The Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase was run over about 2 miles 4 furlongs on the Wednesday of the Festival. It provided a handicap option for novice chasers. The race appears to have been replaced or restructured after 2020, so this data covers 16 editions from 2005 to 2020. A Plus Tard won this in 2019 before going on to win the Gold Cup.
Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey | Age | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Imperial Aura | K C Bailey | David Bass | 7 | 4/1 |
| 2019 | A Plus Tard | Henry de Bromhead | R Blackmore | 5 | 5/1 |
| 2018 | Mister Whitaker | M R Channon | B Hughes | 6 | 15/2 |
| 2017 | Tully East | A Fleming | D F O’Regan | 7 | 8/1 |
| 2016 | Ballyalton | Ian Williams | B Hughes | 9 | 12/1 |
| 2015 | Irish Cavalier | Rebecca Curtis | P Townend | 6 | 11/1 |
| 2014 | Present View | Jamie Snowden | B Powell | 6 | 8/1 |
| 2013 | Rajdhani Express | N Henderson | Mr S Waley-Cohen | 6 | 16/1 |
| 2012 | Hunt Ball | Keiran Burke | N Scholfield | 7 | 15/2 |
| 2011 | Divers | Ferdy Murphy | G Lee | 7 | 10/1 |
Key Trends
Age profile: Seven-year-olds have won 8 of 16 renewals, exactly half. Six-year-olds have 4 wins, five-year-olds 2. A single eight-year-old and nine-year-old complete the picture. The seven-year-old profile fits a novice chaser with a bit of experience.
Favourite record: The favourite has won 4 of 16 (25%), with 6 placings from 18 total favourite runners. The average favourite SP of about 6/1 reflects the competitive nature.
Trainers: No single trainer dominates. Ferdy Murphy had 2 wins from 6 runners back in the earlier years. Henderson had 1 from 28 — a poor return. Nicholls managed 1 from 20.
Going: Good to Soft is the most common ground (8 editions), followed by Soft (4) and Good (4). Winners have come on all types.
What the Data Says
This was a race where the smaller yards could compete. Kim Bailey, Jamie Snowden, Keiran Burke, Mick Channon and Ian Williams all trained winners — names you don’t normally associate with Festival success.
The average winning SP of about 10/1 and an average winning OR of 138 suggest these were decent novice handicap chasers without needing to be top-class. Henderson’s 1 win from 28 runners highlights how the handicap format can level things out.
A Plus Tard winning this in 2019 before going on to Gold Cup glory shows the race can occasionally unearth a future star, but that was more the exception. Most winners competed at a solid rather than spectacular level afterwards.
Note: this race doesn’t appear in the 2021-2025 data, suggesting it has been restructured or replaced in the Festival programme.
All Cheltenham Festival races are run at Cheltenham racecourse. See our Cheltenham course guide for trainer and jockey statistics, going analysis, and betting angles.