are the questions to ask before deciding whether a price is fair. If you follow the novice division through the winter, our free jumps season ebook, offered in the sign-up box on this site, covers horses to follow.
Novice hurdle FAQ
What is a novice hurdle?
A hurdle race for horses that had not won a hurdle race before the start of the current season. Horses that have won during the season can still run, usually carrying a weight penalty.
What is a juvenile hurdle?
A hurdle race for the youngest jumpers: three-year-olds in the autumn, who race as four-year-olds from 1 January and are treated as juveniles until 30 April. The Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham is the championship race.
How long does a horse stay a novice?
Until the end of the season in which it wins its first hurdle race. A horse that wins late in the season can stay a novice into the following autumn, under dates the BHA sets each season.
Can a Flat winner run in a novice hurdle?
Yes. Novice hurdle status depends only on wins over hurdles, so Flat and bumper winners can run, subject to the conditions of the individual race.
What is the difference between a novice hurdle and a novice chase?
Novice hurdles are run over hurdles and novice chases over fences. Status is counted separately for each, so an experienced hurdle winner can still be a novice chaser.
Sources: checked on 8 November 2026 against the BHA race programming policy, the BHA briefing on changes for the 2025/26 jumps season, the BHA Racing Admin definition of novice races, the BHA’s Junior National Hunt Hurdle announcement, HMRC’s glossary of racing terms and Racing Post’s Triumph Hurdle page. Race conditions vary, so check the official racecard before betting.
Header photo: “Our Conor leads Diakali” (Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle, Leopardstown, February 2013) by Dan Heap, CC BY 2.0, cropped, darkened and with text added.
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