The Formby Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt race for novice hurdlers staged at Aintree on Boxing Day.
The race was formerly the Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle, which was traditionally run at Sandown in January. It moved to Aintree as part of changes to the British jumps programme from the 2023/24 season and was renamed the Formby Novices’ Hurdle.
That change altered the course, date and position of the race within the season, but its role remains familiar. It provides promising novice hurdlers with an opportunity to compete at Grade 1 level before the major spring festivals.
The race has a distinguished history. Desert Orchid, Forest Sun, French Holly, Noland, Yorkhill and Constitution Hill are among the horses to have won the old Tolworth, while Jango Baie became the first winner after its move to Aintree.
Formby Novices’ Hurdle Race Overview
The Formby Novices’ Hurdle is one of Britain’s relatively small number of Grade 1 jump races.
It is staged at Aintree Racecourse in December and is run over approximately two miles and a furlong on the hurdle course.
The race is open to novice hurdlers and gives inexperienced but potentially high-class horses an important opportunity to compete at the top level during the first half of the National Hunt season.
The current race is open to horses aged three and older.
Aintree’s hurdle course provides a different test from the old Sandown version. That means historic Tolworth statistics should not simply be carried forward and presented as modern Formby trends.
The history remains relevant. The course-specific evidence does not.
Why Did the Tolworth Hurdle Become the Formby Novices’ Hurdle?
The Tolworth was traditionally staged at Sandown in January.
Changes to the British jumps Pattern programme resulted in the Grade 1 novice hurdle moving to Aintree’s new Boxing Day fixture from the 2023/24 season.
The race was renamed the Formby Novices’ Hurdle.
The move was designed as part of a wider restructuring of the jumps programme, with Pattern races repositioned to improve the spacing and competitiveness of major contests during the season.
It is therefore better to view the Formby as the continuation of the Tolworth rather than an entirely unrelated new race.
That distinction matters when assessing its history.
The winners from Sandown remain part of the race’s lineage, but old Sandown-specific statistics cannot automatically be applied to the current contest at Aintree.
When Is the Formby Novices’ Hurdle?
The Formby Novices’ Hurdle is scheduled for Boxing Day, 26 December.
Its move to Boxing Day represented a significant change from the Tolworth’s traditional January position at Sandown.
The earlier date places the race firmly within the busy Christmas racing programme and provides a mid-season Grade 1 target for novice hurdlers before connections turn their attention to the spring.
Formby Novices’ Hurdle 2026
The 2026 Formby Novices’ Hurdle is scheduled to take place at Aintree on Saturday 26 December 2026.
It forms part of Aintree’s Boxing Day fixture.
Final race conditions, distance, declarations and race times should be checked when the meeting approaches because fixture details can be amended.
Our Boxing Day racing guide covers the wider programme of racing staged across Britain on 26 December.
Formby Novices’ Hurdle Course and Distance
The modern Formby is run on Aintree’s hurdle course over approximately two miles and a furlong.
Aintree is best known for the Grand National fences, but the Formby is not run over the National course. It takes place on Aintree’s conventional circuit.
That distinction matters when analysing the race.
The unique fences associated with the Grand National have no relevance to the Formby. This is a hurdle race in which speed, jumping efficiency, positioning and the ability to maintain a strong gallop are much more important.
The move from Sandown also means historic course trends require care.
Sandown presents its own gradients and demands. Aintree provides a different racing environment, so a horse fitting an old Tolworth statistical profile is not necessarily ideally suited to the Formby.
History of the Tolworth and Formby Novices’ Hurdle
The race’s history dates to 1976, when the Tolworth was first staged at Sandown.
Grand Canyon won the inaugural running.
The race developed into an important contest for emerging novice hurdlers and eventually established a reputation for producing horses capable of succeeding at the Cheltenham Festival and in top-class open company.
The Tolworth also had several sponsorship identities during its Sandown years, including a period associated with 32Red.
Those commercial titles form part of the race’s history rather than its current identity.
The most important change came in 2023.
The race left Sandown, moved from January to Boxing Day and became the Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
Jango Baie won the first Aintree running for Nicky Henderson and James Bowen.
That victory also strengthened Henderson’s exceptional record in the race across its two identities.
Famous Tolworth and Formby Winners
The race has produced a remarkable collection of horses considering it is confined to novice hurdlers.
Desert Orchid
Desert Orchid won the Tolworth in 1984 before developing into one of the most popular National Hunt horses in British racing history.
His later achievements included the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup, four victories in the King George VI Chase and success in the Irish Grand National.
His presence on the winners’ list demonstrates how far a high-class novice hurdler can progress beyond the race itself.
Forest Sun
Forest Sun won the Tolworth before going on to Cheltenham Festival success in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
That established a route which later winners would follow.
The link with the Supreme remains relevant to the modern Formby because both races test high-class novice hurdlers around the minimum-distance division.
French Holly
French Holly won the race in 1998 before proving his quality over longer distances.
He subsequently won the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and later defeated established hurdlers in the Christmas Hurdle.
His career is a useful reminder that the Formby does not exclusively identify future two-mile specialists.
Novice hurdlers can still be developing their optimum distance.
Noland
Noland won the Tolworth in 2006 before winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle later that season.
His progression reinforced the race’s status as a genuine Grade 1 test rather than simply a prestigious winter novice contest.
Yorkhill
Willie Mullins won the race with Yorkhill in 2016.
Yorkhill subsequently stepped up in distance to win at the Cheltenham Festival, illustrating again that a strong Tolworth or Formby performance does not automatically dictate a horse’s eventual Festival target.
Our Willie Mullins profile covers the career of one of the most successful National Hunt trainers of the modern era.
Constitution Hill
Constitution Hill produced one of the race’s defining modern performances when winning the Tolworth at Sandown in 2022.
He progressed to the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and won decisively before developing into an outstanding open hurdler.
Later victories in races including the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and Christmas Hurdle confirmed that his Tolworth success had provided an early indication of exceptional ability.
Constitution Hill is also a good example of why raw winning margins should be considered alongside the quality and manner of a performance. His jumping, cruising speed and ability to sustain his effort were already marking him out as unusual during his novice campaign.
Jango Baie
Jango Baie won the first Formby Novices’ Hurdle staged at Aintree in 2023.
Trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by James Bowen, he defeated Favour And Fortune after a sustained finish.
His victory provides an important dividing point in the history of the race.
Everything before 2023 belongs to the Sandown Tolworth era. From the 2023 renewal onwards, course-specific analysis should concentrate on Aintree.
Recent Formby and Tolworth Winners
| Year | Winner | Race Identity | Racecourse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Idaho Sun | Formby Novices’ Hurdle | Aintree |
| 2024 | Potters Charm | Formby Novices’ Hurdle | Aintree |
| 2023 | Jango Baie | Formby Novices’ Hurdle | Aintree |
| 2023 | Tahmuras | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
| 2022 | Constitution Hill | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
| 2021 | Metier | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
| 2020 | Fiddlerontheroof | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
| 2019 | Elixir De Nutz | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
| 2018 | Summerville Boy | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
| 2017 | Finian’s Oscar | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
| 2016 | Yorkhill | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
| 2015 | L’Ami Serge | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
| 2014 | Royal Boy | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Kempton |
| 2013 | Melodic Rendezvous | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle | Sandown |
The table deliberately identifies the course as well as the winner.
Treating all these renewals as though they were staged under identical conditions would produce misleading trends.
What Makes a Formby Novices’ Hurdle Winner?
The Formby sits at an interesting point in a novice hurdler’s development.
Runners can already possess considerable ability while still having relatively little experience over hurdles.
That makes the race partly a test of proven form and partly a judgement about future improvement.
Several factors deserve particular attention.
Previous Hurdle Form
A runner needs enough ability to compete at Grade 1 level, but novice hurdle form can develop rapidly.
One impressive victory in ordinary company does not automatically establish Grade 1 quality.
Look at what the horse actually achieved.
Consider the strength of opposition, race time, jumping, how the race developed and what the horses behind subsequently achieved.
Our guide to novice races in horse racing explains why experience and previous wins need to be interpreted carefully in this type of race.
Jumping
Efficient jumping matters in every hurdle race, but it becomes particularly important when inexperienced horses meet stronger opposition.
A novice can get away with losing ground at hurdles against inferior rivals.
Grade 1 opposition is less forgiving.
Watch whether a horse:
- Meets hurdles in stride.
- Loses momentum on landing.
- Jumps consistently under pressure.
- Drifts left or right.
- Makes repeated small errors.
- Improves as a race develops.
One mistake does not necessarily make a horse a poor jumper. Repeated inefficiency is more significant.
Pace
A strongly run race can expose a novice that has looked impressive in steadily run contests.
Conversely, a tactical race can place greater emphasis on acceleration and positioning.
Understanding the likely pace is therefore important.
Our horse racing pace bias guide explains how the distribution of early speed can change the way a race develops.
Ground
Winter ground can have a major effect on novice hurdle form.
A horse with plenty of speed may look exceptional on good ground but struggle to reproduce the same performance in testing conditions.
Others improve when stamina becomes more important.
Previous going form should still be assessed in context. A horse winning on soft ground does not prove that soft is its optimum surface if it simply held a major class advantage over its rivals.
Distance
The Formby sits around the minimum-distance novice hurdle division, but some of its strongest historic winners eventually excelled over further.
That makes stamina and future distance particularly interesting.
A horse staying on strongly through the finish may be effective in the Formby while ultimately proving better suited to an intermediate trip.
French Holly and Yorkhill are notable historic examples of horses whose subsequent Festival success came over further.
Formby Novices’ Hurdle and the Cheltenham Festival
The race has an established connection with the Cheltenham Festival.
The most obvious target for a high-class winner is the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, but it should never be assumed automatically.
The horse’s running style, stamina, jumping and the strength of other novice divisions can influence the eventual Festival target.
Noland, Summerville Boy and Constitution Hill are among the Tolworth winners who subsequently won the Supreme.
French Holly and Yorkhill succeeded over further at Cheltenham.
That history makes the race useful when assessing the novice hurdle divisions, but the change to Aintree means modern Formby evidence should gradually be allowed to establish its own patterns.
Historic Tolworth Trials
Several races were historically associated with the Tolworth during its Sandown era.
The Kennel Gate Novices’ Hurdle at Ascot produced horses that subsequently won the Tolworth, including Monsignor and L’Ami Serge.
The Sharp Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham also featured horses that later contested the race.
These historical routes remain useful when studying past winners, but the National Hunt programme has changed substantially.
They should not be presented as fixed modern Formby trials.
A better approach is to assess the quality of a runner’s current-season novice form regardless of whether it arrived through a race that historically fed into the Tolworth.
Formby Novices’ Hurdle Betting
The Formby can be a difficult betting race because reputation and proven ability are not always the same thing.
Lightly raced novice hurdlers can improve dramatically between starts.
That creates several common problems.
An impressive winner can be overbet after defeating weak opposition.
A horse with stronger form can be underestimated because its victories looked less spectacular.
Another runner may possess the most ability but still lack the jumping experience required for a Grade 1.
Start by assessing the horses rather than the prices.
Then compare your view with the market.
Important factors include:
- Strength of previous hurdle form.
- Jumping efficiency.
- Likely pace.
- Ground.
- Distance suitability.
- Grade 1 experience.
- Scope for improvement.
- Quality of opposition already faced.
- Price.
The most likely winner and the best bet are not automatically the same horse.
Should You Use Historic Tolworth Betting Trends?
Historic Tolworth statistics require much more caution than they once did.
The race has changed venue and date.
That creates a clear break between the Sandown and Aintree eras.
Statistics covering the age of winners or successful trainers can still provide historical context, but course-specific patterns from Sandown should not be presented as predictive Aintree trends.
The modern Formby needs time to develop a meaningful evidence base of its own.
This is particularly important when looking at:
- Course experience.
- Previous-race routes.
- Pace.
- Ground.
- Trainer targeting.
- Time between races.
A statistic based predominantly on a different racecourse should never outweigh the evidence presented by the current field.
Leading Formby and Tolworth Trainers
Nicky Henderson has an exceptional record in the history of the race.
His Tolworth winners include New York Rainbow, Minella Class, Captain Conan, Royal Boy, L’Ami Serge and Constitution Hill.
He then trained Jango Baie to win the first Aintree running under the Formby title in 2023.
Paul Nicholls has also enjoyed considerable Tolworth success, including victories with Thisthatandtother, Noland, Silverburn and Breedsbreeze.
Trainer records can be useful, particularly when a stable has repeatedly targeted a specific Grade 1 novice race.
They should not replace assessment of the individual horse.
A trainer’s previous success cannot compensate for weak form, unsuitable conditions or poor jumping.
Leading Tolworth Jockeys
Norman Williamson, Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty each won the historic Tolworth three times.
Their records belong primarily to the Sandown era and provide useful historical context rather than a modern Aintree betting angle.
As more Formby renewals are staged at Aintree, a separate body of jockey and trainer evidence will develop around the current race.
Formby Novices’ Hurdle Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current name | Formby Novices’ Hurdle |
| Former name | Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle / Tolworth Hurdle |
| Racecourse | Aintree |
| Former racecourse | Sandown |
| Discipline | National Hunt hurdle |
| Grade | Grade 1 |
| Eligibility | Novice hurdlers aged three and older |
| Current time of year | Boxing Day |
| Distance | Approximately 2m1f |
| First Tolworth running | 1976 |
| First Aintree Formby | 2023 |
| First Formby winner | Jango Baie |
| 2024 winner | Potters Charm |
| 2025 winner | Idaho Sun |
Formby Novices’ Hurdle FAQs
Is the Tolworth Hurdle still run?
The historic Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle moved from Sandown to Aintree from the 2023/24 National Hunt season and is now run as the Formby Novices’ Hurdle. It remains part of the same Grade 1 race lineage.
Why was the Tolworth Hurdle renamed?
The race was renamed when it moved from Sandown to Aintree as part of changes to the British jumps programme. It is now the Formby Novices’ Hurdle.
Where is the Formby Novices’ Hurdle run?
The race is run at Aintree Racecourse in Merseyside.
When is the Formby Novices’ Hurdle?
The race is staged on Boxing Day, 26 December.
When is the 2026 Formby Novices’ Hurdle?
The 2026 race is scheduled for Saturday 26 December at Aintree.
Is the Formby Novices’ Hurdle a Grade 1?
Yes. The Formby Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race for novice hurdlers.
How far is the Formby Novices’ Hurdle?
The modern Aintree race is run over approximately two miles and a furlong. Exact race conditions should be checked for the individual renewal.
Who won the first Formby Novices’ Hurdle?
Jango Baie won the first running under the Formby name at Aintree in 2023 for trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey James Bowen.
Who won the Formby Novices’ Hurdle in 2024?
Potters Charm won the 2024 renewal.
Who won the Formby Novices’ Hurdle in 2025?
Idaho Sun won the 2025 Formby Novices’ Hurdle.
Did Constitution Hill win the Tolworth Hurdle?
Yes. Constitution Hill won the Tolworth at Sandown in 2022 before winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and developing into a leading Champion Hurdle performer.
Did Desert Orchid win the Tolworth Hurdle?
Yes. Desert Orchid won the race in 1984 during his novice hurdle career before becoming one of Britain’s most famous steeplechasers.
Is the Formby Novices’ Hurdle a Cheltenham Festival trial?
It can be an important indicator for the Cheltenham Festival novice hurdle races. Historic Tolworth winners including Noland, Summerville Boy and Constitution Hill subsequently won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, while French Holly and Yorkhill went on to Festival success over further.
Is the Formby run over the Grand National fences?
No. The Formby Novices’ Hurdle is staged on Aintree’s conventional hurdle course and does not use the Grand National fences.
Formby Novices’ Hurdle Summary
The Formby Novices’ Hurdle is the modern identity of one of Britain’s established Grade 1 novice hurdles.
For most of its history it was known as the Tolworth and staged at Sandown in January. The race moved to Aintree and Boxing Day from the 2023/24 season, becoming the Formby Novices’ Hurdle.
Its history includes Desert Orchid, Forest Sun, French Holly, Noland, Yorkhill and Constitution Hill, while Jango Baie, Potters Charm and Idaho Sun have begun the Aintree chapter.
The move means old Tolworth statistics need to be handled carefully. Historic winners remain highly relevant, but modern Formby analysis should increasingly be based on the demands of Aintree rather than Sandown.
For bettors, the strongest approach is to assess previous novice form, jumping, pace, ground, distance and scope for improvement before comparing that assessment with the available odds.
