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Novice hurdles statistics: favourites, winners and trends

How British and Irish novice hurdles have been won over the last ten seasons: the favourites' record season by season, the prices, ages and last runs of the winners, the leading trainers and jockeys and the split between Britain and Ireland. The figures refresh after every racing day, and the upcoming table lists the novice hurdles on the cards for the next seven days.

6 novice hurdles in the next seven days · Results to 16 October 2026 · Refreshed 17 October 2026
48.7%
Favourite win %, ten seasons
455
Races last season
6
Races in the next 7 days

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Key takeaways

  • British and Irish novice hurdles numbered 455 races in 2025/26, with an average field of 7.9 runners, and 109 have been run so far in 2026/27.
  • Across 2021/22 to 2025/26, 82.6% of winners of novice hurdles started at 5/1 or shorter and 7.9% at bigger than 10/1.
  • Dan Skelton has trained the most winners of novice hurdles over the last five seasons and this one, with 152 at a 21.1% strike rate.
  • Favourites in British novice hurdles won 50.6% of their runs across 2021/22 to 2025/26, against 39.8% in Irish novice hurdles, where the average field was 7.1 runners.
  • The upcoming table lists every British and Irish novice hurdle on the cards for the next seven days, 6 at the last update, and refreshes each morning.
Novice hurdles: races per season in Britain and Ireland
02004006008002016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/242024/252025/26Jumps 2016/17: 621621Jumps 2017/18: 619619Jumps 2018/19: 638638Jumps 2019/20: 502502Jumps 2020/21: 531531Jumps 2021/22: 592592Jumps 2022/23: 537537Jumps 2023/24: 475475Jumps 2024/25: 472472Jumps 2025/26: 455455

Races by Season

Novice hurdles by season, with the favourites' record

2026/27 to date10949.1%551127526.90
2025/2645552.1%2414633,6027.90
2024/2547246.6%2254833,7467.90
2023/2447550.7%2504933,9628.30
2022/2353747.6%2655574,2487.90
2021/2259248.3%2956114,4657.50
2020/2153147.0%2625584,7559.00
2019/2050248.7%2555244,1158.20
2018/1963848.5%3186555,1078.00
2017/1861947.2%3046444,9478.00
2016/1762150.5%3246424,7997.70

British and Irish jumps races, jumps seasons on the official British and Irish dates. Favourite = shortest starting price joint favourites each count as a run. BSP figures are not shown because the window starts before March 2024. Rule: Hurdle races with "novice" in the race name, excluding novice handicaps (those sit in handicap hurdles). Juvenile and maiden hurdles without "novice" in the name are not included.

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Novice hurdles winners by starting price

Evens or shorter86434.1%61.0%1,416
11/10 to 2/156022.1%36.5%1,536
85/40 to 4/154521.5%21.2%2,570
9/2 to 6/11967.7%13.1%1,498
13/2 to 10/11656.5%8.1%2,034
11/1 to 16/11054.1%5.8%1,825
18/1 to 33/1722.8%2.7%2,649
Over 33/1240.9%0.4%6,493

Five seasons, 2021/22 to 2025/26. Share of winners is the percentage of all winners in that price band. Bands with fewer than 100 runs are hidden.

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Novice hurdles winners by age

434613.7%9.5%3,636
51,01940.5%12.6%8,079
684733.6%14.9%5,675
72218.8%12.5%1,763
8542.1%11.9%454
9160.6%11.0%145

2021/22 to 2025/26. Ages with fewer than 100 runs are hidden.

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Novice hurdles winners by days since last run

No previous run in the data1244.9%9.0%1,371
1 to 14 days1636.4%8.9%1,828
15 to 30 days93236.8%13.9%6,723
31 to 60 days79931.5%15.3%5,231
61 to 120 days2028.0%12.0%1,677
121 to 365 days28711.3%10.5%2,722
Over a year261.0%5.5%471

2021/22 to 2025/26. Previous runs counted from British and Irish racing since May 2014 (Flat or jumps), so a first run here may follow runs abroad or in point-to-points. Bands with fewer than 100 runs are hidden.

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Novice hurdles winners by last-time-out position

No previous run in the data1244.9%9.0%1,371
Won93637.0%25.2%3,713
2nd47818.9%23.6%2,022
3rd27911.0%15.2%1,834
4th to 6th39315.5%7.9%4,973
7th or worse2128.4%4.8%4,402
Did not finish1114.4%6.5%1,708

2021/22 to 2025/26. Position on the horse's previous British or Irish run in any race type. Did not finish covers falls, pulled up, unseated and refusals. Bands with fewer than 100 runs are hidden.

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Leading trainers in novice hurdles

Dan Skelton15221.1%72215/49
Paul Nicholls13833.7%4101/2
Willie Mullins12821.7%5904/17
Gordon Elliott11821.5%55012/37
Olly Murphy11527.0%4265/17
Fergal O'Brien11522.0%5222/14
Nicky Henderson9225.0%3680/3
Donald McCain8019.1%4191/14
Jamie Snowden6530.7%2126/14
Ben Pauling5515.9%3470/5
Nigel Twiston-Davies4520.0%2250/0
Lucinda Russell4417.6%2500/0
Alan King4316.7%2570/2
Henry de Bromhead3617.4%2075/11
Harry Fry3227.8%1151/3
Jonjo O'Neill3215.3%2090/0
Harry Derham2921.8%1330/1
Gary Moore2918.8%1540/0
John C McConnell2823.1%1210/3
Emma Lavelle2815.4%1821/5

2021/22 to date (five seasons plus this one), British and Irish. Minimum 30 runs. Sorted by wins.

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Leading jockeys in novice hurdles

Sean Bowen13528.4%47511/33
Harry Cobden12932.0%4032/6
Harry Skelton12225.6%47615/41
Brian Hughes10722.9%4682/10
Sam Twiston-Davies8819.3%4557/15
Gavin Sheehan7322.3%3286/15
Paul Townend7034.7%2023/6
Nico de Boinville6126.5%2300/0
Jonathan Burke6018.3%3281/17
Tom Cannon4917.3%2830/5
Jonjo O'Neill Jr4818.8%2563/16
Paddy Brennan4629.1%1580/0
Tom Bellamy4614.1%3270/6
Jack Kennedy4221.4%1962/13
James Bowen4115.1%2720/9
Sean Quinlan3511.9%2940/7
Ben Jones3313.2%2501/4
Kielan Woods3212.6%2532/7
Derek Fox3015.5%1931/8
Brendan Powell3010.3%2922/12

2021/22 to date (five seasons plus this one), British and Irish. Minimum 30 rides. Sorted by wins.

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Novice hurdles: Britain v Ireland

Britain50.6%8.102,1494302.62
Ireland39.8%7.10382763.50

2021/22 to 2025/26. Region is where the race was run.

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Latest novice hurdles winners

16 Oct 26Lunar Trix (IRE)Uttoxeter2.38Stuart EdmundsCharlie HammondBritish EBF 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle Race10
15 Oct 26Ferocimo (IRE)Fontwell2.38Nigel & Willy Twiston-DaviesSam Twiston-DaviesBETTING.BET Play Champion Tipster Novices' Hurdle Race7
11 Oct 26Divine Diva (IRE) silksDivine Diva (IRE)Chepstow8.00Dan SkeltonHarry SkeltonDragonbet / EBF Mares' 'national Hunt' Novices' Hurdle Race7
11 Oct 26Mwabani (FR) silksMwabani (FR)Chepstow3.00Mrs Jane WilliamsCiaran GethingsDragonbet / EBF 'national Hunt' Novices' Hurdle Race6
11 Oct 26Minella Emperor (IRE) silksMinella Emperor (IRE)Cork (IRE)3.25Emmet MullinsMr M J O'NeillIrish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Hurdle3
10 Oct 26Hourman (FR) silksHourman (FR)Hexham4.00Lucinda Russell & Michael ScudamoreDerek FoxHitz Novices' Hurdle Race9
9 Oct 26Saint Jeannais (FR) silksSaint Jeannais (FR)Chepstow1.83Nigel & Willy Twiston-DaviesSam Twiston-DaviesWasdell Group Novices' Hurdle Race (Div II)10
9 Oct 26Locker Boum (FR) silksLocker Boum (FR)Chepstow4.00Nigel & Willy Twiston-DaviesSam Twiston-DaviesGood Intents Marquee Hire Novices' Hurdle Race7
9 Oct 26West Hill Verde (FR) silksWest Hill Verde (FR)Chepstow17.00Seamus MullinsCallum PritchardDragonBet Persian War Novices' Hurdle Race (Grade 2)11
9 Oct 26Cooltobecareless (IRE) silksCooltobecareless (IRE)Chepstow2.00Dan SkeltonHarry SkeltonWasdell Group Novices' Hurdle Race (Div I)10
8 Oct 26Port Glen One (IRE) silksPort Glen One (IRE)Market Rasen1.73Nigel & Willy Twiston-DaviesSam Twiston-DaviesTractor Drivers Go Free On 12th November Novices' Hurdle Race3
5 Oct 26Red Metal (FR) silksRed Metal (FR)Stratford4.50Henrietta C KnightBrendan PowellPaul Ferguson's Jumpers To Follow Novices' Hurdle Race6
4 Oct 26Gentle Ocean (IRE) silksGentle Ocean (IRE)Uttoxeter1.62Nigel & Willy Twiston-DaviesSam Twiston-DaviesChloe Mediumship Novices' Hurdle Race4
4 Oct 26Jentobello (GB) silksJentobello (GB)Kelso1.25Iain JardineBrian HughesWelcome To Family Day Novices' Hurdle Race3
4 Oct 26Tuppence (FR) silksTuppence (FR)Kelso1.62Lucinda Russell & Michael ScudamoreMr Lucas MurphyJustin & Susan Greig Novices' Hurdle Race3

The 15 most recent winners in the last 60 days of results, newest first.

Novice hurdles favourite win % by season
45%47.5%50%52.5%55%2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/242024/252025/26Favourite win % 2016/17: 50.5%Favourite win % 2017/18: 47.2%Favourite win % 2018/19: 48.5%Favourite win % 2019/20: 48.7%Favourite win % 2020/21: 47%Favourite win % 2021/22: 48.3%Favourite win % 2022/23: 47.6%Favourite win % 2023/24: 50.7%Favourite win % 2024/25: 46.6%Favourite win % 2025/26: 52.1%52.1%

Favourite win % by Season

Novice hurdles in the next seven days

17 Oct 2613:05Newton AbbotBritish Stallion Studs EBF 'national Hunt' Novices' Hurdle Race82m0f167yClass 4GoodJumps
17 Oct 2614:55LimerickMaster Chefs Novice Hurdle72m5f70yClass 1YieldingJumps
18 Oct 2613:50SedgefieldFairlight Studios Cafe @ Sedgefield Racecourse Novices' Hurdle Race32m3f188yClass 4GoodJumps
19 Oct 2614:00PlumptonBetty Chantler Novices' Hurdle Race91m7f195yClass 4-Jumps
20 Oct 2614:01HexhamDownload The At The Races App Mares' Novices' Hurdle Race102m4f28yClass 4GoodJumps
21 Oct 2615:25WorcesterRichard And Ann Hitchings Memorial Mares' Novices' Hurdle Race262m0f0yClass 4GoodJumps

British and Irish races from today to seven days ahead that match the rule for novice hurdles, from the declared and entered cards. Runner counts include any later non-runners and fill in as declarations are made. First 50 races shown.

See today's novice hurdles runner by runner

Members get every novice hurdle on the racecard with RWS scores, market moves across 20+ bookmakers, Angles and FormLines+, and can follow any trainer in Tracker+.

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How often do favourites win novice hurdles?

Favourites won 48.7% of their runs in novice hurdles over ten seasons, from 5,442 races, and 52.1% in 2025/26.

What price do winners of novice hurdles usually start?

Across 2021/22 to 2025/26 the median winner of novice hurdles started at 2.75 in decimal odds, and 82.6% of winners were 5/1 or shorter.

Which trainers and jockeys do best in novice hurdles?

Dan Skelton leads the trainers with 152 wins in novice hurdles over the last five seasons and this one, and Sean Bowen leads the jockeys with 135. Both tables need at least 30 runs.

Are novice hurdles different in Britain and Ireland?

British novice hurdles averaged 8.1 runners across 2021/22 to 2025/26 against 7.1 in Ireland, and favourites won 50.6% of their runs in Britain against 39.8% in Ireland.

How do last-time-out winners do in novice hurdles?

The last-time-out table covers every finishing position and non-finishers.

Questions people ask

What is a novice hurdle?

A novice hurdle is for horses that had not won a hurdle race before the start of the current season, though Ireland keeps some late-season winners novices until the end of November. RaceWatch counts every hurdle race with novice in its name, while novice handicaps sit with handicap hurdles.

How often do favourites win novice hurdles?

Favourites won 48.7% of their runs in British and Irish novice hurdles over ten seasons, from 5,630 favourite runs.

How does RaceWatch decide which races are novice hurdles?

RaceWatch counts a race as a novice hurdle when it is a hurdle race with novice in its name and it is not a handicap. Juvenile and maiden hurdles without novice in the name are left out, so the counts can differ from other sources.

What age are most winners of novice hurdles?

Across 2021/22 to 2025/26 the most common winning age in novice hurdles was 5, with 40.2% of all winners. The age table shows the strike rate

How often is the novice hurdles page updated?

The novice hurdles figures refresh every morning after the previous day's results, so the current season row and the latest winners table move after every racing day. The upcoming races table is rebuilt at the same time from the declared and entered cards.

More free data

Novice chases and hurdles explainedWhat makes a horse a noviceNovice chase statisticsThe same figures over fencesHandicap hurdle statisticsWhere novice handicaps are countedSupreme Novices' HurdleRoll of honourRace types comparedAll ten race types side by sideRacing reportsMonthly reports and the annual review

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