Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Scottish Cheltenham Trials)

Get ready for the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle, run at Musselburgh during the Scottish Cheltenham Trials over 3m. Here we look back through the race's history, showcasing the most successful trainers and jockeys, and identifying the statistical trends that could help you find the next winner.
Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Scottish Cheltenham Trials)
Andy Powell
Andy Powell Expert Guide

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 Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle Preview

Scheduled to take place in February of each year at the Musselburgh Racecourse is the Scottish Stayers Novices Hurdle, a race contested over three miles for novice hurdlers.

The race is a class two, which was established in 2013 and serves as a trial for the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival a month later. Bardenstown Lad, the winner of this race in 2022, went on to finish third in the Albert Bartlett at 20/1.

Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle Information:

If you are interested in other predictions at Musselburgh, then head over to the Musselburgh tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Musselburgh Racecourse section for links to these.

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How competitive is the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 12 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2022 when the race had an over-round of 105%. The race in 2014 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 113%, whilst on average over the last 12 renewals of the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle, the over-round has been 110%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ110 which is bet.

Below you will find the 2026 Scottish Stayers 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 Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle Trend Analysis.

These are the top three quickest-run Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle races over the last 12 renewals:

  1. Seeyouatmidnight (5:36.20) in 2014
  2. Shanroe Santos (5:42.00) in 2015
  3. Intense Approach (5:44.88) in 2025

Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 12 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 12 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -5.00. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.

Over the last 12 renewals, it was Seeyouatmidnight, trained by Sandy Thomson and ridden by Ryan Mania, who set the fastest winning time in the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle. That runner won the race in a time of 5:36.20 in 2014. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Olly Murphy and jockey A P Heskin with I K Brunel who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 6:06.80 in the 2020 renewal.

What the expert says...
Five of the twelve winners of this race (2013-25) went on to run in the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle, albeit their form figures read PU, 10th, 6th, 3rd & PU; in fact, only one of those twelve winners went on to win next time out, Seeyouatmidnight (2014).

Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com

Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle Past Winners

Here are the Scottish Stayers 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 Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.

YearHorseInfo
2025
5:44.88
Intense Approach (GB)
6yo 11-8 5/4F
James Bowen
John C McConnell (IRE)
2024
5:59.10
Ottizzini (IRE)
7yo 10-12 14/1
Sean Quinlan
S R B Crawford (IRE)
2023
5:56.60
Inis Oirr (IRE)
6yo 11-0 15/2
Derek Fox
Lucinda Russell (GB)
2022
6:03.38
Bardenstown Lad (GB)
7yo 11-8 8/15F
Brian Hayes
John C McConnell (IRE)
2021
5:56.58
Threeunderthrufive (IRE)
6yo 11-8 11/10F
A P Heskin
Paul Nicholls (GB)
2020
6:06.80
I K Brunel (GB)
6yo 11-5 8/5
A P Heskin
Olly Murphy (GB)
2018
6:05.20
Red River (IRE)
5yo 11-5 3/1
David Bass
Kim Bailey (GB)
2017
5:47.80
Monbeg Charmer (IRE)
6yo 11-10 100/30
Brian Hughes
Charlie Longsdon (GB)
2016
5:59.90
O O Seven (IRE)
6yo 11-13 11/10F
Andrew Tinkler
Nicky Henderson (GB)
2015
5:42.00
Shanroe Santos (IRE)
6yo 11-7 11/4F
Leighton Aspell
Lucy Wadham (GB)

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle have been based:

  • GB: 9 winners with an additional 9 placings from 55 runners
  • IRE: 3 winners with an additional 1 placing from 9 runners

Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle Trainer Statistics

There are two leading trainers in the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle over the last 12 renewals, with both Charlie Longsdon and John C McConnell, who have both won the race two times. Charlie Longsdon winners have been with Superior Quality (2013) and Monbeg Charmer (2017). John C McConnell winners have been with Bardenstown Lad (2022) and Intense Approach (2025).

Here are some of the top Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle trainer statistics over the last 12 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):

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
Charlie Longsdon3-2-2+12.33+8.33
John C McConnell3-2-2+0.78-0.22
Paul Nicholls7-1-2-4.90-3.53
Lucinda Russell6-1-3+2.50+2.75
Nicky Henderson4-1-2-1.90-2.40
Sandy Thomson3-1-1+20.00+11.75
S R B Crawford1-1-1+14.00+8.75
Kim Bailey1-1-1+3.00+1.88
Lucy Wadham1-1-1+2.75+1.72
Olly Murphy1-1-1+1.60+0.00

Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle Jockey Statistics

Here are some of the top Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle jockey statistics over the last 12 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):

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Brian Hughes6-1-2-1.67-1.00
Derek Fox3-1-2+5.50+3.75
Sean Quinlan2-1-1+13.00+7.75
Ryan Mania1-1-1+22.00+13.75
David Bass1-1-1+3.00+1.88
James Bowen1-1-1+1.25+0.78
Brian Hayes1-1-1+0.53+0.00
Sam Twiston-Davies4-0-1-4.00-2.90
Craig Nichol3-0-2-3.00+0.13
Danny Cook3-0-0-3.00-2.00

Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle Trend Analysis

✅ The trend factor, which has produced 6+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +38.45, is when runners ran on Soft ground when last winning.

❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in Scotland when last winning, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-18.

The courses that have produced the most winners of the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle are Cheltenham, Ludlow and Sandown; there have been a total of 2 winners from each of those courses.

The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 11 winners from a total of 62 runners, while female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 2 runners.

Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle; that stallion, Midnight Legend, has produced 2 winners (2020,2014).

Looking at the winning odds over the last 12 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Seeyouatmidnight in 2014, winning for Sandy Thomson at odds of 22/1 under the guidance of Ryan Mania. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 12 renewals, there have been 5 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle.

Route to the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle

Many trainers target races as preparation for the Scottish Stayers Novices' Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:

InfoLast Race
2025 - Intense Approach
Cheltenham - 1st of 5 (2/1)
William Hill Betting Done Properly Novices Hurdle
2024 - Ottizzini
Thurles - PU of 10 (10/1)
Horse & Jockey Hotel Rated Novice Hurdle
2023 - Inis Oirr
Kelso - 6th of 12 (2/1)
Watch The Replay At Racing TV Handicap Hurdle
2022 - Bardenstown Lad
Cheltenham - 1st of 8 (313/100)
888Sport Whats Your Thinking Novices Hurdle
2021 - Threeunderthrufive
Ludlow - 1st of 4 (7/4)
Shukers Introductory Hurdle
2020 - I K Brunel
Newbury - 4th of 11 (10/1)
Conundrum EBF Stallions "National Hunt" Novices Hurdle
2018 - Red River
Sandown - 3rd of 7 (4/1)
Ballymore Novices Hurdle
2017 - Monbeg Charmer
Wetherby - 2nd of 7 (4/9)
Mark Gillson Special Birthday Celebration Novices Hurdle
2016 - O O Seven
Sandown - 2nd of 5 (5/1)
Formby Novices' Hurdle
2015 - Shanroe Santos
Ludlow - 1st of 16 (20/1)
Jubilee Restaurant Maiden Hurdle

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 Scottish Stayers 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

Darren Brett

Expert Guide

Darren has worked in the horse racing industry for decades bringing to OLBG for the last 20 years a wealth of knowledge, creating much of our content on these sports. Darren also manages our Grand National Guide and is the go-to font of knowledge for the world's greatest steeplechase.
Andy Powell

Andy Powell

Expert Guide

Andy, a seasoned horse racing expert with over 15 years of experience, possesses a comprehensive understanding of the sport, from delving into complex statistical data for jump racing in the UK and Ireland to crafting insightful national hunt racing blogs for OLBG.

Other Principal races at Musselburgh Racecourse

Here are some other notable races at the Musselburgh racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.

Races in February (Scottish Cheltenham Trials)

Races in April

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