Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle 2026 Trends and Free Bets For The Cheltenham Festival

By Mark Fordham

Mar 4th, 2026 11:17 AM EST

Used 34 Times Today

Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose!
Promo Code: BOOKIES

Bonus Code

BOOKIES

Visit Site

Must be 21+ to participate (18+ in KY). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, IL, IA, KY, KS, LA, MD, MO, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ). Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). CALL 1-877-770-STOP (LA). Must be present in LA (select parishes). Licensee partner Amelia Belle Casino. Minimum $10 deposit required. Minimum odds -500 or greater. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.

Trends are often the best way to narrow down the field in Cheltenham's tricky handicaps, so we've looked at the most important trends for the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle over the last 10 years for you, and used them to find the best horses to follow right now for the 2026 running of the race to help you use your Cheltenham free bets at the best horse racing betting sites.

2026 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle Trends

The last 10 winners:

• Carried at least 11st 1lb to victory
• Were rated between 135-145
• Had not won more than two handicap hurdles
• Had finished first or second in at least one of their last three runs
• Were aged no older than 7 and generally 5 or 6

Nine of the last 10 winners:

• Had not run more than eight times over hurdles (exception Indefatigable had run 11 times)
• Had won 1-3 times over hurdles (Wodhooh)
• Last ran between 20-81 days ago (Wodhooh)
• Had won or been placed in a hurdle race run over 2m4f or further (Galopin Des Champs had not run over further than 2m2f)

Used 25 Times Today

Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose

Visit Site

Must be 21+ to participate (18+ in KY). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, IL, IA, KY, KS, LA, MD, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ). Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). CALL 1-877-770-STOP (LA). Must be present in LA (select parishes). Licensee partner Amelia Belle Casino. Deposit required. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bets wager excluded from returns. New Customer only. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.

Key Trials in the Last 10 Years

Winners of this Cheltenham handicap hurdle come from all sorts of places, but the recent trend has been for the race to go to a decent novice, just short of Grade 1 class.

One particular novices' hurdle at Navan in January has produced the winner of this race twice in recent years. Better Days Ahead was second in it in 2024 before going on to win, while Banbridge landed the Navan contest in 2022 before going on to win the Martin Pipe a couple of months later. This year's running was won by Zeus Power, who appears bound for a Grade 1 if he's to run at the Festival at all this year.

Trainer Trends

• In the 17-year history of this contest, it’s a near 50-50 split between trainers based in Ireland and Britain, although seven of the last nine have gone to Ireland.
• Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have each won the race four times, more than any other trainer. Paul Nicholls and Joseph O'Brien having won it twice.
• Nicky Henderson has thrown a lot of darts at this race without success since winning the first running of the contest in 2009. He saddled the 8th, 12th and 15th last season.

Used 19 Times Today

Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose

Bonus Code

BOOKIES

Visit Site

Must be 21+ to participate (18+ in KY). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, IL, IA, KY, KS, LA, MD, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ). Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). CALL 1-877-770-STOP (LA). Must be present in LA (select parishes). Licensee partner Amelia Belle Casino. Deposit required. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bets wager excluded from returns. New Customer only. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.

Jockey Trends

Because the race is for conditional riders, it is unlikely that any pilot will win it more than once. The last 10 winners were ridden by jockeys that had never previously ridden a Cheltenham Festival winner.

How Did the Trends do Last Year?

Minella Sixo was an outsider that fit every meaningful trend for this race. Ultimately, the 22/1 shot was a well-beaten 18th in last year's contest.

Wodhooh was fairly easy to find in the market, but less so with trends. She had three months off before winning last year's Martin Pipe and had won well more than the usual 1-3 hurdles races that winners of this generally have. That said, she was rated within the preferred band and had the right racing weight.

2026 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle Result

Who Fits The Trends Best In 2026?

Like all Cheltenham Festival handicaps, this is tricky to predict with no obvious trials to look out for and with so many of the entries being in multiple races. Looking at the trends that were met by 10 and nine of the last 10 winners, there's something of a shortlist.

Air of Entitlement, Timeless Treaty, Zillow, Grimaud and Frankie John are that shortlist. East India Express was very close to making the list too, but can probably be ignored given Nicky Henderson's poor record in the race.

The two to focus on may be Timeless Treaty and Grimaud. Both are trained by Gordon Elliott, who's aiming for a fifth win in the race. Jockey bookings will go a long way to telling us which of the two is more fancied, but both are available at a decent price for each way punters.

Used 34 Times Today

Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose

Visit Site

Must be 21+ to participate (18+ in KY). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, IL, IA, KY, KS, LA, MD, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ). Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). CALL 1-877-770-STOP (LA). Must be present in LA (select parishes). Licensee partner Amelia Belle Casino. Deposit required. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bets wager excluded from returns. New Customer only. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.

Cheltenham Festival 2026 Trends

Cheltenham Festival Day One Trends

• Supreme Novices' Hurdle Trends
• Arkle Novices' Hurdle Trends
• Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Trends
• Ultima Handicap Chase Trends
• Cheltenham Champion Hurdle Trends
• Cheltenham Festival Plate Handicap Trends
• National Hunt Novices' Chase Trends

Cheltenham Festival Day Two Trends

• Turners Novices' Hurdle Trends
• Brown Advisory Novices' Chase Trends
• Coral Cup Trends
• Cheltenham Cross Country Chase Trends
• Cheltenham Champion Chase Trends
• Grand Annual Chase Trends
• Cheltenham Champion Bumper Trends

Cheltenham Festival Day Three Trends

• Cheltenham Mares' Novices' Hurdle Trends
• Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase
• Cheltenham Mares' Hurdle Trends
• Stayers' Hurdle Trends
• Ryanair Chase Trends
• Pertemps Final Trends
• Kim Muir Handicap Chase Trends

Cheltenham Festival Day Four Trends

• Triumph Hurdle Trends
• County Hurdle Trends
• Mares' Chase Trends
• Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Trends
• Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends
• Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase Trends
• Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle Trends

Used 32 Times Today

Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose

Bonus Code

BOOKIES

Visit Site

Must be 21+ to participate (18+ in KY). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, IL, IA, KY, KS, LA, MD, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ). Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). CALL 1-877-770-STOP (LA). Must be present in LA (select parishes). Licensee partner Amelia Belle Casino. Deposit required. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bets wager excluded from returns. New Customer only. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.

About the Author

Mark Fordham

More About Mark

Mark spent over a decade as a sports reporter and editor with Goal.com and Bleacher Report. He is now a Content Editor at Bookies.com covering all manner of sports from the Premier League and cricket to the NBA and NFL, and is our resident EPL tipster. Mark also has years of experience working with all things online casino, and knows a good one from a bad one.

Comments

Sign In | Sign Up

Post

View more