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2026 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Preview
Known as the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle, this race was introduced to the festival in 2005, as there wasn't a novice option beyond the two miles five furlongs of the Baring Bingham Novices Hurdle run on the second day of the festival. Introduced at Grade 2 status, but when current sponsor Albert Bartlett took over, it became a Grade 1, giving those with stamina in abundance a chance at the highest level.
Run over three miles on the new course at Cheltenham racecourse with twelve hurdles being jumped, the race has produced some high-class winners like Bobs Worth, Unowhatimeanharry and Penhill, all of whom have gone on to future Grade 1 wins/places at the festival and also the future Gold Cup winner Minella Indo.
Uncover Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle winning strategies through our deep dive into past race patterns and trainer performance, and supercharge your bets with these top free bets for Cheltenham.
Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Information:
- Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Past Winners
- Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Jockey Statistics
We also have a dedicated Cheltenham tips page that will cover this race as well as all of the other races on the day of the race. See which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards. We cover every race at the Cheltenham Festival, and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2017 when the race had an over-round of 116%. The race in 2023 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 130%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, the over-round has been 124%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £124 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Black Jack Ketchum (5:38.30) in 2006
- Bobs Worth (5:42.20) in 2011
- Wichita Lineman (5:43.60) in 2007
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 8 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +4.34. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Black Jack Ketchum, trained by Jonjo O'Neill and ridden by A P McCoy, who set the fastest winning time in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. That runner won the race in a time of 5:38.30 in 2006. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Rebecca Curtis and jockey A P McCoy with At Fishers Cross who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 6:40.10 in the 2013 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
| Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle NRNB 13 Mar @ 15:20 - AntePost | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Steinberg | 3.25 | |
| No Drama This End | 7.00 | |
| Thedeviluno | 9.00 | |
| Espresso Milan | 11.00 | |
| Ill Sort That | 13.00 | |
Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse that won, and the horse's age & weight. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 5:57.13 | Jasmin De Vaux (FR) 6yo 11-7 6/1 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2024 6:24.40 | Stellar Story (IRE) 7yo 11-7 33/1 | Sam Ewing Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2023 5:59.49 | Stay Away Fay (IRE) 6yo 11-7 18/1 | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2022 5:53.58 | The Nice Guy (IRE) 7yo 11-8 18/1 | Sean O'Keeffe W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2021 6:01.65 | Vanillier (FR) 6yo 11-5 14/1 | Mark Walsh Gavin Cromwell (IRE) |
| 2020 5:57.96 | Monkfish (IRE) 6yo 11-5 5/1 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2019 5:57.42 | Minella Indo (IRE) 6yo 11-5 50/1 | Rachael Blackmore Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2018 6:13.60 | Kilbricken Storm (IRE) 7yo 11-5 33/1 | Harry Cobden Colin Tizzard (GB) |
| 2017 5:49.90 | Penhill (GB) 6yo 11-5 16/1 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2016 5:48.10 | Unowhatimeanharry (GB) 8yo 11-5 11/1 | Noel Fehily Harry Fry (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle have been based:
- IRE: 11 winners with an additional 22 placings from 143 runners
- GB: 9 winners with an additional 18 placings from 214 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
2025 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Replay
Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Penhill (2017), Monkfish (2020), The Nice Guy (2022) and Jasmin De Vaux (2025). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle is Jonjo O'Neill (2 wins). One trainer has not had the best of times in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle; Nigel Twiston-Davies has sent a total of 13 runners to the race without recording a win.
Here are some of the top Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 58-4-11 | -9.00 | -24.95 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 3-2-2 | +1.38 | +0.19 |
| Nicky Henderson | 18-1-4 | -15.12 | -14.56 |
| Gordon Elliott | 17-1-5 | +17.00 | +5.80 |
| Paul Nicholls | 14-1-4 | +5.00 | -2.50 |
| Rebecca Curtis | 11-1-1 | -8.62 | -9.17 |
| Noel Meade | 10-1-2 | +24.00 | +8.00 |
| Alan King | 10-1-2 | +0.00 | -4.00 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 9-1-3 | +42.00 | +18.80 |
| C Byrnes | 5-1-3 | +4.00 | +1.00 |
Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Paul Townend, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Penhill (2017), Monkfish (2020) and Jasmin De Vaux (2025). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle is Harry Cobden (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Townend | 14-3-4 | +16.00 | +4.60 |
| Harry Cobden | 6-2-2 | +47.00 | +21.50 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 7-1-1 | +44.00 | +19.00 |
| Mark Walsh | 5-1-1 | +10.00 | +3.00 |
| Sean O'Keeffe | 4-1-2 | +15.00 | +6.50 |
| Sam Ewing | 2-1-2 | +32.00 | +19.30 |
| Danny Mullins | 8-0-2 | -8.00 | -6.20 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 7-0-1 | -7.00 | -6.05 |
| Nico de Boinville | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -5.50 |
| Jack Kennedy | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -4.50 |
2026 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 1, (3, 11), 2, PU, 1, 2, 1, F, 7, PU, UR, 3, 2, 4, 4, PU, RO, PU, 2
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (67%) - Achieved an RPR of 135+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Ran in 2 - 4 races (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - No bigger than 50/1
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Not in a LST/Cl4-6 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Highest Run is not LST/Cl2/Cl4
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Highest Placed is not LST/Cl2/Cl5
- 20 / 20 (85%) - In a field of 8 - 22 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 20/1 (Career Place)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Off a break of 27 - 97 days
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Beaten no more -13l (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not BB/BL/BR in colour
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Furthest ran 2m3f - 3m½f
- 19 / 20 (88%) - Not in a G1/LST/Cl5-6 (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (89%) - No bigger than 14/1 (Career Win)
- 18 / 20 (83%) - Achieved a TS of 91+ (Last 3)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Cheltenham racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +115.38, is when runners had a furthest trip run of 3m.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in a Class 4 last time out, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-57.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle is Leopardstown; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 349 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 10 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle:
- Oscar (3 Wins)
- Kings Theatre (2 Wins)
- Martaline (2 Wins)
- Shantou (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Flemensfirth (0 Wins from 12 runners)
- Westerner (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Getaway (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Old Vic (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Minella Indo in 2019, winning for Henry De Bromhead at odds of 50/1 under the guidance of Rachael Blackmore. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.
Route to the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Jasmin De Vaux Leopardstown - 4th of 12 (19/2) | Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle |
| 2024 - Stellar Story Leopardstown - 4th of 6 (12/1) | Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle |
| 2023 - Stay Away Fay Doncaster - 2nd of 10 (5/2) | Albert Bartlett River Don Novices Hurdle |
| 2022 - The Nice Guy Naas - 1st of 22 (6/5) | I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle |
| 2021 - Vanillier Leopardstown - 10th of 13 (12/1) | Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle |
| 2020 - Monkfish Thurles - 1st of 6 (5/4) | W.T. OGrady Memorial Irish EBF Novice Hurdle |
| 2019 - Minella Indo Clonmel - 2nd of 8 (8/1) | Surehaul Mercedes-Benz Novice Hurdle |
| 2018 - Kilbricken Storm Newbury - 3rd of 6 (11/4) | Challow Novices' Hurdle |
| 2017 - Penhill Limerick - 1st of 5 (3/1) | Guinness Novice Hurdle |
| 2016 - Unowhatimeanharry Exeter - 1st of 10 (7/2) | Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle |
Schedule for Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival
Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day, when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle. The feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle | Kopek Des Bordes (FR) 5yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Arkle Challenge Trophy | Jango Baie (FR) 6yo - 5/1 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Puturhandstogether (IRE) 4yo - 17/2 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Ultima Handicap Chase | Myretown (IRE) 8yo - 13/2 | Lucinda Russell Patrick Wadge |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle | Golden Ace (GB) 7yo - 25/1 | Jeremy Scott Lorcan Williams |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Plate | Jagwar (FR) 6yo - 3/1 | Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 17:20 Cheltenham National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup | Haiti Couleurs (FR) 8yo - 7/2 | Rebecca Curtis Ben Jones |
Schedule for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival
The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it, and some don't!
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Turners Novices Hurdle | The New Lion (GB) 6yo - 3/1 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Brown Advisory Novices Chase | Lecky Watson (IRE) 7yo - 20/1 | W P Mullins Sean O'Keeffe |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Coral Cup | Jimmy Du Seuil (FR) 6yo - 16/1 | W P Mullins Danny Mullins |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Cross Country Chase | Stumptown (IRE) 8yo - 5/2 | Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase | Marine Nationale (IRE) 8yo - 5/1 | Barry Connell Sean Flanagan |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Johnny Henderson Grand Annual | Jazzy Matty (FR) 6yo - 15/2 | Cian Collins Danny Gilligan |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Champion Bumper | Bambino Fever (IRE) 5yo - 4/1 | W P Mullins Miss J Townend |
Schedule for Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival
Halfway through the festival and onto day three, where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last up the Cheltenham hill.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Mares Novices Hurdle | Air Of Entitlement (IRE) 6yo - 16/1 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Novices Limited Handicap Chase | Caldwell Potter (FR) 7yo - 7/1 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Close Brothers Mares Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Stayers Hurdle | Bob Olinger (IRE) 10yo - 8/1 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Ryanair Chase | Fact To File (FR) 8yo - 6/4 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Pertemps Network Final | Doddiethegreat (IRE) 9yo - 25/1 | Nicky Henderson Brian Hughes |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup | Daily Present (IRE) 8yo - 12/1 | Paul Nolan Mr B T Stone |
Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival
The final day of the festival and the feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle | Poniros (GB) 4yo - 100/1 | W P Mullins Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:00 Cheltenham County Handicap Hurdle | Kargese (FR) 5yo - 3/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase | Dinoblue (FR) 8yo - 6/4 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle | Jasmin De Vaux (FR) 6yo - 6/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Cheltenham Gold Cup | Inothewayurthinkin (IRE) 7yo - 15/2 | Gavin Cromwell Mark Walsh |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Hunters Chase | Wonderwall (IRE) 9yo - 28/1 | S Curling Mr R James |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle | Wodhooh (FR) 5yo - 9/2 | Gordon Elliott Danny Gilligan |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal Races at the Cheltenham Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Cheltenham racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in January (Festival Trials Day)
- Cheltenham Trophy Handicap Chase
- Classic Novices' Hurdle
- Cleeve Hurdle
- Cotswold Chase
- International Hurdle
- JCB Triumph Juvenile Hurdle Trial
- Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase
Races in January
Races in April
Races in October (Showcase Meeting)
Races in November (November Meeting)
- Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase
- Hyde Novices' Hurdle
- Shloer Chase
- Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices' Chase
- JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle
- Paddy Power Gold Cup
- Greatwood Hurdle
- November Meeting Handicap Chase
