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2027 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 aged four or older who are novice hurdlers. In terms of future form, the race serves as a trial for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
Classic Novices' Hurdle Information:
- Classic Novices' Hurdle Past Winners
- Classic Novices' Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Classic 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. 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 2026
How competitive is the Classic Novices' Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 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 20 renewals of the Classic Novices' Hurdle, the over-round has been 113%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ113 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2027 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 races over the last 20 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? Over the past 20 renewals, 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 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -11.36. Ahead of the 2027 Classic Novices' Hurdle, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 5:09.27 | Kripticjim (FR) 6yo 11-5 14/1 | Brendan Powell Joe Tizzard (GB) |
| 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) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Classic Novices' Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 19 winners with an additional 30 placings from 153 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 7 runners
2026 Classic Novices' Hurdle Replay
Classic Novices' Hurdle Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Classic Novices' Hurdle over the last 20 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan Powell | 2-1-1 | +13.00 | +7.75 |
| 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 |
| Sean Bowen | 3-0-1 | -3.00 | -2.35 |
| Brian Hughes | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
2027 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, 5
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 (72%) - No bigger than 16/1
- 20 / 20 (72%) - Achieved an RPR of 126+ (Career)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Dam is not CAN/GB/GER/USA bred
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Furthest Placed 2m1f - 3m
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Beaten no more -9Âźl (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Achieved an RPR of 118+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Break of 14 - 85 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 1 - 3 placings (90 Days)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - No older than a 6yo
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Beaten no more -17½l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not on GF/STD-SLW/STD (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Carried 148 - 162lbs (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran in 1 - 6 races (1 Year)
- 19 / 20 (83%) - In a field of 4 - 17 (Last Win)
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 ÂŁ6,000 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
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +18.86, is when runners ran over 2m4½f last time out.
â 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 0-48.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Classic Novices' Hurdle is Newbury; there have been a total of 6 winners of this race who ran at Newbury last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 5 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 157 runners, while 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 20 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 20 renewals, there have been 6 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 Classic Novices' Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Classic Novices' Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Kripticjim Newbury - 1st of 8 (6/5) | Amber River Life Landscaping EBF "National Hunt" Novices Hurdle |
| 2025 - Sixmilebridge Huntingdon - 1st of 4 (2/5) | Annual Badges On Sale Now Novices Hurdle |
| 2024 - Gidleigh Park Newbury - 1st of 9 (1/1) | BetVictor EBF Stallions National Hunt Novices Hurdle |
| 2023 - Rock My Way Cheltenham - 2nd of 13 (66/1) | Ballymore Maiden Hurdle |
| 2022 - North Lodge Aintree - 1st of 8 (14/1) | Unibet Casino Deposit ÂŁ10 Get ÂŁ40 Novices Hurdle |
| 2020 - Harry Senior Chepstow - 1st of 15 (4/5) | Coral "Fail To Finish" Free Bets Maiden Hurdle |
| 2019 - Birchdale Warwick - 1st of 17 (9/4) | Actioncoach Invest In The Best Maiden Hurdle |
| 2018 - Santini Newbury - 1st of 9 (7/2) | Ladbrokes Novices Hurdle |
| 2017 - Wholestone Cheltenham - 1st of 6 (13/8) | Bristol Novices' Hurdle |
| 2016 - Yanworth Ascot - 1st of 5 (1/3) | Sky Bet Supreme Trial Novices Hurdle |
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 | Donnacha (IRE) 8yo - 12/1 | Nigel Hawke James Davies |
| Classic Novices Hurdle | Kripticjim (FR) 6yo - 14/1 | Joe Tizzard Brendan Powell |
| Cleeve Hurdle | Ma Shantou (IRE) 7yo - 5/2 | Emma Lavelle Ben Jones |
| Cotswold Chase | Spillanes Tower (IRE) 8yo - 11/4 | James Joseph Mangan Jack Kennedy |
| International Hurdle | The New Lion (GB) 7yo - 9/4 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| JCB Triumph Juvenile Hurdle Trial | Maestro Conti (FR) 4yo - 5/2 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| Timeform Novices Handicap Chase | Jordans Cross (IRE) 6yo - 7/1 | Anthony Honeyball Sam Twiston-Davies |
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 Classic 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
