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2026 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Preview
The Royal Bond Novice Hurdle is one of three Grade 1 races run on the Sunday of the Fairyhouse Winter Festival, which takes place either last November or early December.
This race, open to runners aged four or older, is run over a distance of two miles and a half furlong, where these novice hurdlers will have a total of ten hurdles.
The race is named in honour of the Arthur Moore-trained Royal Bond, who had a successful jumps career in the 1980s.
Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Information:
- Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Past Winners
- Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Jockey Statistics
We also have a dedicated Fairyhouse 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 Fairyhouse Winter Festival section for links to these.
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How competitive is the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2018 when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2019 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 Royal Bond 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 Royal Bond 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 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Royal Bond Novice Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Airlie Beach (3:53.10) in 2016
- The Tullow Tank (3:53.60) in 2013
- Statuaire (3:56.50) in 2021
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 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 7 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -0.07. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Royal Bond 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 2008 renewal when Hurricane Fly from W P Mullins under the guidance of Paul Townend, won in a time of 4:19.00, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Airlie Beach, trained by W P Mullins and ridden by Danny Mullins set the quickest time of 3:53.10 in the 2016 renewal.
Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Royal Bond 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 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 4:00.50 | Koktail Brut (FR) 5yo 11-4 8/13F | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2024 3:57.00 | Tounsivator (FR) 5yo 11-4 12/1 | Danny Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 4:09.00 | Farren Glory (IRE) 6yo 11-12 11/2 | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2022 4:09.80 | Marine Nationale (IRE) 5yo 11-12 11/2 | Michael O'Sullivan Barry Connell (IRE) |
| 2021 3:56.50 | Statuaire (FR) 6yo 11-5 12/1 | Danny Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2020 4:12.30 | Ballyadam (IRE) 5yo 11-12 8/15F | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2019 4:01.40 | Envoi Allen (FR) 5yo 11-10 8/11F | Davy Russell Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2018 3:56.70 | Quick Grabim (IRE) 6yo 11-10 1/1F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2017 4:00.50 | Mengli Khan (IRE) 4yo 11-7 1/1F | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2016 3:53.10 | Airlie Beach (IRE) 6yo 11-3 4/1 | Danny Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle have been based:
- IRE: 20 winners with an additional 28 placings from 145 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Replay
Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race nine times, with those nine winners coming from Hurricane Fly (2008), Zaidpour (2010), Sous Les Cieux (2011), Nichols Canyon (2014), Long Dog (2015), Airlie Beach (2016), Quick Grabim (2018), Statuaire (2021) and Tounsivator (2024). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle are Gordon Elliott (5 wins), Mrs John Harrington (2 wins) and Philip Fenton (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Royal Bond 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 | 39-9-17 | +7.07 | +3.74 |
| Gordon Elliott | 17-5-9 | -3.62 | -0.53 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 6-2-3 | +8.25 | +4.21 |
| Philip Fenton | 3-2-3 | +4.30 | +4.44 |
| Noel Meade | 15-1-5 | -10.00 | -3.40 |
| Barry Connell | 2-1-1 | +4.50 | +2.30 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 7-0-1 | -7.00 | -4.62 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 7-0-1 | -7.00 | -6.25 |
| Gavin Cromwell | 5-0-3 | -5.00 | +0.26 |
| Thomas Mullins | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -2.75 |
Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle over the last 20 renewals, with both Danny Mullins and Jack Kennedy having won the race four times. Danny Mullins' winners have been with The Tullow Tank (2013), Airlie Beach (2016), Statuaire (2021) and Tounsivator (2024). Jack Kennedy winners have been with Mengli Khan (2017), Ballyadam (2020), Farren Glory (2023) and Koktail Brut (2025). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle is Paul Townend (3 wins).
Here are some of the top Royal Bond 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Mullins | 6-4-4 | +31.00 | +18.20 |
| Jack Kennedy | 6-4-6 | +5.65 | +5.78 |
| Paul Townend | 15-3-6 | -5.93 | -3.13 |
| Michael O'Sullivan | 2-1-1 | +4.50 | +2.30 |
| Mark Walsh | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -3.62 |
| Keith Donoghue | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -2.90 |
| Sean Flanagan | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -2.50 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -3.25 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 3-0-3 | -3.00 | +0.65 |
| Sean O'Keeffe | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
2026 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 4, PU, 1, F, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 4, 3, 2, 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 (63%) - No bigger than 12/1
- 20 / 20 (70%) - Within the first 5 of the market
- 20 / 20 (73%) - No bigger than 5/2 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - No bigger than 15/2 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Highest Won is not G2/LST/Cl2/Cl5
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 7/2 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Not in a G1-2/LST/Cl2/Cl5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Achieved an RPR of 125+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Break of 17 - 189 days (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Off a break of 17 - 165 days
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 2 - 8 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Won within last 2 starts
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Had 2 - 6 wins (Career)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Ran in 1 - 7 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Not BB/BL/BR/GR in colour
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Fairyhouse racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Royal Bond 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 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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Royal Bond Novice Hurdle Trend Analysis
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 3 places in the past 180 days, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-20.
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle are Punchestown and Down Royal; there have been a total of 4 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 18 winners from a total of 130 runners, while female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 16 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle:
- Fame And Glory (2 Wins)
- Muhtathir (2 Wins)
- Oscar (2 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Statuaire in 2021, winning for W P Mullins at odds of 12/1 under the guidance of Danny Mullins. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 10 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Koktail Brut Punchestown - 1st of 21 (10/11) | Matchbook Supporting Irish Racing Maiden Hurdle |
| 2024 - Tounsivator Listowel - 5th of 15 (7/2) | MCG Handicap Hurdle |
| 2023 - Farren Glory Clonmel - 1st of 17 (13/8) | I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle |
| 2022 - Marine Nationale Punchestown - 1st of 12 (4/9) | Festival 2023 On Sale Now Maiden Hurdle |
| 2021 - Statuaire Wexford - 1st of 8 (8/11) | BoyleSports Novice Hurdle |
| 2020 - Ballyadam Down Royal - 1st of 18 (4/6) | Tayto Group Maiden Hurdle |
| 2019 - Envoi Allen Down Royal - 1st of 17 (1/4) | Tayto Group Maiden Hurdle |
| 2018 - Quick Grabim Navan - 4th of 7 (7/4) | For Auction Novice Hurdle |
| 2017 - Mengli Khan Navan - 1st of 6 (5/4) | For Auction Novice Hurdle |
| 2016 - Airlie Beach Down Royal - 1st of 7 (4/6) | European Breeders Fund Lough Construction Ltd. Mares Novice Hurdle |
Races Covered during the Fairyhouse Winter Festival
Remember to head to the Fairyhouse predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters support in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle. Below are the other principal races that we cover during the Fairyhouse Winter Festival, with links to each race blog as well as information for last year's winners.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday Fairyhouse Winter Festival Listed Handicap Chase | Drumgill (IRE) 6yo - 11/1 | John Patrick Ryan Michael Kenneally |
| Sunday Porterstown Handicap Chase | Better Times Ahead (IRE) 8yo - 3/1 | Robert Tyner Mark Walsh |
| Sunday Royal Bond Novice Hurdle | Koktail Brut (FR) 5yo - 8/13 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| Sunday Drinmore Novice Chase | Romeo Coolio (GB) 6yo - 8/15 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| Sunday Hatton's Grace Hurdle | Teahupoo (FR) 8yo - 1/1 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| Sunday Fairyhouse Winter Festival Listed Handicap Hurdle | Zillow (GB) 5yo - 7/2 | 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 Royal Bond 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
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Andy Powell
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