Run over a distance of roughly three miles, the Albert Bartlett is a war of attrition for staying novice hurdlers at the Cheltenham Festival and the Grade 1 event has been going since just 2005. It was one of several new contests added to the Festival rota when a fourth day was added to the meeting.
The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle: 5 Famous Cheltenham Festival Winners
Tony McCoy is the leading jockey in the race with three wins to his name, while Willie Mullins is the leading trainer with three wins on the board also. Below, we take a look at the five most famous winners of the event.
Albert Bartlett Winners: Wichita Lineman
Tony McCoy had a fantastic relationship with the Jonjo O’Neill-trained and JP McManus-owned Wichita Lineman, who won nine of his 18 races. Sent off favourite for the Albert Bartlett in 2007 off the back of winning the Grade 1 Challow at Newbury and a Grade 2 at Cheltenham in January, he won in a canter. Probably his finest hour was when McCoy gave him the best ride ever seen to win the William Hill Trophy at the Festival in 2009. Sadly, he suffered a fatal fall in the Irish Grand National soon after.
Albert Bartlett Winners: Bobs Worth
Unbeaten in four starts over hurdles in his novice season, Nicky Henderson’s Bobs Worth beat Rock On Ruby in this contest in 2011 when sent off at odds of 7/2. The following season he went on to win the RSA Chase and in 2013 he landed the greatest prize of all, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, making him the first horse since Flyingbolt in the 1960s to win three different Cheltenham Festival races at consecutive meetings. He was the horse of a lifetime.
Albert Bartlett Winners: At Fishers Cross
Another McManus runner enters the top five and that’s At Fishers Cross, who won all six starts over hurdles in his novice season. The winning streak started in an average novices’ hurdle at Ffos Las but he rose through the ranks rapidly and won this contest in 2013 under Tony McCoy for trainer Rebecca Curtis, before going on to win a Grade 1 at Aintree too. He was never the same horse after that incredible season, failing to win any of his 15 subsequent outings.
Albert Bartlett Winners: Penhill
A five-time winner on the Flat, Penhill was a fantastic servant to connections and blossomed for Willie Mullins over hurdles, landing this event in 2017 under Paul Townend when seeing off the attentions of Monalee. A year later, he went on to win the Stayers’ Hurdle and although he never won again after that, he was a classy horse and gave Tony Bloom some fond memories.
Albert Bartlett Winners: Minella Indo
One of the greatest winners of the race is Henry de Bromhead’s Minella Indo, who was guided to victory under Rachael Blackmore at huge odds of 50/1 in 2019. That was just his fourth career start and he followed up at Punchestown two months later. Beaten a length in the RSA Chase the following year, he went on to land the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2021 under Jack Kennedy.
By Alex Jack
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