Get professional tipster Keith Bond's FREE tips for all 28 races…
Get professional tipster Keith Bond's FREE tips for all 28 races…
Look out for Keith's FREE tips for all 28 races, in your inbox every morning throughout the Festival.
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View Keith's tips for the Novices Handicap Chase

Northern Trust Novices Handicap Chase (Listed) (5yo+)
Distance: 2 miles 4½ furlongs
Weights – Handicap
The penultimate race on day one is the Northern Trust Novices Handicap Chase, registered as the Centenary Novices Handicap Chase. It was previouly sponsored by Close Brothers from 2016 – 2019.
This race is open to horses aged five years old and older, and is run on the old course at Cheltenham over a distance of two miles and four and a half furlongs.
There are 16 fences to be negotiated.
The runners in this are generally unexposed, and as this race is limited to horses rated 145 or less and there are a lot of entries, it’s always an extremely tight handicap, with only a few pounds separating top weight and bottom weight.

- Age – Ten of the last twelve winners were aged between five and seven.
- Starting Price – Just two winning favourites in the last twelve runnings. Eleven of the last twelve winners were returned at odds between 13/2 and 16/1.
- Weight – Ten of the last twelve winners carried between 10st 11lbs and 11st 8lbs.
- Last Run – Six of the last twelve winners won last time out. Ten of the last twelve winners finished in the first three last time. All of the last twelve winners had their last run between 17 and 60 days ago.
- Course Form – Ten of the last twelve winners had at least one previous run at Cheltenham, just 2 had a previous win at Cheltenham.
- Distance Form – Eleven of the last twelve winners had at least 1 run over between 2m 3f and 2m 5f. Seven of them had won at least once of the distance.
- Chase Form – All of the last twelve winners had at least three previous chase runs. Nine of them had at least one previous chase win.
- Official Rating – Ten of the last twelve winners were rated between 135 and 142.
- Season Form – All of the last twelve winners had at least 3 runs that season. Nine of them had at least 1 win that season.
With the entries not yet in we are relying on the bookmakers betting markets and here are what they are laying but to be honest I haven't got a Scooby Doo what is running.
- CHOSEN MATE
- HOLD THE NOTE
- IMPERIAL AURA
- ANNAMIX
- CITY ISLAND
Another handicap race, which means we are guessing who will turn up. Willie Mullins has said that ANNAMIX could run in this, although he holds a full book of entries, and could turn up almost anywhere!
Kim Bailey was delighted with the run of IMPERIAL AURA, who was second at Cheltenham in January, and says all roads lead to this race, where he heads betting. This well regarded horse went off a 1/25 chance for his winning chasing debut at Fakenham in November. He was subsequently second to Pym at Cheltenham in December.
It is worth noting that the new sponsors of this race are Northern Trust, whose owner Trevor Hemmings is partial to a Cheltenham winner, so I would advise that any runners in his colours are given serious consideration.
My selection for the 2020 Novices Handicap Chase is: IMPERIAL AURA 8/1 each way (NRNB).
As this article is written in advance of the 2020 Festival, the likely contenders are expected to change as we get closer to Champion Day. The picture also starts to get much clearer as we approach the festival, with trainers starting to show their cards in the weeks leading up to Day 1.
To get Keith’s very latest, up-to-date thoughts on the Day 1 card, and his final Day 1 tips, simply register as a FREE FRT member here, and Keith will email you the full Day 1 tips (including for this race) on the morning of Champion Day.
“This is another race where we are only speculating what the line up will be, but there is an ante-post market which includes GLEN FORSA, CLONDAW CASTLE, TALKISCHEAP and ANY SECOND NOW at its head.
My selection for the race is CLONDAW CASTLE 14/1 each way who was impressive when winning a small field novice at Leicester in January a performance which had Cheltenham contender written all over it..”
Result: CLONDAW CASTLE 14/1 each way non runner
On the day of the race Keith advised LOUGH DERG SPIRIT 22/1 who subsequently pulled up
Look out for Keith's day one tips in your inbox on March the 10th*
Keith’s Inner Circle members will get priority access to the tips the night before racing – usually by 9pm.
VIP club members also get informed of Keith’s tips the night before – usually by 10pm.
Standard FRT members will receive Keith’s tips on the morning of the races – usually by 10.30am.
2008 Finger Onthe Pulse 7 10-12 Barry Geraghty Tom Taaffe
- 2009 Chapoturgeon 5 10-11 Timmy Murphy Paul Nicholls
- 2010 Copper Bleu 8 11-01 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs
- 2011 Divers 7 11-04 Graham Lee Ferdy Murphy
- 2012 Hunt Ball 7 12-00 Nick Scholfield Keiran Burke
- 2013 Rajdhani Express 6 11-12 Sam Waley-Cohen[a] Nicky Henderson
- 2014 Present View 6 11-07 Brendan Powell jnr Jamie Snowden
- 2015 Irish Cavalier 6 11-07 Paul Townend Rebecca Curtis
- 2016 Ballyalton 9 11-10 Brian Hughes Ian Williams
- 2017 Tully East 7 11-08 Denis O’Regan Alan Fleming
- 2018 Mister Whitaker 6 11-02 Brian Hughes Mick Channon
- 2019 A Plus Tard 5 11-07 Rachael Blackmore Henry de Bromhead
As these articles are written in advance of the 2020 Festival, the likely contenders are expected to change as we get closer to Champion Day. The picture also starts to get much clearer as we approach the festival, with trainers starting to show their cards in the weeks leading up to Day 1.
To get Keith’s very latest, up-to-date thoughts on the Day 1 card, and his final Day 1 tips, simply register as a FREE FRT member here, and Keith will email you the full Day 1 tips on the morning of Champion Day.

Over the years, Keith has been a regular at the northern tracks attending countless race meetings and building up a network of contacts, and a portfolio of systems and strategies.
He was one of the co-founders of Free Racing Tips all the way back in 2008, and his free tips are now backed by more than seventy thousand FRT members every single day.
“Thanks Keith – It’s great to be part of an amazing group of people all after the same thing, passing on tips to beat the bookies”
Colin Parkinson, Harrow.
The FRT community love Keith’s attention to detail, knowledge of past races, and ability to pick horses…
“You offer some great tips, some fantastic outsiders tipped up as well. Most tipsters just put up favourites. Well done and keep up the good work”
John Woolley, Stockport
Look out for Keith's day one tips in your inbox on March the 10th*
Keith’s Inner Circle members will get priority access to the tips the night before racing – usually by 9pm.
VIP club members also get informed of Keith’s tips the night before – usually by 10pm.
Standard FRT members will receive Keith’s tips on the morning of the races – usually by 10.30am.
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