Jack Richards Novices Handicap Chase Predictions, Betting Tips & Odds (Cheltenham 2025 - DAY 3)
- Written by David Bet
The Jack Richards Novices' Chase is a new Festival race, to be run for the first time in 2025. It is a Limited Novice Handicap Chase, which replaces the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase run over the same distance. The reason for the addition was to have a middle distance handicap for the novice chasers. Paul Nicholl's Grey Dawning won last year's renewal of the Turners Novices' Chase at odds of 5/2. Find below our Cheltenham 2025 Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase race preview, with odds, tips, predictions, trends, free bets and betting promotions.
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JACK RICHARDS NOVICES' HANDICAP CHASE BETTING PREVIEW
The Turners Novices' Chase was a brand new edition to the Cheltenham Festival in 2011 and was known as JTL Novices' Chase and Marsh Novices' Chase in the past years. The Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase has been introduced as a new race to replace the Turners Novices’ Chase. It is labelled as a limited novice handicap chase and it's a Grade 2 chase run over two miles and four furlongs, for horses aged five years and upwards, with a prize money of £125,000.
And now we take a closer look at this year's Jack Richards Novices' Chase and try to determine which horse is likely to prevail.
Who will win the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase 2025?
FIREFOX was one of last season’s top novice hurdlers, being placed at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown in the spring. This season he won with ease on his debut over fences at Down Royal in November and was narrowly defeated in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse next time out. He finished a five-length runner-up to Ile Atlantique at Naas on his penultimate start and a distant third in the Irish Arkle last time.
ASIAN MASTER made his chase debut at Fairyhouse in December, and he took to the discipline with aplomb having pulled well clear of the third with Majborough and Tullyhill, jumping two out in tandem with that pair. Next time out he was running very well before weakening just before the last.
SPRINGWELL BAY is now up to a career-high mark after finishing 2nd behind Jango Baie, who is a good price for the Arkle Chase, and then having a very classy win at Cheltenham, beating a good horse in Marble Sands by 9 lengths.
NO FLIES ON HIM won his point for Derek O'Connor in 2023, beating the now 153-rated chaser Jango Baie. His hurdling career began with a bang when winning a Leopardstown maiden hurdle and was second to Tullyhill in a Listed race afterwards. He rocked up at Thurlesearlier this year for another beginners' chase.
Joseph O'Brien NURBURGRING was a well beaten 4th in the Triumph but ran well in Punchestown’s 4yo Grade 1 with horses like Storm Heart behind. He won the Grade 3 Galway Hurdle off an Irish mark of 139 this summer and finished 4th in the Irish Cesarewitch. This season he had three runs over fences and disappointed in the last one. He has been kept fresh since Christmas.
Terence O'Brien's stable star ANSWER TO KAYF was a fine fourth in the Martin Pipe at last year's Cheltenham Festival, and impressed when trouncing 10 rivals at Naas last month. He can't be overlooked.
CALDWELL POTTER looked good in a Carlisle novices' chase over 2m on soft ground, justifying cramped odds as he saw off four rivals, but he has since been beaten at Cheltenham (2m4½f) and Windsor (2m) in Grade 2 contests either side of Christmas.
Dark horses?
PIC ROC has yet to win in three chase starts, bit his trainer Ben Pauling is confident the horse is improving and can raise his game at Cheltenham. He has shown promise with two strong runs in defeat this season.
Joe Tizzard's LORD OF THUNDER won his final two starts over hurdles and made his chasing debut here at Cheltenham in October, but he took a tumbling fall at the tricky second-last flight. After a fourth-place finish at Exeter and a distant second to Handstands in the rescheduled Towton Novices' Chase, the seven-year-old recorded an ee-catching victory over fences at Newbury, beating Pic Roc in the process.
MOON D'ORANGE beat Grandeur d’Ame in the Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase here in January, and he has been saved for this race since then. The handicapper didn’t crucify him for the win, so he has a nice weight.
THE OTHER MOZZIE is two from four over fence. He won on debut at Galway was a disappointing sixth at Cheltenham way back in November. Given a small break after that run, he bounced back by recording an 11-length victory at Naas back in January. He has been given a massive 11lbs rise for that success.
Other possible dark horses are O'MOORE PARK, SAN SALVADOR, INSURRECTION, ES PERFECTO, ANYWAY, DEE CAPO and WHAT'S UP DARLING.
Latest Odds
At the moment, the most backed horses are the following:
All the bookmakers we recommend are offering No Runner No Bet on every Cheltenham Festival race.
JACK RICHARDS NOVICES HANDICAP CHASE TRENDS
This is a new race. The main trends for the race it is replacing are:
- 10 of the past 13 winners were priced 7/1 or shorter
- 13 of the last 16 winners finished 1st or 2nd last time out
- 8 of the last 12 winners had at least 1 previous win at Cheltenham
- 13 of the last 14 winners were either six or seven years of age
- 9 of the last 10 winners were rated 151+ by the handicapper
- 9 of the last 16 winners had only won once over fences
- 9 of the 12 winners were Irish-trained
JACK RICHARDS NOVICES CHASE PREDICTIONS
The following section contains our recommended bets on the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase 2025. Feel free to copy our Cheltenham Festival tips and get the highest odds available on the market by clicking the 'Bet' button! Furthermore, find here our NAP of the Day!
Ruby Walsh's Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase Tips
Cheltenham Festival’s winning-most jockey turned TV pundit Ruby Walsh have shared his tips:
"Asian Master is well found in the market. You want to be looking for a graded horse to win the race. The class horse, if the penalty doesn’t stop him, is ANSWER TO KAYF and I like SAN SALVADOR each-way at a price. He’s plenty of experience and had a couple of runs at Cheltenham. He’s crying out for a trip."
2025 JACK RICHARDS NOVICES HANDICAP CHASE FREE BETS
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2025 CHELTENHAM DAY 3 TIPS AND PREDICTIONS
Are you looking for all the 2025 Cheltenham predictions? Visit our Cheltenham betting tips section here!
2025 JACK RICHARDS NOVICES HANDICAP CHASE FAQs
What time is the Jack Richards Novices' Chase?
The Jack Richards Novices' Chase is the 2nd race run on Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival. That falls on Thursday March 13, 2025 and the official starting time is 2:00pm.
How many obstacles are jumped in the Jack Richards Novices' Chase?
There are 17 obstacles to jump for the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase runners
What is the distance of the Jack Richards Novices' Chase?
The Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase is run on a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs over the new Course
What is the prize money for the Jack Richards Novices' Chase?
The total prize money on offer for the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival will be £125,000.
Who won the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase last year?
This race was known as Turners Novices' Handicap Chase last year and was won by Grey Dawning at SP of 5/2f, trained by Dan Skelton and ridden by Harry Skelton.
What weights are carried for the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase?
10st 3lbs (5yo). 11st 4lb (5yo-6yo) with 7lb allowance for mares.
Who is the leading jockey in the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase?
Ruby Walsh rode three winners in the last 11 years but he's now retired. Paul Townend took over Ruby's position, so he is one to follow. Davy Russell has won the race twice on Gigginstown House Stud-owned runners. (* stats referred to Turners' Novices Chase)
Who is the leading trainer in the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase?
Willie Mullins has trained the winner of the race on four occasions, including the three winners ridden by Ruby Walsh in 2015, 2016 and 2017. He very nearly made it five with Melon, who was beaten a nose in 2020. The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Jack Richards' Novices Chase is Gordon Elliott (2 wins). (* stats referred to Turners' Novices Chase)
