The 2026 Ryanair Mares Novices Hurdle looks a deep, tactical renewal in which a stellar favourite is asked to confirm her reputation against a well-armed chasing pack.
Day three at Cheltenham starts with a race that can shape the mood of the afternoon, and sometimes the whole week.
The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle – registered as the Dawn Run – is again run over 2m179y on the New Course, with a full field of up to 22 mares charging down to that first flight.
It is a Grade 2, but recent history shows it can launch mares who go on to the very top, including subsequent Champion Hurdle heroine Golden Ace and Epatante, who was beaten here before making amends the following year.
For punters, it is an early test of nerve: do you trust the flashy Irish novice at the head of the market, or think she will be beaten by a tougher, battle-hardened mare that is perhaps a shade underrated?
2026 Mares Novices Hurdle Runners & Odds
*Odds from Betfred correct at time of publication.
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bambino Fever | Paul Townend | W P Mullins | 1/1 |
| Oldschool Outlaw | Mark Walsh | G Elliott | 11/2 |
| Carrigmoornaspruce | James Bowen | D Queally | 9/1 |
| Echoing Silence | Darragh O’Keeffe | H De Bromhead | 14/1 |
| La Conquiere | G Sheehan | Jamie Snowden | 16/1 |
| Kingston Queen | Jack Tudor | D Pipe | 18/1 |
| Future Prospect | H Cobden | W P Mullins | 20/1 |
| Charme De Faust | Danny Mullins | W P Mullins | 20/1 |
| Full Of Life | Mike O’Connor | H De Bromhead | 28/1 |
| Place De La Nation | Danny Gilligan | W P Mullins | 28/1 |
| Manganese | David Bass | M Comley | 28/1 |
| Mille Et Une Vies | Harry Skelton | D Skelton | 33/1 |
| Amen Kate | Jack Kennedy | T Cooper | 40/1 |
| White Noise | Thomas Bellamy | K Bailey & M Nicholls | 50/1 |
| Diamond Du Berlais | Mr P W Mullins | W P Mullins | 66/1 |
| Jackie Hobbs | Paul O’Brien | Harry Derham | 66/1 |
| Blue Velvet | Sean O’Keeffe | W P Mullins | 80/1 |
| Chosen Comrade | Sam Ewing | Peter Fahey | 100/1 |
| St Irene | J M Quinlan | Nick Scholfield | 100/1 |
| Scavengers Reign | Sam Twiston-Davies | James Owen | 125/1 |
| Louve D’irlande | Conor Stone-Walsh | P Nolan | 150/1 |
| Al Fonce | Jordan Gainford | N George & A Zetterholm | 200/1 |
Bambino Fever and the Irish Armada
Bambino Fever, from Willie Mullins, sits at the heart of the race after a stellar career in bumpers and a largely smooth transition to hurdling.
A Champion Bumper winner at last year’s Festival, she showed she handles the track and the famous hill, and her hurdling form has confirmed that raw class, and Mullins will be hoping he can add the Mares Novices Hurdle to his Champion Chase and Champion Hurdle wins from earlier in the week.
Her defeat on hurdling debut at Naas, when Oldschool Outlaw used race fitness to fend her off, has actually strengthened her case for some: she coped fine with a proper race, learned on the job, and then resumed winning in style.
Oldschool Outlaw, from Gordon Elliott, is therefore not just “the one who beat the favourite once” but a credible rival in her own right, bringing a sequence of wins and a gutsy Naas success to the table.
De Bromhead’s pair, Echoing Silence and Full Of Life, offer depth: Echoing Silence arrives with back-to-back wins and Listed-level form, while Full Of Life adds experience and versatility, both representing a yard that has already landed this race with Air Of Entitlement in 2025.
Around them sit a familiar cast of Mullins mares – the likes of Blue Velvet, Future Prospect, Place De La Nation, Diamond Du Berlais, and Charme De Faust – all with bits of form that would make them leading players in an ordinary year, but here they must either improve past Bambino Fever or capitalise if she underperforms.
A Young Race With An Irish Accent
First run in 2016, the race honours Dawn Run, still the only horse to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup, and it has quickly developed its own identity.
Willie Mullins has dominated the roll of honour, winning the first five runnings with Limini, Let’s Dance, Laurina, Eglantine Du Seuil, and Concertista, underlining how powerful his team is in the mares’ division.
That said, he hasn’t won it since 2020, and with a full complement of runners, it looks like another tough ask in 2026.
Where The Betting Value May Lie
On balance, Bambino Fever is the obvious starting point for any shortlist: proven at the track, high-class in bumpers, and seemingly still improving over hurdles.
She looks every inch a Grade 1 mare running in a Grade 2, and if she settles and jumps cleanly, she will be hard to peg back up the hill.
However, this race has shown it can bite favourites – Eglantine Du Seuil won at 50/1, and Golden Ace was allowed to go off at rewarding odds – so it makes sense to have at least one alternative onside.
Oldschool Outlaw fits the profile of a tough each-way option: battle-hardened, already proven in a fight with the favourite.
From the wider group, a mare like Echoing Silence or La Conquiere appeals as the type to sneak into the places – both come here in form, with winning profiles and enough stamina to be passing beaten horses late if the gallop is strong.
If you are looking for a slightly more speculative play, one of the lesser-hyped Mullins runners – Future Prospect, Place De La Nation or Charme De Faust – could be the one that improves past more exposed rivals on the day, particularly if the race unfolds to suit a late closer.
A Race That Keeps On Giving
The Ryanair Mares Novices Hurdle may be a relative newcomer to the Cheltenham programme, but it has quickly become a race that rewards close study, patience, and a willingness to trust an unexposed mare on the rise.
In 2026, Bambino Fever has the profile of another future star, but she must prove it in the white heat of a 22-runner Festival field against rivals who have already shown they are not overawed by reputations.
However you play it – banker, saver, or a couple of each-way swings – this is a contest worth watching back even if your bet hits the bar; history suggests we will still be talking about some of these mares at future Festivals, long after the roar has faded and the form books have closed on another Thursday at Cheltenham.
BETFRED
