• 17/03/2023
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Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle tips are the feature of this racing preview for Cheltenham 2023. This particular race will again bring down the curtain on the 4-day Festival.

It’s the last chance for punters to get some winning action from Cheltenham racing betting, and our experts will be providing the top Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle Tips. As part of our full Cheltenham 2023 coverage, our tipsters will be looking through the statistics, odds and form to make recommendations.

Last year’s winner of the Martin Pipe was Banbridge, who finished strongly to take a comfortable win for trainer Joseph Patrick O’Brien. Who will be heading to the winners’ circle after this year’s edition?

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Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle – Overlooked Outsiders

Last year’s winner Banbridge came home at a healthy 12/1, becoming the seventh double-figure odds winner of the race in the last ten renewals.

There have been plenty of winners of this who have come home at a punter-friendly price. There was 2013 winner Salubrious who scored from 16/1 for trainer Paul Nicholls, and that followed success in the previous year for Attaglance at 20/1.

The largest priced winner in the last ten editions was Indefatigable, who landed the prize from a big quote of 25/1 in the 2020 Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle odds. This is usually a good competitive race, and therefore it’s worth digging through the field to find some runners with each-way potential.

Look for our Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle tips closer to the start of the Cheltenham Festival 2023.

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2023 Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle Runners + Odds – Friday, 17th March 5.30

Horse/Form	Silks	Jockey/Trainer	Odds
Spanish Harlem 1322		J: Michael O’Sullivan T: Willie Mullins	4/1
Cool Survivor -61124		J: Sam Ewing T: Gordon Elliott	5/1
Imagine 1-1222		J: Ben Harvey T: Gordon Elliott	5/1
Iroko 244-11		J: Aidan Kelly T: Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero	9/1
Might I 232-82		J: Lorcan Murtagh T: Harry Fry	10/1
Firm Footings 312331		J: Shane Fitzgeral T: Gordon Elliott	16/1
Haxo 626-71		J: Kieran Callaghan T: Willie Mullins	16/1
Irish Hill -22111		J: Angus Cheleda T: Paul Nicholls	16/1
Felix Desjy 14B702		J: Corey McGivern T: Gordon Elliott	20/1
Au Fleuron 378-04		J: Kieren Buckley T: Gordon Elliott	25/1
Buddy One -706122		J: Jack G Gilligan T: Paul John Gilligan	25/1
Mark Of Gold -171F1		J: Caoilin Quinn T: Gary Moore	25/1
Spirit Of Legend -812B6		J: Mike O’Connor T: Henry De Bromhead	25/1
Impulsive One -51431		J: Ben Bromley T: Nicky Henderson	33/1
Molly Ollys Wishes 8-1352		J: Fergus Gillard T: Dan Skelton	33/1
No Ordinary Joe 13P-19		J: Luca Morgan T: Nicky Henderson	33/1
Saylavee 111515		J: Jack Foley T: Willie Mullins	33/1
Hey Johnny UP4153		J: P J O’Hanlon T: Thomas Mullins	50/1
West To The Bridge 095321		J: Tristan Durrell T: Dan Skelton	50/1
Fifty Ball 021-P0		J: Niall Houlihan T: Gary Moore	66/1
In From The Cold 404-8P		J: Danny Gilligan T: Gordon Elliott	66/1
Hollow Sound 26-P52		J: Charlie O’Dwyer T: Luke Comer	100/1
Innatendue (RESERVE) -63275		J: Liam McKenna T: A J Martin	100/1
Vultan (RESERVE) 21-0P0		J: RESERVE T: Willie Mullins	100/1

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There are Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle odds to be looked over right now, with the ante-post market active.

Things will change drastically from those ante-post prices the closer we get to the start of the Festival.

That’s when our tipsters will be putting out the best Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle tips.

But the ante-post indicates some early entries for the race, and it, therefore, gives us some potential runners to look at.

Langer Dan, the runner-up in the 2021 Martin Pipe, was sent off as 7/2 favourite for last year’s renewal but was brought down early on. He’s expected to go for this again and will be hoping it’s third time lucky!

Gaelic Warrior currently heads the ante-post betting, but he is entered in a couple of bigger races at the Festival and is expected to head for one of them.

Three Card Brag has been thoroughly consistent this season and will likely go close if choosing to line up here, although he’s another who could head for a bigger prize at the Festival.

Among others high up in the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle market are Might I, Hunters Yarn and Dawn Rising.

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How to pick a Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle Winner

While our betting experts will be taking a full, deep dive into the statistics and form for Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle tips, we can look at a few trends here.

There has not been a single favourite win this race in the last ten editions. There has been one only in the thirteen previous editions in total – that was Sir Des Champs in 2011.

In terms of winning odds, three of the last ten have been at least 16/1 winners of the contest.

Last 10 Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle Winners Odds

• 2022 Banbridge 12/1
• 2021 Galopin Des Champs 8/1
• 2020 Indefatigable 25/1
• 2019 Early Doors 5/1
• 2018 Blow By Blow 11/1
• 2017 Champagne Classic 12/1
• 2016 Ibis Du Rheu 14/1
• 2015 Killultagh Vic 7/1
• 2014 Don Poli 12/1
• 2013 Salubrious 16/1

What other trends are there to be gleaned? One is the plethora of Irish-trained horses winning the contest recently. Seven of the last nine winners have been Irish-trained competitors – the other three in that sequence were British-trained.

There has been one previous female winner of the Martin Pipe from 18 that have entered the last 13 renewals – that was Indefatigable in 2020.

Other trends to help narrow the field a bit in Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle odds is that all 13 winners have been aged between 5 and 7, and all had run within 80 days of the contest.

None of the winners had ever gone off at a price of bigger than 28/1, and they had between 1 and 3 wins at a further distance.

Our betting experts will be going through plenty of other trends to form the best recommendations for this year’s renewal.

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All About The Martin Pipe Conditional Handicap Hurdle: Past and Present

The race is named after one of the great National Hunt trainers, Martin Pipe, a 15-time Champion Trainer. 

The race was established in 2009, so it is one of the relatively newer ones to have found its way into the Festival.

The official name is the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle. It is run on Cheltenham’s New Course, and it is a distance of 2m 4f and 56y with nine hurdles.

The handicap controls the race weights, limited to conditional jockeys only. 

No horse has managed to win the Martin Pipe on more than one occasion, nor has any jockey.

There has been a dominant trainer in the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle, however, which is Willie Mullins with four wins.

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How Do Horses Qualify for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle?

The race is open to both sexes of four years and up. It’s the conditional jockey that is the big stipulation here.

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What is the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle Prize Money in 2023?

The details of this year’s purse aren’t out yet. Last year’s winner, Banbridge, took £39,022.50. The remaining prizes were 2nd £17,940, 3rd £9,970, 4th £4,485, 5th £2,242.50 and 6th £1,117.50.

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Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle Past Winners

Looking back through the history of the Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival, some famous winners have landed the prize.

In 2011 Sir Des Champs won it and went on to big things, including a Hennessy Gold Cup win and a runner-up spot to Bobs Worth in the 2013 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

RSA Chase winner Don Poli scored the Martin Pipe in 2014, and other notable winners include Indefatigable and Ibis du Rheu.

2021 winner Galopin Des Champs is now a multiple Grade 1 winner and is set to go off as favourite for this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Year	Horse	Odds	Jockey	Trainer
2022	Banbridge	12/1	Mark McDonagh	Joseph Patrick O’Brien
2021	Galopin Des Champs	8/1	Sean O’Keefe	Willie Mullins
2020	Indefatigable	25/1	Rex Dingle	Paul Webber
2019	Early Doors	5/1	Jonjo O’Neill Jr	Joseph O’Brien
2018	Blow By Blow	11/1	Donagh Meyler	Gordon Elliott
2017	Champagne Classic	12/1	James Slevin	Gordon Elliott
2016	Ibis du Rheu	14/1	Jack Sherwood	Paul Nicholls
2015	Killultagh Vic	7/1	Luke Dempsey	Willie Mullins
2014	Don Poli	12/1	Mike Fogarty	Willie Mullins
2013	Salubrious	16/1	Harry Derham	Paul Nicholls
2012	Attaglance	20/1	Harry Haynes	Malcolm Jefferson
2011	Sir Des Champs	9/2F	Emmet Mullins	Willie Mullins
2010	Pause and Clause	14/1	Johnny Farrelly	Emma Lavelle
2009	Andytown	25/1	Felix de Giles	Nicky Henderson

Other Races on Day 4 of the Cheltenham Festival

The Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle betting is the final race of Day 4 of Cheltenham 2023. Here are all the races for Friday at the Festival:

13:30 The JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)

14:10 The McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3)

14:50 The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)

15:30 The Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeplechase (Grade 1)

16:10 The St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase

16:50 The Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Steeplechase (Grade 2)

17:30 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (0-145)