Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase

Horses must be five years old or older to compete in the Grade 2 Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase steeplechase.

The Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase is a Grade 2 race for five-year-olds and upwards over three miles at Ascot in February.

It is an important trial for the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Notable past winners include Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Little Owl (1980) and Mr Mulligan (1996), and Grand National winner Royal Athlete (1990).

The race is one of the popular races to take place in February 2026.

Find out more about the Reynoldstown Novices Chase:

Race Overview – Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase

There are twenty fences to jump during the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase, which is run at Ascot over a distance of around 3 miles (2 miles, 7 furlongs, and 180 yards, or 4,790 metres).

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Famous Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase Winners

The Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase is named in honour of the 1935 and 1936 Aintree Grand National winner Reynoldstown. He was trained by Noel Furlong and famously defied 12th 2 lbs when ridden by future Champion trainer Fulke Walwyn on the second occasion. The race was first run in 1971, with victory going to Orient War, appropriately trained by Walwyn himself.

Other famous names on the early roll of honour include Brown Lad (1975) and Lanzarote (1977). In 1980, the race was won by Little Owl, trained by Peter Easterby. He would go on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Amateur rider Jim Wilson in the saddle.

1990 winner Royal Athlete was trained by Jenny Pitman and ridden by her son Mark. He was a high-class horse who had won the Long Walk Hurdle in 1989, but he proved slightly disappointing over fences until winning the Aintree Grand National in 1995. His Trainer revealed that she had tried to persuade the owners to skip Aintree in favour of the Scottish Grand National two weeks later.

1994 winner One Man was a very popular front-running grey trained by Gordon Richards. He achieved his biggest successes in the King George, winning back-to-back in 1995 and 1996. He did not quite have the stamina for the Cheltenham Gold Cup but made a sensational return to two miles to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 1998. Mr Mulligan (1996) won the 1997 Gold Cup, while O’Faolain’s Boy (2014) was the last horse to go on and win the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase after taking the Reynoldstown.

Key Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase Trials

There are no obvious trials for the Reynoldstown, and only two of the last twelve winners had ever raced at Ascot. Six of the twelve ran in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham, but only O’Faolain’s Boy (2014) managed to win. Two ran in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham, but both were well beaten.

Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase Betting Trends

Only two favourites have obliged in this race in the past twelve seasons; Rocky Creek at 8-13 (2013) and Black Corton at 10-11 (2018), both trained by Paul Nicholls. However, with no more than six runners lining up since 2012, only two recent winners were outside the front three in the betting. O’Faolain’s Boy (2014) and Bigbadjohn (2017) both returned at 8-1. Seven-year-olds have the best recent record with five winners in the past eleven seasons.

Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Nicky Henderson has won this race four times; Bacchanal (2001), Burton Port (2010), Master of the Hall (2011) and Vyta Du Roc (2016). Paul Nicholls has trained the winner on three occasions, while the Tizzard stable has won this race three times in the last five seasons. Barry Geraghty and Ruby Walsh each rode the winner three times, but the last twelve renewals have each been won by different riders.

Betting on the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase

The Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase does not have a great recent record as a Cheltenham trial, and the form should be treated with caution. Favourites have a modest record despite the small fields, so it is probably a race to watch rather than invest in too heavily.

Facts about the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase

• The Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase is a National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain open to horses aged five years or older.
• It is run at Ascot over a distance of about 3 miles, and during the race, there are 20 fences to jump.
• The Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase was first run in 1971.

Summary of the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase

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