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2026 Future Champions Novice Hurdle Preview
This Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle is scheduled to take place in December of each year during the Christmas Festival at the Leopardstown racecourse. It is run over a trip of two miles in which there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is seen as a race where the Irish trainers send their runners out before going to Cheltenham.
Future Champions Novice Hurdle Information:
- Future Champions Novice Hurdle Past Winners
- Future Champions Novice Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Future Champions Novice Hurdle Jockey Statistics
We also have a dedicated Leopardstown 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 Races Covered during the Irish Christmas Festival section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Future Champions Novice Hurdle 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 110%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 124%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Future Champions Novice Hurdle, the over-round has been 117%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ117 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Future Champions Novice 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 Future Champions Novice Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Future Champions Novice Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Romeo Coolio (3:50.90) in 2024
- Skylight Hustle (3:54.60) in 2025
- Aramon (3:54.80) in 2018
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 Future Champions Novice Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -6.82. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Future Champions Novice Hurdle, 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 De Valira from M J P O'Brien under the guidance of A E Lynch, won in a time of 4:21.80, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Romeo Coolio, trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Sam Ewing set the quickest time of 3:50.90 in the 2024 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Future Champions Novice Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Future Champions Novice 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 Future Champions Novice Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:54.60 | Skylight Hustle (IRE) 5yo 11-12 3/1F | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2024 3:50.90 | Romeo Coolio (GB) 5yo 11-12 7/4F | Sam Ewing Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2023 4:11.50 | Caldwell Potter (FR) 5yo 11-12 6/1 | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2022 4:00.70 | Facile Vega (IRE) 5yo 11-12 2/9F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2021 4:00.20 | Mighty Potter (FR) 4yo 11-12 5/2 | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2020 4:07.10 | Appreciate It (IRE) 6yo 11-12 7/4F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2019 3:55.70 | Abacadabras (FR) 5yo 11-10 10/11F | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2018 3:54.80 | Aramon (GER) 5yo 11-10 6/1 | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2017 4:00.50 | Whiskey Sour (IRE) 4yo 11-7 9/1 | David Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2016 3:55.40 | Saturnas (FR) 5yo 11-10 9/2 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Future Champions Novice Hurdle have been based:
- IRE: 20 winners with an additional 27 placings from 140 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
Future Champions Novice Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race seven times, with those seven winners coming from Hurricane Fly (2008), Long Dog (2015), Saturnas (2016), Whiskey Sour (2017), Aramon (2018), Appreciate It (2020) and Facile Vega (2022). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle is Gordon Elliott (5 wins).
Here are some of the top Future Champions Novice 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 | 39-7-14 | -7.28 | -8.54 |
| Gordon Elliott | 17-5-10 | +2.16 | +0.88 |
| Noel Meade | 14-1-3 | +12.00 | +4.75 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 9-1-3 | +3.00 | +2.48 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 7-1-3 | -4.62 | -2.87 |
| E J O'Grady | 5-1-2 | +1.50 | +0.04 |
| M F Morris | 3-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.00 |
| Oliver McKiernan | 1-1-1 | +20.00 | +12.00 |
| Philip Fenton | 1-1-1 | +2.25 | +1.41 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 6-0-2 | -6.00 | -1.40 |
Future Champions Novice Hurdle Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle over the last 20 renewals, with both Paul Townend and Jack Kennedy, who have both won the race four times. Paul Townend's winners have been with Hurricane Fly (2008), Saturnas (2016), Appreciate It (2020) and Facile Vega (2022). Jack Kennedy winners have been with Abacadabras (2019), Mighty Potter (2021), Caldwell Potter (2023) and Skylight Hustle (2025).
Here are some of the top Future Champions Novice 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 | 12-4-5 | -0.53 | -2.84 |
| Jack Kennedy | 9-4-5 | +7.41 | +3.46 |
| Danny Mullins | 4-1-2 | -0.75 | +0.04 |
| Sam Ewing | 2-1-1 | +0.75 | +0.09 |
| Jonathan Burke | 1-1-1 | +11.00 | +6.88 |
| Mark Walsh | 8-0-1 | -8.00 | -6.10 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -4.10 |
| Keith Donoghue | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
| Sean Flanagan | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -3.00 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 3-0-1 | -3.00 | -0.90 |
2026 Future Champions Novice Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 3, 1, 6, 2, 3, 1, 3, UR, 1, 5, RO, 4, 1, 1, PU, 1, PU, 1, 1
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 (80%) - No bigger than 8/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Highest Won is not LST/Cl2/Cl5
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Ran in 1 - 5 races (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 25/1
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Won within last 2 starts
- 20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 8/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Ran in 3 - 15 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Had 2 - 5 placings (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Highest Placed is not G2/LST/Cl5
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 120+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved a TS of 77+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran in 2 - 7 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not in a G2/LST/Cl5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not BB/BR in colour
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved a TS of 85+ (Last 5)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Leopardstown racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Future Champions Novice 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 Future Champions Novice Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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Future Champions Novice Hurdle Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +51.72, is when runners had 1 season win.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners were 3rd in the betting market, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-20.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Future Champions Novice Hurdle is Fairyhouse; there have been a total of 14 winners of this race who ran at Fairyhouse last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 132 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 9 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Future Champions Novice Hurdle:
- Davidoff (2 Wins)
- Jeremy (2 Wins)
- Martaline (2 Wins)
- Presenting (2 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Hollo Ladies in 2009, winning for Noel Meade at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of Davy Condon. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 8 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Future Champions Novice Hurdle, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Future Champions Novice Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Future Champions Novice Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Skylight Hustle Fairyhouse - 1st of 24 (4/5) | Kettles Country House Hotel Maiden Hurdle |
| 2024 - Romeo Coolio Fairyhouse - 2nd of 8 (1/2) | Royal Bond Novice Hurdle |
| 2023 - Caldwell Potter Navan - 1st of 25 (8/13) | Headfort Arms Hotel Maiden Hurdle |
| 2022 - Facile Vega Fairyhouse - 1st of 16 (1/9) | Fingal Ravens Raceday Maiden Hurdle |
| 2021 - Mighty Potter Fairyhouse - 3rd of 7 (5/1) | Royal Bond Novice Hurdle |
| 2020 - Appreciate It Cork - 1st of 14 (1/12) | I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle |
| 2019 - Abacadabras Fairyhouse - 2nd of 9 (7/2) | Royal Bond Novice Hurdle |
| 2018 - Aramon Fairyhouse - 3rd of 4 (4/1) | Royal Bond Novice Hurdle |
| 2017 - Whiskey Sour Galway - 1st of 12 (7/4) | Guinness Handicap |
| 2016 - Saturnas Fairyhouse - 2nd of 7 (7/1) | Royal Bond Novice Hurdle |
Races Covered during the Irish Christmas Festival
Remember to head to the Leopardstown predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters support in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle. Below are the other principal races that we cover during the Irish Christmas Festival, with links to each race blog as well as information for last year's winners.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Friday Racing Post Novice Chase | Romeo Coolio (GB) 6yo - 8/15 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| Saturday Paddy's Rewards Club Chase | Solness (FR) 7yo - 8/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Sam Ewing |
| Saturday Future Champions Novice Hurdle | Skylight Hustle (IRE) 5yo - 3/1 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| Saturday Paddy Power Chase | Favori De Champdou (FR) 10yo - 66/1 | Gordon Elliott Sam Ewing |
| Sunday Irish Christmas Hurdle | Teahupoo (FR) 8yo - 5/2 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| Sunday Savills Chase | Affordale Fury (IRE) 7yo - 7/1 | Noel Meade Sam Ewing |
| Monday December Festival Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
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 Future Champions Novice Hurdle Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips 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
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
