The Mildmay Novices’ Chase was first run in 1981 with victory going to Michael Dickinson’s Bregawn. He would go on to win the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup in which his trainer saddled the first five horses to finish. Bregawn was followed home by Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House.
The standard was maintained the following year when it was won by Burrough Hill Lad. He would also claim chasing’s blue riband event when landing the Gold Cup for Jenny Pitman in 1984.
It was not until 2017 when Native River obliged that the Mildmay would produce another Gold Cup winner. He won this race as a six-year-old for Colin Tizzard and Richard Johnson and won the Cheltenham showpiece in 2018.
The Mildmay has also produced two subsequent Aintree Grand National winners in Rhyme ‘n’ Reason (1985) and Royal Athlete (1990).
Rhyme ‘n’ Reason was trained to win the 1988 Grand National by David Elsworth with Jenny Pitman’s Royal Athlete winning the Aintree marathon in 1995.
The impressive roll of honour for this race also includes Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle winners Cyborgo (1997) and Big Buck’s (2008).
Paul Nicholls abandoned plans to send Big Buck’s chasing after he unseated his rider in the Coral Gold Cup. The decision to revert to hurdles paid off handsomely with four consecutive Stayers’ Hurdles, establishing the horse as the greatest staying hurdler in history. He also won the valuable Liverpool Hurdle every year from 2009 to 2012.
2017 Mildmay Novices’ Chase winner Might Bite won the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park later that year for Nicky Henderson. He then finished second to Native River in the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Key Mildmay Novices’ Chase Trials
The best form guide for the Mildmay Novices’ Chase over time has been the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (formerly RSA Chase) at Cheltenham. However, that race has produced two of the last eleven winners while the Turners Novices’ Chase (formerly Marsh Novices Chase) has been responsible for four.
This recent trend is interesting and supports the theory that trainers are shying away from the more testing three-miler at Cheltenham in favour of the shorter event.
Horses are more likely to run here after the less gruelling two and a half mile Turners.
Only one of the last eleven Mildmay winners has raced again the same season. That was Quita De La Roque (2011) who won the Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown in May but most recent winners were not seen again until November.
Five recent Mildmay Novices’ Chase winners returned to Aintree the following season to run in the Betway Bowl but only Might Bite (2018) was successful.
The last three winners of the Mildmay Novices’ Chase have all featured in the first three in the betting.
Silviniaco Conti (2012), Saphir Du Rheu (2015), Might Bite (2017), Terrefort (2018) and Chantry House (2021) all started favourite.
Might Bite (2017) was the shorted-priced winner at 8-13.
The last horse to win from outside the front three in the betting was Killyglen in 2009, trained by Howard Johnson and ridden by Dennis O’Regan.
Horses aged six and seven won every renewal between 2009 and 2016.
Might Bite (2017) broke the sequence when successful as an eight-year-old with five-year-old Terrefort winning the following year.
The oldest winner in the history of this race was eleven-year-old Like-A-Butterfly in 2005, trained by Christy Roche and ridden by Tony McCoy.
Most recent winners came here after running at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Horses with three or more previous races over fences fare better than less experienced rivals.
Most winners had won at least once in a Grade 1 or Grade 2 race and had an official rating of 152 or higher.
Native River (2016) was the lowest-rated winner in recent years on 149 while the highest-rated was Saphir Du Rheu (2015) on 163.
Mildmay Novices’ Chase – Top Trainers and Jockeys
Nicky Henderson is the trainer to note in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase. Chantry House provided Henderson with a record sixth winner in the race in 2021. His previous winners were Sparkling Flame (1991), Irish Hussar (2003), Burton Port (2010), Might Bite (2017) and Terrefort (2018).
Paul Nicholls has won this race four times; Star de Mohaison (2006), Big Buck’s (2008), Silviniaco Conti (2012) and Saphir Du Rheu (2015).
The last Irish-trained winner was Quito De La Roque in 2011, one of only three in the history of the event.
Richard Dunwoody won this race four times, his last victory coming aboard Cyborgo for Martin Pipe in 1997.
Betting on the Mildmay Novices’ Chase
The Mildmay Novices’ Chase often produces a chaser to follow for the following season with the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a likely objective.
Recent trends suggest that the Turners Novices’ Chase and Brown Advisory Novices Chase will provide the best clues to the outcome. It is a race in which the market leaders dominate and shock results are rare.
£30 free bets when you register an account with Skybet.com or Sky Bet Betting App on the Aintree Grand National
NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY. 5P MINIMUM STAKE. 3 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS EXCLUDE VIRTUALS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. #AD 18+. BEGAMBLEAWARE.ORG
This Open account offer gives you £50 in free bets as a welcome bonus when when new customers deposit and bet £10 online.
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. #AD Registration required.
Join William Hill Racing today using promo code Z40 to take advantage of this promotional welcome bonus offer for new bettors.
18+ Play Safe. New customers only. Online and mobile only. From 14:00 08.04.22 until 17:15 09.04.22. Minimum £10 stake on The Randox Grand National Steeple Chase race racecard market only. Maximum £10 Free Bet credited to account on 10.04.22. Further terms apply. #AD
Get a whopping £60 in bonuses at Betfred as a welcome bonus offer when you stake £10 to bet on the Grand National using Promo Code BETFRED60.
New 18+ UK customers only. Register using the promo code WELCOME40, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets and £10 in Free Spins (50x20p) credited within 10 hours of bet settlement. Free Bet stakes are not included in any returns. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required. #AD Full T&Cs apply.
Newcomers can bet £5 to get £20 in free bets as a one time promotional offer on the Aintree Grand National.
18+ New UK+IRE customers. Paypal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. #AD
Coral are offering new customers a chance to claim £20 in free bets as a promotional offer, just in time for the Grand National event!
18+ New UK+IRE customers. PayPal and certain deposit and bet types excluded. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets valid for 7 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. #AD
888Sport are giving away £30 in free bet tokens to new customers as a special promotional offer for the Grand National.
New customers only – Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30F – A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market – Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) – Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days – Free bet stakes not included in returns – Deposit method and withdrawal restrictions apply. #AD
New customers get £40 in horse racing bonuses as a welcome offer when you deposit and bet £10 on the Grand National.
18+ New customers opt in, bet £5 at odds 2.00+, no cashout. Get £5 in Free Bets & a £1 Free Bet every weekend for the next 20 weeks, set events at odds 2.00+. Plus a £5 Slot Bonus, selected games, wager 20x to withdraw max £250. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Card payments only. Offer Valid until 10.04.2022. T&C’s apply. begambleaware.org | #AD Please gamble responsibly
Claim a £20 free bet on the Aintree Grand National horse race when you place £50 worth of bets at Betfair.
New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. #AD Please Gamble Responsibly
The Mildmay Novices’ Chase is 3 miles and 1 furlong long.
Are there hurdles in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase?
There are no hurdles in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase, there are fences and there are 19 to be jumped in total.
Summary of the Mildmay Novices’ Chase
Thank you for reading our Mildmay Novices’ Chase guide.
We have looked at past winners and the race history, the current betting, trends, tips and more. We hope you have found all the information you need whether placing a bet or simply enjoying the race.
Related 2023 Grand National Betting Articles
Here are all the related articles to the Randox Grand National 2023 and other big races at the Festival.
As the Co-Founder of British Racecourses, I love the chance to share my enjoyment of racing with others. As a family, we have always loved the racing and went to Haydock races as kids, as often as we could. We are now lucky enough to own some fantastic racehorses who we will follow around the tracks and we have had some great wins.
As part of British Racecourses, I enjoy visiting and reviewing the racecourses that we visit, all of which I think have something to offer and are brilliant in their own ways.
£30 free bets when you register an account with Skybet.com or Sky Bet Betting App on the Aintree Grand National
This Open account offer gives you £50 in free bets as a welcome bonus when when new customers deposit and bet £10 online.
Join William Hill Racing today using promo code Z40 to take advantage of this promotional welcome bonus offer for new bettors.
Get a whopping £60 in bonuses at Betfred as a welcome bonus offer when you stake £10 to bet on the Grand National using Promo Code BETFRED60.
Newcomers can bet £5 to get £20 in free bets as a one time promotional offer on the Aintree Grand National.
Coral are offering new customers a chance to claim £20 in free bets as a promotional offer, just in time for the Grand National event!
888Sport are giving away £30 in free bet tokens to new customers as a special promotional offer for the Grand National.
New customers get £40 in horse racing bonuses as a welcome offer when you deposit and bet £10 on the Grand National.
Claim a £20 free bet on the Aintree Grand National horse race when you place £50 worth of bets at Betfair.
