Sefton Novices’ Hurdle

Sefton Novices’ Hurdle Overview

The Sefton Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 hurdle race for novice hurdlers run over a distance of 3 miles and 149 yards. There are thirteen hurdles to be jumped during the race, which is run on the second day of the three-day Grand National meeting in early April. The winner is likely to receive a winners purse of around £56,000.

The race regularly features horses that ran in either the Turners Novices’ Hurdle over 2M 5F or the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle over 3M at Cheltenham the previous month, although it usually pays to look out for the fresher horses who missed Cheltenham especially this season with only 2 ½ weeks between the two Festivals.

Sefton Novices’ Hurdle Betting Trends and Statistics

• Experience is often valuable, with 20 of the winners this century having won at least twice over hurdles.
• The winning most age is six or seven, with 18 of the past 19 winners being of that age.
• Despite many coming on from Cheltenham, it appears to pay to have missed the meeting as 14 of the 24 winners this century came here fresh although 7 of the last 18 winners had taken part in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
• Nicky Henderson has a decent record in the race, having won 3 of the past 10 renewals with Beat That, Santini and Champ.
• Lucinda Russell has a good recent record, having plundered the race twice in the last four years with Ahoy Senor and Apple Away, and anything she saddles is worth noting.

Sefton Novices’ Hurdle History

The race was first run in 1988 when it was called the White Satin Novices’ Hurdle and took its current race title five years later when acquiring Grade 1 status, having previously been a Grade 2. The race is named after Sefton, a seaside village near Liverpool. In recent years, the race has often involved horses that have previously competed in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. The most recent horse to prevail victorious in both of those races was Fishers Cross in 2013.