You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Racing Post Novice Chase Preview
Scheduled to take place in December of each year at the Leopardstown Racecourse is the Racing Post Novice Chase. This Grade 1 sees the novice chasers face a total of eleven fences during the two miles and one furlong trip. The race features during the Christmas Festival, with it taking place on Boxing Day or Saint Stephen's Day in Ireland.
The race was originally axed after the 2023 renewal and was not run in 2024; however, for the 2025 schedule, the race was reinstated.
Racing Post Novice Chase Information:
- Racing Post Novice Chase Past Winners
- Racing Post Novice Chase Trainer Statistics
- Racing Post Novice Chase Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Leopardstown tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? 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 2025
How competitive is the Racing Post Novice Chase market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2020 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2011 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 125%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Racing Post Novice Chase, the over-round has been 115%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £115 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Racing Post Novice 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 Racing Post Novice Chase Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Racing Post Novice Chase races over the last 20 renewals:
- Defy Logic (4:00.90) in 2013
- Le Richebourg (4:03.80) in 2018
- Romeo Coolio (4:05.60) in 2025
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 Racing Post Novice Chase next time out, then you would have backed a total of 10 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +6.49. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Racing Post Novice Chase, see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 4:00.90 was set by Defy Logic in 2013, trained by Paul Nolan and ridden by Mark Walsh, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2014 when Clarcam won in a time of 4:36.10 for trainer Gordon Elliott, who booked B J Cooper in the saddle.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Racing Post Novice Chase Past Winners
Here are the Racing Post Novice 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 Racing Post Novice Chase are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 4:05.60 | Romeo Coolio (GB) 6yo 11-12 8/15F | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2023 4:21.60 | Found A Fifty (IRE) 6yo 11-12 16/5 | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2022 4:17.70 | Saint Roi (FR) 7yo 11-12 3/1 | Mark Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2021 4:11.10 | Ferny Hollow (IRE) 6yo 12-0 10/11F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2020 4:11.80 | Franco De Port (FR) 5yo 12-0 8/1 | B J Cooper W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2019 4:15.10 | Notebook (GER) 6yo 11-12 7/1 | Rachael Blackmore Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2018 4:03.80 | Le Richebourg (FR) 5yo 11-12 3/1 | Mark Walsh Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2017 4:13.60 | Footpad (FR) 5yo 11-12 4/6F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2016 4:06.70 | Min (FR) 5yo 11-12 4/5F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2015 4:29.10 | Douvan (FR) 5yo 11-12 4/7F | Mr P W Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Racing Post Novice Chase have been based:
- IRE: 20 winners with an additional 21 placings from 123 runners
- GB: 0 winners with an additional 2 placings from 2 runners
2025 Racing Post Novice Chase Replay
Racing Post Novice Chase Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Racing Post Novice Chase over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race nine times, with those nine winners coming from Missed That (2005), Blackstairmountain (2011), Arvika Ligeonniere (2012), Douvan (2015), Min (2016), Footpad (2017), Franco De Port (2020), Ferny Hollow (2021) and Saint Roi (2022). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Racing Post Novice Chase are Gordon Elliott (3 wins) and Henry De Bromhead (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Racing Post Novice 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 23-9-10 | +15.35 | +7.16 |
| Gordon Elliott | 9-3-4 | +5.73 | -0.02 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 13-2-4 | -3.00 | -0.41 |
| Noel Meade | 7-1-2 | +4.00 | +0.85 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 6-1-3 | -2.00 | +0.05 |
| E J O'Grady | 5-1-3 | -2.75 | -1.75 |
| Paul Nolan | 3-1-3 | +1.50 | +2.29 |
| Oliver McKiernan | 2-1-1 | +11.00 | +6.50 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -4.33 |
| M F Morris | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | +0.50 |
Racing Post Novice Chase Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Racing Post Novice Chase over the last 20 renewals is Paul Townend, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Blackstairmountain (2011), Arvika Ligeonniere (2012), Footpad (2017) and Ferny Hollow (2021). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Racing Post Novice Chase are Mark Walsh (3 wins) and Jack Kennedy (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Racing Post Novice 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Townend | 9-4-5 | +1.98 | -0.22 |
| Mark Walsh | 7-3-5 | +5.50 | +4.62 |
| Jack Kennedy | 6-2-3 | -0.27 | -3.02 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 3-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.38 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 2-1-1 | -0.43 | +0.00 |
| Keith Donoghue | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | +0.63 |
| Danny Mullins | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -2.00 |
| Brian Hayes | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
| Sean Flanagan | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
| Robbie Colgan | 1-0-1 | -1.00 | +2.00 |
2026 Racing Post Novice Chase Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): UR, F, 1, 2, 1, 5, F, 1, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4, PU, 3, 1, 3, 4, 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 (65%) - Break of 15 - 44 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (66%) - No bigger than 12/1
- 20 / 20 (73%) - Placed within last 1 starts
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Beaten no more -5l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Off a break of 15 - 44 days
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Within the first 5 of the market
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Ran over 1m3½f - 2m2f (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved a TS of 62+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - In a field of 5 - 17 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved an RPR of 136+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran in 1 - 4 races (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - In a field of 5 - 18 (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (82%) - Won within last 2 starts
- 18 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 11/1 (Career Win)
- 18 / 20 (87%) - Not fallen (Season)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Leopardstown racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Racing Post Novice 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 Racing Post Novice Chase by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Racing Post Novice Chase Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +27.53, is when runners had 2 career places over further.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when the runner's last place was 2 starts ago, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-25.
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Racing Post Novice Chase are Fairyhouse and Navan; there have been a total of 7 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 120 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 Racing Post Novice Chase:
- Coastal Path (2 Wins)
- Walk In The Park (2 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Follow The Plan in 2008, winning for Oliver McKiernan at odds of 12/1 under the guidance of John Cullen. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 8 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 Racing Post Novice Chase
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Racing Post Novice Chase. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Romeo Coolio Fairyhouse - 1st of 6 (8/15) | Drinmore Novice Chase |
| 2023 - Found A Fifty Fairyhouse - 2nd of 5 (11/4) | Drinmore Novice Chase |
| 2022 - Saint Roi Navan - 2nd of 15 (7/4) | Boardsmill Stud Irish EBF Beginners Chase |
| 2021 - Ferny Hollow Punchestown - 1st of 15 (8/15) | BetVictor Beginners Chase |
| 2020 - Franco De Port Thurles - 1st of 13 (8/15) | Killinan Beginners Chase |
| 2019 - Notebook Punchestown - 1st of 6 (11/4) | Elliott Group Craddockstown Novice Chase |
| 2018 - Le Richebourg Fairyhouse - 2nd of 11 (11/4) | Drinmore Novice Chase |
| 2017 - Footpad Navan - 1st of 6 (4/6) | Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase |
| 2016 - Min Navan - 1st of 17 (1/3) | Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Beginners Chase |
| 2015 - Douvan Navan - 1st of 14 (59/50) | Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Beginners Chase |
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 Racing Post Novice Chase. 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 Racing Post Novice Chase 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
