The definition of a novice is determined by the horse racing authority in a particular country or area.
A novice hurdler has not won a hurdle race before the start of the current season, while a novice chaser has not won a steeplechase before the start of the current season.
Noble Yeats won the 2022 Grand National as a novice.
A modern development has seen a concession whereby horses that record their first win in a given sphere in March or April may contest novice events up to 31 October of that year.
[3] This period was extended to 30 November from the 2022–23 season in British National Hunt racing.