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 Classic Novices Hurdle Preview
Scheduled to take place in January during trials day of each year at the Cheltenham racecourse is the Classic Novices Hurdle which is run over a distance of two miles, four and a half furlongs and is open to runners ages four or older who are novice hurdlers.
In terms of future form, the race serves as a trial for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle and the last eight winners of the race went on to run in that race next time out and only At Fishers Cross (2013) was successful in that race. Both Bobs Worth (2011) and Wichita Lineman (2007) also went on to win the Albert Bartlett at the festival.
Gain an edge on the Classic Novices Hurdle by examining our detailed insights into previous race trends and trainer statistics, then check out our list of free bets for Cheltenham.
Classic Novices Hurdle Information:
- Classic Novices Hurdle Past Winners
- Classic Novices Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Classic Novices Hurdle Jockey Statistics
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Cheltenham tips on the day of the race, do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist or are they predicting other runners? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Schedule for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Classic Novices Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 19 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2022 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2008 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 118%, whilst on average over the last 19 renewals of the Classic Novices Hurdle, the over-round has been 113%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £113 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Classic 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 Classic Novices Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Classic Novices Hurdle over the last 19 renewals:
- North Lodge (5:01.14) in 2022
- Batonnier (5:02.00) in 2012
- Wholestone (5:04.10) in 2017
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 19 if you had followed the winner of the Classic Novices Hurdle next time out then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -10.36. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
The runner that holds the record over the past 19 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2013 renewal when At Fishers Cross from Rebecca Curtis under the guidance of A P McCoy, won in a time of 5:33.17, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, North Lodge, trained by Alan King and ridden by A P Heskin set the quickest time of 5:01.14 in the 2022 renewal.
Classic Novices Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Classic Novices Hurdle 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 Classic Novices Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 5:12.27 | Sixmilebridge (IRE) 6yo 11-5 9/1 | Kielan Woods Fergal O'Brien (GB) |
| 2024 5:09.96 | Gidleigh Park (GB) 6yo 11-5 5/6F | Jonathan Burke Harry Fry (GB) |
| 2023 5:05.84 | Rock My Way (IRE) 5yo 11-5 13/2 | Tom Scudamore Syd Hosie (GB) |
| 2022 5:01.14 | North Lodge (IRE) 5yo 11-5 7/1 | A P Heskin Alan King (GB) |
| 2020 5:19.46 | Harry Senior (IRE) 6yo 11-5 4/1 | Robbie Power Colin Tizzard (GB) |
| 2019 5:04.90 | Birchdale (IRE) 5yo 11-5 2/1 | Barry Geraghty Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2018 5:23.10 | Santini (GB) 6yo 11-5 4/1 | Jeremiah McGrath Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2017 5:04.10 | Wholestone (IRE) 6yo 11-10 11/4F | Daryl Jacob Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
| 2016 5:23.00 | Yanworth (GB) 6yo 11-12 2/1F | Barry Geraghty Alan King (GB) |
| 2015 5:13.00 | Ordo Ab Chao (IRE) 6yo 11-9 16/1 | Wayne Hutchinson Alan King (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Classic Novices Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 29 placings from 148 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 5 runners
Classic Novices Hurdle Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Classic Novices Hurdle over the last 19 renewals with both Nicky Henderson and Alan King who have both won the race four times. Nicky Henderson winners have been with Aigle DOr (2008), Bobs Worth (2011), Santini (2018) and Birchdale (2019). Alan King winners have been with Batonnier (2012), Ordo Ab Chao (2015), Yanworth (2016) and North Lodge (2022). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Classic Novices Hurdle, Paul Nicholls has sent a total of 12 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Classic Novices Hurdle trainer statistics over the last 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicky Henderson | 14-4-9 | +1.25 | +1.71 |
| Alan King | 10-4-7 | +31.00 | +20.54 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 7-1-3 | -3.25 | -3.18 |
| Fergal O'Brien | 5-1-3 | +5.00 | +5.83 |
| David Pipe | 4-1-2 | -0.75 | -0.49 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 3-1-1 | -1.00 | -1.40 |
| Harry Fry | 3-1-2 | -1.17 | -0.83 |
| Nick Williams | 3-1-1 | -1.47 | -1.67 |
| Rebecca Curtis | 2-1-1 | +5.50 | +3.06 |
| Syd Hosie | 2-1-1 | +5.50 | +2.90 |
Classic Novices Hurdle Jockey Statistics
Here are some of the top Classic Novices Hurdle jockey statistics over the last 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kielan Woods | 2-1-1 | +8.00 | +4.63 |
| Jonathan Burke | 2-1-1 | -0.17 | -0.48 |
| Jeremiah McGrath | 1-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.40 |
| Harry Skelton | 4-0-4 | -4.00 | -0.52 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 4-0-3 | -4.00 | -1.53 |
| Harry Cobden | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| Brian Hughes | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Nico de Boinville | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | -1.06 |
| Sean Bowen | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | -1.35 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
2026 Classic Novices Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 1, 1, 1, 3, 4, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 4, F, 2, UR, 2, 1, 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.
- 19 / 19 (72%) - No bigger than 16/1
- 19 / 19 (72%) - Achieved an RPR of 126+ (Career)
- 19 / 19 (75%) - Dam is not CAN/GB/GER/USA bred
- 19 / 19 (77%) - Furthest Placed 2m1f - 3m
- 19 / 19 (81%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 19 / 19 (81%) - Beaten no more -9¼l (Debut)
- 19 / 19 (81%) - Achieved an RPR of 118+ (LTO)
- 19 / 19 (84%) - Break of 14 - 85 days (Last Place)
- 19 / 19 (85%) - No older than a 6yo
- 19 / 19 (85%) - Had 1 - 3 placings (90 Days)
- 19 / 19 (86%) - Beaten no more -17½l (LTO)
- 19 / 19 (87%) - Ran in 1 - 6 races (1 Year)
- 19 / 19 (87%) - Ran in 1 - 4 races (180 Days)
- 19 / 19 (88%) - Not on GF/STD-SLW/STD (Debut)
- 18 / 19 (77%) - Placed within last 1 start
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Cheltenham racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Classic 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 Classic Novices Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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Classic Novices Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +14.61 is when runners finished in 1st on debut.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 2 wins in the past year, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-44.
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Classic Novices Hurdle are Newbury and Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 5 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 150 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 5 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Classic Novices Hurdle:
- Oscar (2 Wins)
- Sir Harry Lewis (2 Wins)
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Classic Novices Hurdle, that stallion is Flemensfirth who has failed to produce a winner from 8 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 19 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Ordo Ab Chao in 2015, winning for Alan King at odds of 16/1 under the guidance of Wayne Hutchinson. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 19 renewals there have been 6 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Classic Novices Hurdle remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Schedule for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham
Here is the schedule for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham, each race will be linked to the race blog and detail last year's winner in the table below.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Trophy Handicap Chase | Moon DOrange (FR) 7yo - 7/2 | John C McConnell Sean Bowen |
| Classic Novices Hurdle | Sixmilebridge (IRE) 6yo - 9/1 | Fergal O'Brien Kielan Woods |
| Cleeve Hurdle | Gowel Road (IRE) 9yo - 5/2 | Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies |
| Cotswold Chase | LHomme Presse (FR) 10yo - 4/5 | Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch |
| International Hurdle | Constitution Hill (GB) 8yo - 1/12 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| JCB Triumph Juvenile Hurdle Trial | East India Dock (GB) 4yo - 1/2 | James Owen Sam Twiston-Davies |
| Timeform Novices Handicap Chase | Jagwar (FR) 6yo - 4/1 | Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Classic Novices Hurdle Preview are at hand, Andy and James. 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.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
