The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle is a 3m Grade 1 and the last of the novices’ hurdles contested at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. The race is the furthest of the three Grade 1 novice hurdles, and therefore a strong stayer is often needed to win the race. Check out our expert trends and selections for the big race on the final day of the Festival.
Andrew Mount’s Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Tips
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Matty Sutcliffe’s Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Tips
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Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Bookmaker Odds – Race 3, Friday 13th March 3:20
The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle is always competitive. We will not know the field for 2025 until the days beforehand.
All About The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in 2026
The newest of the holy trinity of novice hurdles contested at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival (alongside the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Baring Bingham), the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle was inaugurated in 2005 and is registered as the Spa Novices’ Hurdle.
When the Festival was extended to four days, the race began as a Grade 2 and for its first three runnings was sponsored by Brit Insurance, but having attracted strong fields was upgraded to Grade 1 status in 2008. Potato producer Albert Bartlett took over sponsorship duties afterwards and has maintained the partnership through the years.
Qualifications/Trends
The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle is open to horses aged four or older (4yos receive 9lb from their elders), but as it is invariably such a dour test it is more often than not contested by more experienced novice hurdlers, with no 4yo winners and just two 5yo winners in its entire 19-year history.
Mares receive an allowance of 7lb, as they do with the remaining Grade 1’s when competing against the boys, yet up to now, no Mare has managed to land the race.
6yo horses have dominated in the Albert Bartlett, landing 9 of the 18 renewals, with 7yos taking six renewals and Unowhatimeanharry managing to score as an 8yo in 2016. Experience tends to come to the fore in the race, and horses that began their careers in the point sphere tend to do well.
Due to this former point experience, winners of the Albert Bartlett tend to go on to experience a staying chase career the following season, and some make up into future Gold Cup runners, with Bobs Worth (2011) and Minella Indo (2019) going on to complete the Albert Bartlett – Gold Cup double.
The race has no strong price trends, albeit favourites don’t have an overly strong record, with 2013 race winner At Fishers Cross (11/8F) the last to justify favouritism – since then there have been winners at 33/1, 50/1 with another 33/1 winner last year in Stellar Story.
2026 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Prize Money
Last year’s prize money accumulated to around £150,000, with race winner Jasmin De Vaux picking up a prize of £84,405.00.
Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle History
The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle was formed when the Cheltenham Festival expanded to four days in 2005.
The race is run on Cheltenham’s New Course and is contested over a distance of 3m, with twelve hurdles to be jumped.
Horses that started their careers in points have a particularly strong record, with four of the last five winners starting life in that discipline prior to their respective victories. The race has also proven a good springboard for future Festival success, with the likes of Wichita Lineman, Bobs Worth, Penhill, Minella Indo and Monkfish all going on to land races at subsequent Cheltenham Festivals.
Perhaps with the race’s tough nature it is no surprise that the most successful jockey in its history is the legendary AP McCoy, who landed three renewals in his time in the saddle. McCoy’s first victory came aboard Black Jack Ketchum in 2006, and he quickly added to that a year later with Wichita Lineman – a horse who would go on to provide McCoy with one of his most famous moments in the saddle. McCoy’s final victory in the Albert Bartlett came in 2013 when partnering race favourite At Fishers Cross.
Willie Mullins has dominated in the race lately, winning three renewals since 2017 to make him the most successful trainer in the history of the race. His first victory came with Penhill in 2017, before Monkfish landed the 2020 renewal and he found glory again in 2022 with The Nice Guy.
Interestingly, the first two of Mullins’ winners went on to land Grade 1s at the subsequent year’s Festival, with Penhill going on to land the 2018 Stayers’ Hurdle and Monkfish landing the 2021 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. With the vast majority of Albert Bartlett winners going on to embark on chasing careers, Penhill remains the only horse to complete the Albert Bartlett – Stayers’ Hurdle double, though both Bobs Worth and Minella Indo would go on to win the Gold Cup two years after their respective Albert Bartlett successes.
Winners since 2005
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Moulin Riche | Robert Thornton | Francois Doumen | 9/1 | |
| 2006 | Black Jack Ketchum | AP McCoy | Jonjo O’Neill | EvsF | |
| 2007 | Wichita Lineman | AP McCoy | Jonjo O’Neill | 11/8F | |
| 2008 | Nenuphar Collonges | Robert Thornton | Alan King | 9/1 | |
| 2009 | Weapon’s Amnesty | Davy Russell | Charles Byrnes | 8/1 | |
| 2010 | Berties Dream | Andrew Lynch | Paul John Gilligan | 33/1 | |
| 2011 | Bobs Worth | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson | 15/8F | |
| 2012 | Brindisi Breeze | Campbell Gillies | Lucinda Russell | 7/1 | |
| 2013 | At Fishers Cross | AP McCoy | Rebecca Curtis | 11/8F | |
| 2014 | Very Wood | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade | 33/1 | |
| 2015 | Martello Tower | Adrian Heskin | Margaret Mullins | 14/1 | |
| 2016 | Unowhatimeanharry | Noel Fehily | Harry Fry | 11/1 | |
| 2017 | Penhill | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 16/1 | |
| 2018 | Kilbricken Storm | Harry Cobden | Colin Tizzard | 33/1 | |
| 2019 | Minella Indo | Rachael Blackmore | Henry De Bromhead | 50/1 | |
| 2020 | Monkfish | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 5/1 | |
| 2021 | Vanillier | Mark Walsh | Gavin Cromwell | 14/1 | |
| 2022 | The Nice Guy | Sean O’Keeffe | Willie Mullins | 18/1 | |
| 2023 | Stay Away Fay | Harry Cobden | Paul Nicholls | 18/1 | |
| 2024 | Stellar Story | Sam Ewing | Gordon Elliott | 33/1 | |
| 2025 | Jasmin De Vaux | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 6/1 |
Cheltenham Festival Racing Schedule