Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Champion Novices Hunters Chase Preview
Scheduled to take place in either late May or early June of each year at Stratford is the Champion Novices Hunters Chase, a class 2 race that is open to novices who are aged five or older, with the race being run over a trip of three miles and four furlongs.
Being a hunter chase, you will get runners entered who compete on the P2P scene, the trends below only include starts under rules.
Champion Novices Hunters Chase Information:
- Champion Novices Hunters Chase Past Winners
- Champion Novices Hunters Chase Trainer Statistics
- Champion Novices Hunters Chase Jockey Statistics
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Stratford tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners?
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How competitive is the Champion Novices Hunters Chase market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2021 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2005 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 Champion Novices Hunters Chase, the over-round has been 119%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £119 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Champion Novices Hunters Chase 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 Champion Novices Hunters Chase Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Champion Novices Hunters Chase races over the last 20 renewals:
- Quiet Account (6:52.20) in 2016
- Harbour Court (6:53.50) in 2013
- Forest Chimes (6:55.50) in 2024
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 Champion Novices Hunters Chase next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 17 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -7.90. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Champion Novices Hunters Chase, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2006 renewal when Coomakista from Mrs E J Reed under the guidance of Mr R Morgan, won in a time of 7:33.90, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Quiet Account, trained by C A McBratney and ridden by Mr N McParlan set the quickest time of 6:52.20 in the 2016 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Champion Novices Hunters Chase Past Winners
Here are the Champion Novices Hunters Chase past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Champion Novices Hunters Chase are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (20k) 7:14.23 | Jeux d'Eau (FR) 7yo 12-0 4/1 | Mr Huw Edwards Miss Laura Richardson (GB) |
| 2024 (20k) 6:55.50 | Forest Chimes (IRE) 10yo 12-0 9/2 | Mr Darren Andrews Philip Rowley (GB) |
| 2023 (20k) 7:12.70 | Sine Nomine (GB) 7yo 11-7 1/1F | Mr John Dawson Fiona Needham (GB) |
| 2022 (15k) 7:04.60 | Ask Dman (IRE) 8yo 11-12 15/2 | Mr B O'Neill D M Christie (IRE) |
| 2021 (20k) 7:06.10 | Vaucelet (FR) 6yo 11-10 4/1 | Mr B W Harvey D M Christie (IRE) |
| 2019 (20k) 7:02.30 | Law Of Gold (IRE) 6yo 11-10 9/1 | Mr Dale Peters David Kemp (GB) |
| 2018 (20k) 7:17.50 | Garde Ville (FR) 8yo 11-10 11/1 | Mr Stephen Paul Davies Patricia Rigby (GB) |
| 2017 (20k) 7:03.50 | Now Ben (IRE) 9yo 11-10 8/1 | Alex Edwards Philip Rowley (GB) |
| 2016 (20k) 6:52.20 | Quiet Account (IRE) 8yo 11-10 9/1 | Mr N McParlan C A McBratney (IRE) |
| 2015 (20k) 7:10.60 | Lord Fingal (IRE) 7yo 11-10 5/1 | Mr S Clements J T R Dreaper (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Champion Novices Hunters Chase have been based:
- GB: 16 winners with an additional 34 placings from 218 runners
- IRE: 4 winners with an additional 2 placings from 16 runners
- HOL: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
Champion Novices Hunters Chase Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Champion Novices Hunters Chase over the last 20 renewals, with both D M Christie and Philip Rowley, who have both won the race two times. D M Christie winners have been with Vaucelet (2021) and Ask Dman (2022). Philip Rowley winners have been with Now Ben (2017) and Forest Chimes (2024).
Here are some of the top Champion Novices Hunters Chase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| D M Christie | 4-2-3 | +9.50 | +6.49 |
| Philip Rowley | 3-2-2 | +11.50 | +6.61 |
| Alan Hill | 11-1-4 | -8.62 | -2.91 |
| David Kemp | 4-1-1 | +6.00 | +2.40 |
| Fiona Needham | 2-1-2 | +0.00 | +1.33 |
| Michael Scudamore | 1-1-1 | +28.00 | +16.80 |
| Grant Cann | 1-1-1 | +14.00 | +7.00 |
| C A McBratney | 1-1-1 | +9.00 | +5.40 |
| J T R Dreaper | 1-1-1 | +5.00 | +3.00 |
| Miss Laura Richardson | 1-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.40 |
Champion Novices Hunters Chase Jockey Statistics
Here are some of the top Champion Novices Hunters Chase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Darren Andrews | 3-1-1 | +2.50 | +0.81 |
| Mr Dale Peters | 2-1-1 | +8.00 | +4.40 |
| Mr B O'Neill | 2-1-1 | +6.50 | +3.69 |
| Mr Huw Edwards | 2-1-2 | +3.00 | +2.00 |
| Mr John Dawson | 2-1-2 | +0.00 | +1.33 |
| Mr N McParlan | 1-1-1 | +9.00 | +5.40 |
| Alex Edwards | 1-1-1 | +8.00 | +4.80 |
| Mr B W Harvey | 1-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.50 |
| Miss Gina Andrews | 7-0-1 | -7.00 | -5.70 |
| Mr William Biddick | 7-0-0 | -7.00 | -7.00 |
2026 Champion Novices Hunters Chase Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): PU, F, PU, (1, 2), F, PU, 1, 2, 1, 1, 3, 2, 4, 4, 4, 2, PU, 1, 2, (PU, UR)
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 (71%) - No bigger than 28/1
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Within the first 10 of the market
- 19 / 20 (67%) - No bigger than 9/1 (LTO)
- 19 / 20 (77%) - No bigger than 25/1 (Career Place)
- 19 / 20 (79%) - Break of 9 - 371 days (Last Place)
- 19 / 20 (81%) - Beaten no more -37l (Debut)
- 19 / 20 (82%) - Furthest Placed 2m4f - 3m6½f
- 19 / 20 (87%) - No older than a 9yo
- 19 / 20 (87%) - Highest Placed is not G3
- 19 / 20 (88%) - Off a break of 9 - 105 days
- 18 / 20 (84%) - No more than +3yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 18 / 20 (86%) - No bigger than 33/1 (Debut)
- 17 / 20 (54%) - Achieved an RPR of 105+ (Last 5)
- 17 / 20 (74%) - Achieved a TS of 65+ (Career)
- 17 / 20 (87%) - Won within last 1 start
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Stratford racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Champion Novices Hunters Chase. 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 Champion Novices Hunters Chase by adding a tip on the race here.
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Champion Novices Hunters Chase Trend Analysis
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran over 2m7½f last time out, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-37.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Champion Novices Hunters Chase 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 the Male runners having produced a total of 16 winners from a total of 201 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 4 winners from a total of 34 runners.
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Champion Novices Hunters Chase despite multiple attempts:
- Dr Massini (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Milan (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Hemington in 2010, winning for Michael Scudamore at odds of 28/1 under the guidance of Mr T Weston. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 5 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Champion Novices Hunters Chase, head over to see which other runners today are being backed by the best racing tipsters. If you are interested in other races at the Stratford racecourse, then why not read our blog for the Champion Hunters Chase?
Route to the Champion Novices Hunters Chase
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Champion Novices Hunters Chase, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Jeux dEau Leicester - 4th of 10 (15/8) | Pointing Pointers Dick Saunders Novices Hunters Chase |
| 2024 - Forest Chimes Stratford - 1st of 7 (9/2) | Service With A Smile Oncourse Bookmakers Novices Hunters Chase |
| 2023 - Sine Nomine Cheltenham - 2nd of 5 (9/4) | Barrie Wells Trust Box4Kids Mares Open Hunters Chase |
| 2022 - Ask Dman Tramore - 3rd of 7 (9/2) | Waterford Hunt Fundraiser Hunters Chase |
| 2021 - Vaucelet Down Royal - 1st of 10 (11/8) | Virtual Racing On The BoyleSports App Maiden Hunters Chase |
| 2019 - Law Of Gold | No Previous Runs |
| 2018 - Garde Ville Warwick - 1st of 4 (11/2) | Overbury Stud National Hunt Stallions Crudwell Cup Open Hunters Chase |
| 2017 - Now Ben Ludlow - 1st of 10 (6/4) | Eddie Mapp Memorial Grassroots Hunters Chase |
| 2016 - Quiet Account Downpatrick - 2nd of 9 (2/1) | At The Races Maiden Hunters Chase |
| 2015 - Lord Fingal Down Royal - 1st of 8 (1/1) | Newmac Contracts Ltd. Hunters Chase |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Champion Novices Hunters Chase Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
