Friday 13th March 17:20
Below you'll find our betting tips for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle taking place at 17:20 on Friday 13th March at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. All of our 2026 Cheltenham betting tips are provided by WhichBookie racing analysts David Young and Will Smith. You may have seen Will featured on horse racing media channels such as Racing TV and William Hill Racing. Find hot tips for the 2026 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle below.
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| Bookie | Selection | Best Odds | Market | Bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Stede Bonnet | 25/1 | Ante Post
EW 4 Places 1/4 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle |
Place Bet |
 |
Air Of Entitlement | 11/1 | EW 5 Places Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle |
Place Bet |
|
Wendrock | 11/1 | EW 5 Places Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle |
Place Bet |
Date of Tips: 13/03/2026
Disclaimer The odds for these selections were correct at the time of publishing (08:00 13/03/2026) but may have changed since. Please check the latest price before placing your bet.
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Tip 2: Stede Bonnet
The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockey’s Handicap Hurdle that closes the Cheltenham Festival every year on the Friday has been the domain of many a sizable gamble and throws up many a future star it seems.
The last 5 winners read Galopin Des Champs, Banbridge, Iroko, Better Days Ahead and Wodhooh – goodness me that’s a fair roll call! But you quite often see some lesser illustrious names who fare with real credit and are just solid and efficient on the day. Perhaps looking at this year’s entries, you wouldn’t be falling over yourself to suggest it contains one of those star names.
A Pai De Nom, Roc Dino, The Passing Wife and Kel Histoire are all likely types and there is the well-handicapped lurker Air Of Entitlement, who was a long-range ante-post fancy for the Mares’ Hurdle this year after her impressive Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle win last year.
I’m still holding out hope connections supplement her for that Grade 1! I don’t think it’s happening mind, and given how poor she has been this year, it would take a bit of a flight of fancy to back her in anything. Though clearly, her trainer is virtually peerless for peaking his horses at this meeting.
There is one horse though who looks to have flown under the radar for now, and he’s trained by the joint leading-most winning trainer of this race, Gordon Elliott.
At 25/1 each-way with Bet365, Sky Bet or Paddy Power, Stede Bonnet is definitely worth an investment now, as if he was one of Elliott’s confirmed runners in the race then he would surely shorten a good deal.
There hasn’t been much mention of him in the lead up to this year’s race, but for me, everything he has done so far at 2m on soft or heavy ground in his 5 hurdle starts has been to set him up for going over further on better ground. He is related to 6 individual winners over 2m4f or beyond and certainly moves like better ground could help this nippy type.
It is surely also notable that having put up some good numbers on the clock in low-grade maiden and novice hurdles this season, that Elliott crowbarred in a 5th run (and so qualifying to run in a handicap hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival) in mid-February.
There will certainly be far worse 25/1 chances should Stede Bonnet line up in the Martin Pipe, his only entry at the Festival…
Tip 2: Air Of Entitlement
The 25/1 each-way ante-post about Stede Bonnet is locked in for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, and I’d be hopeful of him being the one of the Gordon Elliott battalions who might be best suited to the demands of this race, and Josh Williamson is a more than capable pilot, who gave Franciscan Rock a cracking ride into 2nd in the BetMGM Cup on Wednesday.
However, as mentioned in the content below for that ante-post recommendation last week, the elephant in the room is definitely Air Of Entitlement, who was a long-range fancy for the Mares Hurdle, given just how impressive she was in last year’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
The extra demands of the added distance will really suit on a track she has already showed herself to be well suited to, and with the two poor runs this season hopefully banished by the rectifying of one or two documented issues, it means Air Of Entitlement can face up here off a very lenient mark when she could potentially be a genuine Graded performer.
At 10/1 each-way with Betfred or Sky Bet for 6 places (or 11/1 for 5 places elsewhere), Air Of Entitlement has to be part of any bets you have in the Martin Pipe.
WENDROCK ran a blinder in the Fred Winter last season and should come here off a lighter mark. He’s been tried in better company but been found out in Graded company and trying the 3 mile trip last time out on sloppy ground at the DRF didn’t allow us to see him to best effect. He ran really well in his penultimate start though over this trip with the third winning at the DRF after. He stayed on as strongly at that horse in that Christmas handicap and given he likes this track I think he’s going to end up the Martin Pipe horse that’s subject to plenty of support.
Year in year out I’ll talk about Gigginstown in this race who have just three winners from the 20 who have tried but they show a 90% ROI to SP and 124% to Betfair SP. At this trip I’d much prefer him to He Can’t Dance. We also know Gordon goes well in this contest given he won the 2017 and 2018 for Gigginstown and they were unlucky in the 2020 renewal with Column Of Fire, but he’s trained the last two winners albeit for other connections.
He’s not quite the trends profile for this contest but with the qualification criteria changing for novices it might just be that the profile for this race is up for dispute
WENDROCK – 1 STAR EW @ 11/1 (5 places 1/5)
The Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle is a race for conditional jockeys, often making it a difficult race to predict. For that reason, it may be a good idea to use free bets on the race instead of your own money. There are plenty of Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle free bet offers available from some of the top UK bookies who will also be offering other promotions throughout the festival including Extra Places, Price Boosts, Money Back Specials, and more.
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| Selection | Odds |
|---|---|
| Roc Dino | 13/2 |
| Kel Histoire | 13/2 |
| A Pai De Nom | 9/1 |
| Jump Allen | 11/1 |
| Air Of Entitlement | 14/1 |
| East India Express | 16/1 |
| Wendrock | 20/1 |
| Sa Fureur | 20/1 |
| He Can't Dance | 20/1 |
| Andashan | 25/1 |
| Its Bilbo | 25/1 |
| Nurse Susan | 25/1 |
| Open Secret | 25/1 |
| Fiercely Proud | 25/1 |
| Grimaud | 25/1 |
| Siog Geal | 33/1 |
| John Barbour | 33/1 |
| Coyote Spirit | 33/1 |
| Stede Bonnet | 33/1 |
| Zanndabad | 33/1 |
| Zillow | 40/1 |
| Frankie John | 40/1 |
| Act Of Authority | 40/1 |
| De Temps En Temps | 40/1 |
| Fasol | 40/1 |
| La Pinsonniere | 40/1 |
| Newbrook Diamond | 40/1 |
| Saint Le Fort | 40/1 |
| Turndlightsdownlow | 40/1 |
| No Ordinary Joe | 50/1 |
| Da Capo Glory | 50/1 |
| Farfromnowhere | 50/1 |
| Hamsiyann | 50/1 |
| Intosomethinggood | 50/1 |
| Jack Hyde | 50/1 |
| Kalium | 50/1 |
| Lavender Hill Mob | 50/1 |
| Rubber Ball | 50/1 |
| Sainte Lucie | 50/1 |
| Hot Fuss | 66/1 |
| Sonigino | 66/1 |
| Charlus | 66/1 |
| Glynn Brae | 66/1 |
| Karl Des Tourelles | 66/1 |
| The Nagger Reidy | 66/1 |
| Ballykinlar | 80/1 |
| Lisnagar Fortune | 80/1 |
| Spirits Bay | 80/1 |
| Intellotto | 100/1 |
| Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Distance | Type |
| Friday 13/03/2026 | 17:20 | 2m 4f | Hurdle |
The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle is the penultimate race of the Cheltenham Festival. The race is named after Martin Pipe, a legendary trainer who trained 34 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, and is one of the most competitive handicap hurdles of the Festival.
The Grade 3 race features 9 hurdles to be jumped over the New Course at Cheltenham. It is run over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs and is open to horses aged four years or older.
Over the years, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle has produced some notable winners such as Sir Des Champs, Killultagh Vic, and Champagne Classic.
The Martin Pipe is one of those Festival handicaps where a bit of homework can really pay off, and it’s a race Will Smith and Dave Young always approach with interest. With so many lightly-raced horses and improving types lining up, there are usually a few pricing errors to take advantage of. Any 2026 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle tips from our racing analysts will come from digging through form lines, assessing potential improvement, and spotting value that hasn’t been snapped up yet.
Ante-post selections for this race aren’t always guaranteed, but if Will or Dave feel one has a bit in hand, they won’t hesitate to put it up early. It’s a race where trainers often aim a horse here well in advance, and both analysts are very good at identifying when that’s happening. If you prefer waiting until the field takes shape, race-day Martin Pipe tips will also be available with a sharper look at how the weights, ground, and likely pace could influence the outcome.
Occasionally, one of their Martin Pipe fancies will appear in Will Smith’s EW Lucky 15 during Cheltenham week – something many WhichBookie followers watch closely given the success of his Cheltenham Lucky 15s over recent years.
And for even more betting angles throughout Cheltenham 2026, don’t forget to check our daily Placepot tips and extra place races pages, updated daily during the meeting.
The Martin Pipe has consistently gone to progressive younger hurdlers. Fifteen of the last seventeen winners were aged five or six, and fifteen of the seventeen had no more than eight hurdle runs before lining up. The last ten winners were all rated at least 137.
Recent form matters, with thirteen of the last fifteen finishing in the first three on their previous start. Favourites have a poor record, with only one successful market leader in the race’s history, and no beaten favourite last time out has ever won this contest.
The race is restricted to conditional jockeys, who are professional riders still claiming a weight allowance.
It is run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs.
The race was first run in 2009 and is named after the legendary trainer Martin Pipe.
Yes, it traditionally closes the Cheltenham Festival on Gold Cup Day.
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Below you'll find our betting tips for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle taking place at 17:20 on Friday 13th March at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. All of our 2026 Cheltenham betting tips are provided by WhichBookie racing analysts David Young and Will Smith. You may have seen Will featured on horse racing media channels such as Racing TV and William Hill Racing. Find hot tips for the 2026 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle below.
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