Noel Chance could try to become the first trainer to win the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival through his promising novice Aux Le Bahnn.

A winner of all three starts this season, Aux Le Bahnn had initially been pencilled in for Saturday's Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Doncaster following his latest success at Folkestone on January 2.

Chance was not able to get him back in time for this weekend and is keen on the new Cheltenham race over an extended two and a half miles, which was officially named after the legendary Pipe this week.

"We gave him a little break as he stood on a stone and got a stone bruise," explained Chance.

"I might run him in the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon but he could go straight to the Festival to run in the new boys' race.

"He is rated 133, which is a good mark.

"He will also be entered in the Coral Cup, the Ballymore and the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham but whether he is good enough to run against the top novices, I don't know.

"I'll play it by ear. If he ran in the Sidney Banks and won then he'd have to go for one of the novice races, as his handicap mark would then be up to 140.

"He's a horse you can bring back to win at the first time after a break – he's almost better like that."

The inaugural Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle will be run at 4.40pm on Gold Cup day.

Pipe was champion trainer 15 times in 17 years and ended his career with 4,182 winners.

Pipe said: "This is a huge honour. Cheltenham has always been my favourite course and most of the best moments of my career were there."