The 2025 Cheltenham Festival draws to a close when the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle is run on Day Four.
This race covers a distance of two miles and four furlongs, and horses aged four and older compete on the New Course.
Every bettor will be looking to go home with a winner, and there have been some eye-catching winners of the Martin Pipe throughout recent history, including Galopin Des Champs and Banbridge in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Progressive horses have an excellent record in the Martin Pipe, with ten of the last 12 winners being aged five or six.
That trend continued last year with Better Days Ahead being a six-year-old winner for Gordon Elliott. The only horse to win the race since 2019 was Indefatigable aged seven in 2020.
The record of favourites in the race is astoundingly bad given the roll of honour in terms of recent winners.
None of the last 12 editions of the Martin Pipe have been won by favourites, with just four of the winners over this period being found in the top three in the betting. Among the runners able to win at bigger prices, include Galopin Des Champs at 8/1 in 2021, and Banbridge at 12/1 in 2022.
Previous winning experience is important to note when assessing contenders in the Martin Pipe.
Six of the last 12 winners of the race had won on their previous start before lining up at Cheltenham, while there have also been six winners over the same period to have won at the track before lining up in the Martin Pipe. Meanwhile, ten of the victors since 2013 had been in action within the last 55 days before the Festival.
All but two of the last 12 winners had made at least three starts during the course of the season before lining up in the Martin Pipe.
Meanwhile, nine victors over the same period had recorded at least one win in the season. This trend should enable bettors to trim the field down in 2025.
The weight carried by winners in the race is telling when assessing the trends. Nine of the last 12 victors in the Martin Pipe have carried between 11st 3lb and 11st 9lb.
That trend continued last year when Better Days Ahead won off 11-7. All 12 of the winners of the Martin Pipe since 2013 had a rating of at least 135 over hurdles.
