National-Hunt on The Race Lab

The Midlands National's Carnage Problem — And Why Backing Favourites Over 4 Miles Is Burning Money

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Saturday’s Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter was hard to watch. Of 16 runners, 11 pulled up. The 10/3 favourite J’Arrive De L’Est was one of them, fading from contention five out and pulled up shortly after. Second favourite Aworkinprogress (9/2) found nothing from the rear and suffered the same fate.

Isaac Des Obeaux, a 28/1 shot having his first run beyond three and a half miles, galloped relentlessly through the carnage to win by eight lengths.

Grand Geste's Haydock Love Affair: Sue Smith's First National Trial Winner in 26 Years

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Grand Geste had every excuse to have a quiet afternoon. Pulled up at Doncaster last time, a novice chaser in a Premier Handicap against seasoned stayers, sent off 13/2 in a race the jolly Myretown was supposed to put to bed. Nobody would have blamed connections for lowering expectations.

Instead, the seven-year-old grey stayed on like a horse who’d been doing this for years, seeing off Top Of The Bill by 1¾ lengths in the William Hill Grand National Trial to hand Sue Smith her first win in this race since The Last Fling in 2000.

Haydock Grand National Trial: Myretown's Jumping Demons and the £500,000 Question

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 21:00:00 +0000

The William Hill Half A Mill Grand National Trial at Haydock on Saturday (3:15) has the lot: a cracking field of 11 staying chasers, a £100,000 first prize, and the tantalising carrot of a £500,000 bonus for any horse who can win this and follow up in the Randox Grand National at Aintree on April 11th.

It’s a race that asks serious questions of its participants. Three and a half miles around Haydock in February is no joy ride, and the form of previous winners tells an interesting story — Famous Bridge landed the prize 12 months ago but failed to kick on, finishing sixth in the Ultima and pulling up in the Scottish National.

Henderson vs Nicholls at Cheltenham: The Numbers Might Surprise You

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls are two of the biggest names in British jump racing. Both train large strings, both target Cheltenham as the centrepiece of their season. But their recent records at Prestbury Park tell very different stories.

The Raw Numbers (Since 2020)

Trainer	Runners	Winners	Strike Rate
N J Henderson	337	44	13.1%
P F Nicholls	102	5	4.9%

Henderson has been three times more effective at Cheltenham than Nicholls over the past five years. That’s a stark difference between two yards operating at similar levels of resource and reputation.

Aintree Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Home of the Grand National, Aintree hosts National Hunt racing over two distinct courses: the famous Grand National course with its unique fences, and the Mildmay course used for the rest of the calendar. The three-day Festival in April is one of the biggest meetings in jump racing.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (274), Chase (252), National Hunt Flat (55)
Total races (dataset)	581

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Dan Skelton	348	47	13.5%
N J Henderson	264	43	16.3%
P F Nicholls	278	34	12.2%
W P Mullins	165	28	17.0%
N A Twiston-Davies	192	20	10.4%
Gordon Elliott	162	17	10.5%
C L Tizzard	101	15	14.9%
Olly Murphy	123	13	10.6%
A King	115	12	10.4%
Fergal O’Brien	136	11	8.1%
T R George	102	11	10.8%
D E Pipe	116	10	8.6%
D McCain Jnr	202	10	5.0%
Mrs Melanie Rowley	32	10	31.3%
Harry Fry	81	10	12.3%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Harry Skelton	268	40	14.9%
Aidan Coleman	142	22	15.5%
Sam Twiston-Davies	212	21	9.9%
B S Hughes	160	20	12.5%
H Cobden	112	19	17.0%
Nico de Boinville	101	17	16.8%
R Johnson	122	16	13.1%
P Townend	66	13	19.7%
S Bowen	120	12	10.0%
M P Walsh	45	11	24.4%
P J Brennan	95	11	11.6%
Sean Bowen	89	10	11.2%
J J Burke	102	10	9.8%
D A Jacob	102	9	8.8%
R M Power	38	8	21.1%

Favourite Performance

Across 645 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 199 times — a strike rate of 30.9%.

Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 race over 3 miles on the Friday of the Festival. It’s the stamina test for the novice hurdlers and frequently produces future Gold Cup contenders — Bobs Worth, Monkfish and Minella Indo all won this before going on to chase glory.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Jasmin De Vaux	W P Mullins	P Townend	6	6/1
2024	Stellar Story	Gordon Elliott	Sam Ewing	7	33/1
2023	Stay Away Fay	P F Nicholls	H Cobden	6	18/1
2022	The Nice Guy	W P Mullins	S F O’Keeffe	7	18/1
2021	Vanillier	Gavin Cromwell	M P Walsh	6	14/1
2020	Monkfish	W P Mullins	P Townend	6	5/1
2019	Minella Indo	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	6	50/1
2018	Kilbricken Storm	C L Tizzard	H Cobden	7	33/1
2017	Penhill	W P Mullins	P Townend	6	16/1
2016	Unowhatimeanharry	Harry Fry	N D Fehily	8	11/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Six-year-olds have won 10 of 18 renewals — more than half. Seven-year-olds have won 6 times. A single five-year-old (Very Wood in 2014) and a single eight-year-old (Unowhatimeanharry in 2016) have managed it. The 6-year-old profile makes sense for a staying novice hurdle.

Arkle Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Arkle Chase is a Grade 1 novice chase over about 2 miles on the Tuesday of the Festival. It’s the championship race for the quickest novice chasers and has been won by some absolute machines — Sprinter Sacre, Douvan, Altior and Shishkin all took this en route to Champion Chase glory.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Jango Baie	N Henderson	N de Boinville	6	5/1
2024	Gaelic Warrior	W P Mullins	P Townend	6	3/1
2023	El Fabiolo	W P Mullins	P Townend	6	11/10
2022	Edwardstone	A King	Tom Cannon	8	5/2
2021	Shishkin	N Henderson	N de Boinville	7	4/9
2020	Put The Kettle On	Henry de Bromhead	A Coleman	6	16/1
2019	Duc Des Genievres	W P Mullins	P Townend	6	5/1
2018	Footpad	W P Mullins	R Walsh	6	5/6
2017	Altior	N Henderson	N de Boinville	7	1/4
2016	Douvan	W P Mullins	R Walsh	6	1/4

Key Trends

Age profile: Six-year-olds have won 10 of 23 renewals, seven-year-olds 9. Just 2 five-year-olds (Voy Por Ustedes and Well Chief) and 2 eight-year-olds (Edwardstone and Sizing Europe) have won. The sweet spot is clearly 6 or 7.

Ballymore Novices' Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 race over about 2 miles 5 furlongs on Wednesday of the Festival. It’s the intermediate-distance championship for novice hurdlers, sitting between the Supreme (2m) and the Albert Bartlett (3m). Recent winners like Envoi Allen, Bob Olinger and Sir Gerhard have all gone on to bigger things over fences.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2023	Impaire Et Passe	W P Mullins	P Townend	5	5/2
2022	Sir Gerhard	W P Mullins	P Townend	7	8/11
2021	Bob Olinger	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	6	6/4
2020	Envoi Allen	Gordon Elliott	D N Russell	6	4/7
2019	City Island	Martin Brassil	M P Walsh	6	8/1
2018	Samcro	Gordon Elliott	J W Kennedy	6	8/11
2009	Mikael D’haguenet	W P Mullins	R Walsh	5	5/2
2008	Fiveforthree	W P Mullins	R Walsh	6	7/1
2007	Massini’s Maguire	P J Hobbs	R Johnson	6	20/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Six-year-olds have won 6 of 9 renewals. Five-year-olds account for 2 wins and there’s a single seven-year-old winner in Sir Gerhard (2022). The standard profile is a six-year-old with a solid novice campaign behind them.

Bangor Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Bangor-on-Dee is a sharp, flat, left-handed jumps track in north Wales. The tight bends and relatively easy fences make it a good track for nimble, handy types rather than out-and-out gallopers.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (524), Chase (358), National Hunt Flat (80)
Total races (dataset)	962

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
D McCain Jnr	788	139	17.6%
Dan Skelton	263	40	15.2%
A King	124	29	23.4%
N A Twiston-Davies	148	26	17.6%
Jennie Candlish	184	25	13.6%
Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero	192	25	13.0%
Fergal O’Brien	143	23	16.1%
Miss Venetia Williams	168	23	13.7%
Jonjo O’Neill	166	22	13.3%
Gary Hanmer	184	20	10.9%
Olly Murphy	129	20	15.5%
H D Daly	115	20	17.4%
Miss Rebecca Curtis	93	18	19.4%
N J Henderson	105	18	17.1%
Alastair Ralph	125	17	13.6%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
B S Hughes	334	70	21.0%
Harry Skelton	170	31	18.2%
Sam Twiston-Davies	177	27	15.3%
W T Kennedy	144	25	17.4%
G Sheehan	103	22	21.4%
R Johnson	111	22	19.8%
S Bowen	137	21	15.3%
P J Brennan	88	19	21.6%
Sean Quinlan	167	19	11.4%
Henry Brooke	155	19	12.3%
Charlie Deutsch	122	18	14.8%
T Scudamore	102	17	16.7%
Aidan Coleman	97	16	16.5%
Theo Gillard	135	14	10.4%
Kielan Woods	95	14	14.7%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,029 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 348 times — a strike rate of 33.8%.

Boodles Juvenile Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (formerly the Fred Winter) is run over about 2 miles 1 furlong on the Friday of the Festival. It’s a handicap for four-year-old hurdlers and routinely produces big-priced winners — it’s one of the hardest races of the week to find the winner.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Puturhandstogether	J P O’Brien	M P Walsh	4	19/2
2024	Lark In The Mornin	J P O’Brien	J J Slevin	4	9/1
2023	Jazzy Matty	Gordon Elliott	M O’Sullivan	4	18/1
2022	Brazil	Padraig Roche	M P Walsh	4	10/1
2021	Jeff Kidder	Noel Meade	S W Flanagan	4	80/1
2020	Aramax	Gordon Elliott	M P Walsh	4	17/2
2019	Band of Outlaws	J P O’Brien	J J Slevin	4	7/2
2018	Veneer Of Charm	Gordon Elliott	J W Kennedy	4	33/1
2017	Flying Tiger	Nick Williams	R Johnson	4	33/1
2016	Diego Du Charmil	P F Nicholls	S Twiston-Davies	4	15/2

Key Trends

Age profile: All 21 winners have been four-year-olds — the race is restricted to that age group.

Cartmel Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cartmel is a tight, left-handed National Hunt track in the Lake District that races just a handful of times each year, mostly bank holiday fixtures. The sharp track and small fields make it a favourite for shrewd trainers placing their horses carefully.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (347), Chase (280)
Total races (dataset)	627

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
James Moffatt	545	70	12.8%
D McCain Jnr	271	40	14.8%
Mrs Dianne Sayer	232	29	12.5%
B M R Haslam	151	26	17.2%
P Bowen	130	26	20.0%
Sam England	120	22	18.3%
Micky Hammond	179	15	8.4%
Jennie Candlish	71	12	16.9%
Rebecca Menzies	130	11	8.5%
G T Bewley	89	11	12.4%
M Todhunter	81	11	13.6%
Gordon Elliott	47	10	21.3%
Noel C Kelly	75	10	13.3%
Kenneth Slack	24	9	37.5%
John C McConnell	35	9	25.7%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Charlotte Jones	194	36	18.6%
B S Hughes	226	36	15.9%
Henry Brooke	257	35	13.6%
Sean Quinlan	206	30	14.6%
B Hughes	179	30	16.8%
R P McLernon	153	26	17.0%
Jonathan England	117	23	19.7%
S Bowen	117	22	18.8%
R Johnson	114	21	18.4%
Danny McMenamin	110	16	14.5%
C O’Farrell	114	14	12.3%
James Bowen	81	13	16.0%
Sean Bowen	49	13	26.5%
D R Fox	97	7	7.2%
Jonathon Bewley	67	7	10.4%

Favourite Performance

Across 684 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 216 times — a strike rate of 31.6%.

Champion Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the 2-mile chasing championship, run on Wednesday of the Festival. It’s routinely the fastest, most thrilling race of the week — Moscow Flyer, Master Minded, Sprinter Sacre and Altior all lit up Prestbury Park in this race.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Marine Nationale	Barry Connell	S W Flanagan	8	5/1
2024	Captain Guinness	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	9	19/2
2023	Energumene	W P Mullins	P Townend	9	6/5
2022	Energumene	W P Mullins	P Townend	8	5/2
2021	Put The Kettle On	Henry de Bromhead	A Coleman	7	19/2
2020	Politologue	P F Nicholls	H Skelton	9	6/1
2019	Altior	N Henderson	N de Boinville	9	4/11
2018	Altior	N Henderson	N de Boinville	8	Evs
2017	Special Tiara	Henry de Bromhead	N D Fehily	10	11/1
2016	Sprinter Sacre	N Henderson	N de Boinville	10	5/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Nine-year-olds have the best record with 8 wins from 23 renewals. Eight-year-olds have won 5 times, seven-year-olds 4 times. Notably, two ten-year-olds have won (Sprinter Sacre in 2016 and Special Tiara in 2017), and Moscow Flyer won aged 11 in 2005. These seasoned two-milers can keep going.

Champion Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Champion Hurdle is the 2-mile hurdling championship, run on Tuesday of the Festival. It’s produced some of the most memorable moments in jumps racing — Hurricane Fly’s two wins, the dominance of Honeysuckle, and Constitution Hill’s devastating display in 2023.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Golden Ace	J Scott	L Williams	7	25/1
2024	State Man	W P Mullins	P Townend	7	2/5
2023	Constitution Hill	N Henderson	N de Boinville	6	4/11
2022	Honeysuckle	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	8	8/11
2021	Honeysuckle	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	7	11/10
2020	Epatante	N Henderson	B J Geraghty	6	3/1
2019	Espoir D’Allen	Gavin Cromwell	M P Walsh	5	16/1
2018	Buveur D’Air	N Henderson	B J Geraghty	7	4/6
2017	Buveur D’air	N Henderson	N D Fehily	6	5/1
2016	Annie Power	W P Mullins	R Walsh	8	5/2

Key Trends

Age profile: Seven-year-olds have the best record with 9 wins from 23 renewals. Six-year-olds have won 6 times, eight-year-olds 4 times, and five-year-olds twice (Espoir D’Allen and Katchit). Two nine-year-olds have won — Hurricane Fly and Rooster Booster.

Cheltenham Festival 2026 - Race Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Cheltenham Festival 2026 runs from Tuesday 10th March to Friday 13th March. We’ve pulled the historical data for every race on the programme and run the numbers. Below you’ll find links to the trend analysis for each race, organised by day.

These aren’t predictions — they’re what the data shows. Some trends are strong and consistent, others are based on small samples and should be treated with appropriate caution. We’ll flag which is which.

Cheltenham Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cheltenham is the home of National Hunt racing, with two courses (Old and New) set in a natural amphitheatre. The uphill finish is one of the most demanding in jump racing. The four-day Festival in March is the championship meeting of the entire sport.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Chase (593), Hurdle (523), National Hunt Flat (66)
Total races (dataset)	1,182

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
N J Henderson	735	92	12.5%
W P Mullins	734	86	11.7%
Dan Skelton	586	66	11.3%
P F Nicholls	666	63	9.5%
Gordon Elliott	558	53	9.5%
N A Twiston-Davies	504	46	9.1%
Fergal O’Brien	445	42	9.4%
Henry de Bromhead	289	36	12.5%
C L Tizzard	315	28	8.9%
P J Hobbs	297	24	8.1%
A King	293	21	7.2%
D E Pipe	281	19	6.8%
Gavin Cromwell	123	19	15.4%
M Keighley	196	17	8.7%
N P Mulholland	179	16	8.9%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Harry Skelton	451	61	13.5%
Sam Twiston-Davies	538	51	9.5%
P Townend	206	40	19.4%
B J Geraghty	239	40	16.7%
H Cobden	340	37	10.9%
Nico de Boinville	216	36	16.7%
P J Brennan	298	32	10.7%
Aidan Coleman	303	30	9.9%
R Johnson	312	29	9.3%
T Scudamore	279	23	8.2%
Rachael Blackmore	142	23	16.2%
S Bowen	217	21	9.7%
N de Boinville	119	21	17.6%
D N Russell	157	20	12.7%
N D Fehily	203	20	9.9%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,294 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 375 times — a strike rate of 29.0%.

Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase was run over about 2 miles 4 furlongs on the Wednesday of the Festival. It provided a handicap option for novice chasers. The race appears to have been replaced or restructured after 2020, so this data covers 16 editions from 2005 to 2020. A Plus Tard won this in 2019 before going on to win the Gold Cup.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2020	Imperial Aura	K C Bailey	David Bass	7	4/1
2019	A Plus Tard	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	5	5/1
2018	Mister Whitaker	M R Channon	B Hughes	6	15/2
2017	Tully East	A Fleming	D F O’Regan	7	8/1
2016	Ballyalton	Ian Williams	B Hughes	9	12/1
2015	Irish Cavalier	Rebecca Curtis	P Townend	6	11/1
2014	Present View	Jamie Snowden	B Powell	6	8/1
2013	Rajdhani Express	N Henderson	Mr S Waley-Cohen	6	16/1
2012	Hunt Ball	Keiran Burke	N Scholfield	7	15/2
2011	Divers	Ferdy Murphy	G Lee	7	10/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Seven-year-olds have won 8 of 16 renewals, exactly half. Six-year-olds have 4 wins, five-year-olds 2. A single eight-year-old and nine-year-old complete the picture. The seven-year-old profile fits a novice chaser with a bit of experience.

Coral Cup - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Coral Cup is a handicap hurdle over about 2 miles 5 furlongs on Wednesday of the Festival. It regularly attracts fields of 26+ runners and is one of the most competitive races of the week. Finding the winner from a big field is the challenge.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Jimmy Du Seuil	W P Mullins	D E Mullins	6	16/1
2024	Langer Dan	Dan Skelton	H Skelton	8	15/2
2023	Langer Dan	Dan Skelton	H Skelton	7	9/1
2022	Commander Of Fleet	Gordon Elliott	S Fitzgerald	8	50/1
2021	Heaven Help Us	Paul Hennessy	R J Condon	7	33/1
2020	Dame De Compagnie	N Henderson	B J Geraghty	7	5/1
2019	William Henry	N Henderson	N de Boinville	9	28/1
2018	Bleu Berry	W P Mullins	M P Walsh	7	20/1
2017	Supasundae	Mrs J Harrington	R Power	7	16/1
2016	Diamond King	Gordon Elliott	D N Russell	8	12/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Seven-year-olds have won 8 of 23 renewals, making them the strongest age group. Five and six-year-olds have 4 and 5 wins respectively, with eight-year-olds on 4 and nine-year-olds on 2.

County Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The County Hurdle is a premier handicap over about 2 miles 1 furlong on the Friday of the Festival. It’s traditionally one of the last races of the meeting and typically draws a field of 25+, making it fiercely competitive.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Kargese	W P Mullins	P Townend	5	3/1
2024	Absurde	W P Mullins	P Townend	6	12/1
2023	Faivoir	Dan Skelton	B Andrews	8	33/1
2022	State Man	W P Mullins	P Townend	5	11/4
2021	Belfast Banter	Peter Fahey	K C Sexton	6	33/1
2020	Saint Roi	W P Mullins	B J Geraghty	5	11/2
2019	Ch’tibello	Dan Skelton	H Skelton	8	12/1
2018	Mohaayed	Dan Skelton	B Andrews	6	33/1
2017	Arctic Fire	W P Mullins	P Townend	8	20/1
2016	Superb Story	Dan Skelton	H Skelton	5	8/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Five-year-olds have the best record with 9 wins from 22 renewals. Six-year-olds have 7, eight-year-olds 4, and there’s one win each for a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old. Youth tends to win out.

Cross Country Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Cross Country Chase is one of the Festival’s most distinctive races, run over about 3 miles 6 furlongs on the unique cross-country course with its banks, ditches and varied obstacles. It’s been a specialist’s race, with Tiger Roll and Delta Work among recent winners.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Stumptown	Gavin Cromwell	K M Donoghue	8	5/2
2023	Delta Work	Gordon Elliott	K M Donoghue	10	11/10
2022	Delta Work	Gordon Elliott	J W Kennedy	9	5/2
2020	Easysland	D Cottin	J Plouganou	6	3/1
2019	Tiger Roll	Gordon Elliott	K M Donoghue	9	5/4
2018	Tiger Roll	Gordon Elliott	K M Donoghue	8	7/1
2017	Cause Of Causes	Gordon Elliott	Mr J J Codd	9	4/1
2016	Any Currency	M Keighley	A Coleman	13	11/1
2011	Sizing Australia	Henry de Bromhead	A E Lynch	9	15/2
2009	Garde Champetre	Enda Bolger	N Carberry	10	7/2

Key Trends

Age profile: Nine-year-olds have the most wins with 5 from 14 renewals. Ten-year-olds have won 3 times. Two winners were aged 12 (Native Jack and Spot Thedifference), and Any Currency won at 13. This is a race for experienced, older horses — the youngest winner was Easysland at 6.

Exeter Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Exeter is a right-handed, undulating National Hunt track in Devon with a testing uphill finish. The ground often rides soft or heavy through the winter months, making it a proper stamina test. Paul Nicholls and local trainers tend to dominate.

Course Profile


Direction	Right-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (621), Chase (423), National Hunt Flat (83)
Total races (dataset)	1,127

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
P F Nicholls	304	80	26.3%
P J Hobbs	377	62	16.4%
C L Tizzard	319	48	15.0%
Harry Fry	190	46	24.2%
D E Pipe	427	41	9.6%
J Scott	278	33	11.9%
Evan Williams	192	27	14.1%
Miss Venetia Williams	181	25	13.8%
A J Honeyball	128	25	19.5%
Dan Skelton	145	24	16.6%
N J Henderson	101	24	23.8%
C J Down	233	21	9.0%
Mrs S Gardner	267	21	7.9%
Fergal O’Brien	169	19	11.2%
Robert Walford	170	19	11.2%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
H Cobden	229	51	22.3%
R Johnson	241	45	18.7%
T Scudamore	271	34	12.5%
Sam Twiston-Davies	205	33	16.1%
Brendan Powell	238	28	11.8%
Nick Scholfield	254	26	10.2%
N D Fehily	119	26	21.8%
M G Nolan	212	25	11.8%
T J O’Brien	227	25	11.0%
Aidan Coleman	121	24	19.8%
James Best	330	24	7.3%
David Noonan	286	23	8.0%
Bryan Carver	135	23	17.0%
Harry Skelton	109	22	20.2%
P J Brennan	114	19	16.7%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,211 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 447 times — a strike rate of 36.9%.

Fakenham Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Fakenham is one of the smallest and tightest National Hunt tracks in Britain, a left-handed square circuit in Norfolk. The sharp track and short run-in mean pace and jumping accuracy are at a premium. Small fields are common.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (426), Chase (305), National Hunt Flat (34)
Total races (dataset)	765

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Olly Murphy	205	47	22.9%
Mrs L Wadham	165	46	27.9%
Stuart Edmunds	105	33	31.4%
Dan Skelton	128	33	25.8%
N P Mulholland	97	22	22.7%
Christian Williams	102	21	20.6%
James Owen	82	20	24.4%
N B King	178	18	10.1%
P F Nicholls	49	17	34.7%
Dr R D P Newland	75	17	22.7%
Mrs S J Humphrey	127	16	12.6%
N J Henderson	60	16	26.7%
D E Pipe	44	15	34.1%
A M Hales	91	12	13.2%
A King	52	11	21.2%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Jack Quinlan	177	22	12.4%
T Scudamore	57	19	33.3%
Harry Skelton	59	19	32.2%
Bryony Frost	72	18	25.0%
C Gethings	75	18	24.0%
Tom Cannon	84	17	20.2%
Sam Twiston-Davies	94	17	18.1%
Charlie Hammond	76	16	21.1%
R Johnson	69	15	21.7%
H Cobden	35	13	37.1%
Kielan Woods	111	13	11.7%
Harry Bannister	80	13	16.3%
G Sheehan	83	13	15.7%
Nico de Boinville	33	12	36.4%
Fergus Gregory	50	12	24.0%

Favourite Performance

Across 819 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 305 times — a strike rate of 37.2%.

Fontwell Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Fontwell is unusual in that its chase course is a figure-of-eight while the hurdles course is a conventional left-handed oval. The tight, twisting chase track is unlike anywhere else in Britain and demands accurate jumping. Mostly lower-grade racing.

Course Profile


Direction	Figure-of-eight (chase) / Left-handed (hurdles)
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (842), Chase (578), National Hunt Flat (109)
Total races (dataset)	1,529

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
G L Moore	730	129	17.7%
N P Mulholland	493	83	16.8%
C Gordon	514	75	14.6%
A J Honeyball	272	73	26.8%
P F Nicholls	176	60	34.1%
Jamie Snowden	190	37	19.5%
C L Tizzard	185	30	16.2%
J W Mullins	321	27	8.4%
Dan Skelton	191	27	14.1%
Robert Walford	153	26	17.0%
O Sherwood	155	25	16.1%
Gary & Josh Moore	131	25	19.1%
Harry Fry	104	24	23.1%
Ben Pauling	145	23	15.9%
Olly Murphy	134	23	17.2%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
J E Moore	449	80	17.8%
Tom Cannon	462	68	14.7%
G Sheehan	257	55	21.4%
Sam Twiston-Davies	228	49	21.5%
R Johnson	179	41	22.9%
Joshua Moore	254	39	15.4%
Aidan Coleman	157	37	23.6%
Brendan Powell	320	37	11.6%
Rex Dingle	205	35	17.1%
N D Fehily	122	29	23.8%
L P Aspell	213	29	13.6%
M Goldstein	358	27	7.5%
Nick Scholfield	221	26	11.8%
T Scudamore	135	26	19.3%
James Bowen	107	22	20.6%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,611 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 600 times — a strike rate of 37.2%.

Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle was run over about 2 miles 1 furlong for four-year-olds. The race ran from 2007 to 2018 before being replaced by the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. The data here covers the 12 editions of the Fred Winter specifically.

Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2018	Veneer Of Charm	Gordon Elliott	J W Kennedy	4	33/1
2017	Flying Tiger	Nick Williams	R Johnson	4	33/1
2016	Diego Du Charmil	P F Nicholls	S Twiston-Davies	4	15/2
2015	Qualando	P F Nicholls	N Scholfield	4	25/1
2014	Hawk High	T D Easterby	B Hughes	4	33/1
2013	Flaxen Flare	Gordon Elliott	D J Condon	4	25/1
2012	Une Artiste	N Henderson	J McGrath	4	40/1
2011	What A Charm	A L T Moore	P Townend	4	9/1
2010	Sanctuaire	P F Nicholls	R Walsh	4	4/1
2009	Silk Affair	M G Quinlan	T J O’Brien	4	11/1
2008	Crack Away Jack	Miss E C Lavelle	P Carberry	4	14/1
2007	Gaspara	D E Pipe	Mr A Glassonbury	4	9/2

Key Trends

Age profile: All winners were four-year-olds — it was a restricted race.

Gold Cup - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the blue riband of National Hunt racing — a Grade 1 chase over about 3 miles 2½ furlongs on the Friday of the Festival. Best Mate, Kauto Star, Denman and Galopin Des Champs have all had their names etched into the race’s history.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Inothewayurthinkin	Gavin Cromwell	M P Walsh	7	15/2
2024	Galopin Des Champs	W P Mullins	P Townend	8	10/11
2023	Galopin Des Champs	W P Mullins	P Townend	7	7/5
2022	A Plus Tard	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	8	3/1
2021	Minella Indo	Henry de Bromhead	J W Kennedy	8	9/1
2020	Al Boum Photo	W P Mullins	P Townend	8	100/30
2019	Al Boum Photo	W P Mullins	P Townend	7	12/1
2018	Native River	C L Tizzard	R Johnson	8	5/1
2017	Sizing John	Mrs J Harrington	R Power	7	7/1
2016	Don Cossack	Gordon Elliott	B J Cooper	9	9/4

Key Trends

Age profile: Eight-year-olds have an outstanding record — 10 wins from 20 renewals, exactly half. Seven-year-olds have won 5 times and nine-year-olds 4 times. Long Run’s win at 6 in 2011 is the youngest in our dataset. Nothing older than 9 has won since Best Mate’s third victory in 2004.

Grand Annual Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Grand Annual Handicap Chase is run over about 2 miles on the Friday of the Festival. It’s a fast, frenetic handicap chase that typically draws a field of 20+, and it has a long history stretching back to 1834. The pace is relentless and fallers are common.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Jazzy Matty	Cian Collins	D J Gilligan	6	17/2
2024	Unexpected Party	Dan Skelton	H Skelton	9	12/1
2023	Maskada	Henry de Bromhead	D J O’Keeffe	7	22/1
2022	Global Citizen	Ben Pauling	K Woods	10	28/1
2021	Sky Pirate	Jonjo O’Neill	N Scholfield	8	14/1
2020	Chosen Mate	Gordon Elliott	D N Russell	7	7/2
2019	Croco Bay	B I Case	K Woods	12	66/1
2018	Le Prezien	P F Nicholls	B J Geraghty	7	17/2
2017	Rock The World	Mrs J Harrington	R Power	9	10/1
2016	Solar Impulse	P F Nicholls	S Twiston-Davies	6	28/1

Key Trends

Age profile: The spread is remarkably wide. Nine-year-olds lead with 6 wins, but seven and eight-year-olds have 5 each, six-year-olds 3. There have been two ten-year-old winners and even a twelve-year-old (Croco Bay in 2019). Age is barely a factor.

Hereford Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hereford reopened in 2016 after a four-year closure and runs a programme of National Hunt racing from autumn through spring. A right-handed, fairly flat track that races mainly at Class 4-5 level. It’s a popular early-season venue for horses getting their first run.

Course Profile


Direction	Right-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (450), Chase (268), National Hunt Flat (60)
Total races (dataset)	778

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Dan Skelton	156	34	21.8%
Miss Venetia Williams	195	32	16.4%
P F Nicholls	93	25	26.9%
Evan Williams	283	24	8.5%
Kerry Lee	128	24	18.8%
N A Twiston-Davies	132	23	17.4%
N P Mulholland	108	22	20.4%
Jonjo O’Neill	99	20	20.2%
N J Henderson	64	20	31.3%
Alastair Ralph	136	15	11.0%
W J Greatrex	94	15	16.0%
Ben Pauling	89	14	15.7%
A King	66	14	21.2%
Fergal O’Brien	140	13	9.3%
H D Daly	95	13	13.7%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Sam Twiston-Davies	189	39	20.6%
Harry Skelton	88	27	30.7%
H Cobden	84	23	27.4%
Charlie Deutsch	148	23	15.5%
Richard Patrick	99	18	18.2%
Thomas Bellamy	109	18	16.5%
G Sheehan	103	17	16.5%
Stan Sheppard	127	17	13.4%
Aidan Coleman	54	17	31.5%
R Johnson	100	17	17.0%
James Bowen	130	17	13.1%
Jonjo O’Neill Jr.	83	15	18.1%
Brendan Powell	88	14	15.9%
David Bass	80	14	17.5%
Adam Wedge	175	13	7.4%

Favourite Performance

Across 841 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 302 times — a strike rate of 35.9%.

Hexham Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hexham is a left-handed, undulating National Hunt course in Northumberland, set at one of the highest elevations of any British track. The stiff uphill finish and often testing ground make it a real stamina test. Mostly lower-grade racing with smaller fields.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (580), Chase (418), National Hunt Flat (63)
Total races (dataset)	1,061

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Miss Lucinda V Russell	481	64	13.3%
M T Walford	221	38	17.2%
Micky Hammond	464	38	8.2%
N G Richards	164	37	22.6%
M A Barnes	306	30	9.8%
W S Coltherd	250	29	11.6%
G T Bewley	283	28	9.9%
Jennie Candlish	100	24	24.0%
B Ellison	135	23	17.0%
Susan Corbett	232	21	9.1%
M Todhunter	163	20	12.3%
B M R Haslam	121	18	14.9%
Rebecca Menzies	255	18	7.1%
D McCain Jnr	166	17	10.2%
N W Alexander	179	16	8.9%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
B S Hughes	354	56	15.8%
Sean Quinlan	391	56	14.3%
Jamie Hamilton	344	38	11.0%
D R Fox	289	33	11.4%
Thomas Dowson	272	30	11.0%
Danny McMenamin	209	30	14.4%
B Hughes	181	28	15.5%
Henry Brooke	303	28	9.2%
Craig Nichol	264	27	10.2%
Jonathon Bewley	238	26	10.9%
Sam Coltherd	249	25	10.0%
Ross Chapman	243	24	9.9%
R P McLernon	118	18	15.3%
Dale Irving	139	17	12.2%
S Mulqueen	237	17	7.2%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,142 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 393 times — a strike rate of 34.4%.

How Weather and Going Affect Jump Racing

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve got a separate article on going in general terms, but jump racing deserves its own discussion. The ground affects jumps racing differently and more dramatically than it does the flat. Races are longer, the obstacles add another variable, and the going swings more wildly across a jumps season that runs from October to April — slap in the middle of a British winter.

Understanding how ground conditions affect different types of horses is one of the most practical edges you can have. It’s not complicated, but it does require paying attention.

Hunters' Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Foxhunter Chase (Hunters’ Chase) is run over about 3 miles 2½ furlongs on Friday of the Festival, exclusively for hunter chasers ridden by amateur jockeys. The Gold Cup course, amateur riders, and big fields make this a uniquely unpredictable race.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Wonderwall	S Curling	Mr R James	9	28/1
2024	Sine Nomine	F Needham	Mr J Dawson	8	8/1
2023	Premier Magic	Bradley Gibbs	Mr B Gibbs	10	66/1
2022	Billaway	W P Mullins	Mr P W Mullins	10	5/2
2021	Porlock Bay	Will Biddick	L Williams	10	16/1
2020	It Came To Pass	E M O’Sullivan	Miss M O’Sullivan	10	66/1
2019	Hazel Hill	Philip Rowley	Mr A Edwards	11	7/2
2018	Pacha Du Polder	P F Nicholls	Miss H Tucker	11	25/1
2017	Pacha Du Polder	P F Nicholls	Miss B Frost	10	16/1
2016	On The Fringe	E Bolger	Ms N Carberry	11	5/2

Key Trends

Age profile: Ten-year-olds lead with 7 wins from 22 renewals. Nine-year-olds have 5 wins, eleven-year-olds 3, and eight-year-olds 3. Earthmover won at 13 in 2004. This is a race for seasoned, older horses — the youngest winner was Kingscliff at 6 back in 2003.

Huntingdon Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Huntingdon is a right-handed, flat, galloping National Hunt track in Cambridgeshire. The easy fences and fair nature of the course make it a popular starting point for novice chasers. Mostly Class 3-4 racing.

Course Profile


Direction	Right-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (708), Chase (416), National Hunt Flat (133)
Total races (dataset)	1,257

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Dan Skelton	355	60	16.9%
Fergal O’Brien	252	55	21.8%
N J Henderson	241	50	20.7%
Jonjo O’Neill	223	44	19.7%
Ben Pauling	234	42	17.9%
Olly Murphy	189	36	19.0%
A King	223	35	15.7%
K C Bailey	214	34	15.9%
G L Moore	251	30	12.0%
C E Longsdon	239	29	12.1%
N A Twiston-Davies	171	23	13.5%
Jamie Snowden	118	22	18.6%
Stuart Edmunds	145	22	15.2%
Mrs L Wadham	147	21	14.3%
Tom Lacey	85	20	23.5%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Harry Skelton	257	47	18.3%
G Sheehan	199	45	22.6%
Sam Twiston-Davies	230	34	14.8%
P J Brennan	141	33	23.4%
R Johnson	128	30	23.4%
Nico de Boinville	116	27	23.3%
C Gethings	178	26	14.6%
Thomas Bellamy	195	26	13.3%
Tom Cannon	212	25	11.8%
Kielan Woods	205	24	11.7%
Aidan Coleman	165	22	13.3%
S Bowen	110	22	20.0%
J E Moore	165	20	12.1%
Jonjo O’Neill Jr.	95	20	21.1%
H Cobden	86	19	22.1%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,335 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 494 times — a strike rate of 37.0%.

Kelso Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Kelso is a left-handed, sharp National Hunt track in the Scottish Borders. The tight turns favour handy, nimble jumpers over long-striding gallopers. Quality has improved in recent years, with some decent prize money on offer for a smaller course.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (514), Chase (431), National Hunt Flat (68)
Total races (dataset)	1,013

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Miss Lucinda V Russell	698	99	14.2%
N W Alexander	515	56	10.9%
A M Thomson	360	54	15.0%
N G Richards	273	47	17.2%
D McCain Jnr	300	42	14.0%
Mrs R Dobbin	252	30	11.9%
W S Coltherd	255	29	11.4%
Iain Jardine	190	25	13.2%
Keith Dalgleish	117	22	18.8%
J P L Ewart	155	22	14.2%
G T Bewley	138	18	13.0%
Micky Hammond	161	17	10.6%
Mrs A Hamilton	73	16	21.9%
Miss S E Forster	157	15	9.6%
Fergal O’Brien	42	15	35.7%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
B S Hughes	414	65	15.7%
D R Fox	360	54	15.0%
Craig Nichol	404	52	12.9%
Sean Quinlan	348	49	14.1%
Ryan Mania	234	44	18.8%
B Hughes	189	36	19.0%
Danny McMenamin	248	30	12.1%
Bruce Lynn	183	22	12.0%
Jamie Hamilton	249	21	8.4%
Henry Brooke	257	20	7.8%
B P Harding	108	20	18.5%
Ross Chapman	186	19	10.2%
Lucy Alexander	145	19	13.1%
Callum Bewley	251	18	7.2%
P W Wadge	118	18	15.3%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,083 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 392 times — a strike rate of 36.2%.

Kim Muir Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Kim Muir Challenge Cup is a handicap chase over about 3 miles 2 furlongs on Thursday of the Festival, restricted to amateur riders. It’s a race that produces its share of upsets, though the bigger professional yards still target it despite the amateur restriction.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Daily Present	Paul Nolan	Mr B T Stone	8	12/1
2024	Inothewayurthinkin	Gavin Cromwell	Mr D O’Connor	6	5/2
2023	Angels Dawn	S Curling	Mr P A King	8	10/1
2022	Chambard	Venetia Williams	Miss L Turner	10	40/1
2021	Mount Ida	Denise Foster	J W Kennedy	7	3/1
2020	Milan Native	Gordon Elliott	Mr R James	7	9/1
2019	Any Second Now	T M Walsh	Mr D O’Connor	7	6/1
2018	Missed Approach	W J Greatrex	Mr N McParlan	8	8/1
2017	Domesday Book	Stuart Edmunds	Miss G Andrews	7	40/1
2016	Cause Of Causes	Gordon Elliott	Mr J J Codd	8	9/2

Key Trends

Age profile: Seven-year-olds lead with 7 wins from 19 renewals (37%). Eight-year-olds have 4 wins, nine-year-olds 5. A single six-year-old (Inothewayurthinkin in 2024), one ten-year-old, and one twelve-year-old complete the set.

Ludlow Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ludlow is a right-handed, fairly tight National Hunt course in Shropshire. The easy fences and flat terrain make it a straightforward test, and it’s a popular venue for less-experienced jumpers. Mostly Class 3-5 racing.

Course Profile


Direction	Right-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (601), Chase (414), National Hunt Flat (78)
Total races (dataset)	1,093

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Fergal O’Brien	264	49	18.6%
N J Henderson	221	49	22.2%
Dan Skelton	289	45	15.6%
H D Daly	251	44	17.5%
Evan Williams	396	43	10.9%
N A Twiston-Davies	285	38	13.3%
P J Hobbs	174	36	20.7%
K C Bailey	197	35	17.8%
Miss Venetia Williams	234	33	14.1%
T R George	181	31	17.1%
P F Nicholls	132	29	22.0%
Alastair Ralph	195	27	13.8%
A King	132	24	18.2%
Jonjo O’Neill	166	22	13.3%
Ben Pauling	106	18	17.0%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
R Johnson	188	44	23.4%
Sam Twiston-Davies	329	41	12.5%
P J Brennan	172	41	23.8%
Harry Skelton	166	35	21.1%
J J Burke	187	33	17.6%
David Bass	129	27	20.9%
T J O’Brien	145	25	17.2%
Adam Wedge	232	23	9.9%
Nico de Boinville	113	22	19.5%
G Sheehan	127	19	15.0%
H Cobden	95	18	18.9%
James Bowen	111	16	14.4%
Thomas Bellamy	130	16	12.3%
Charlie Deutsch	151	15	9.9%
Kielan Woods	101	15	14.9%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,163 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 450 times — a strike rate of 38.7%.

Mares' Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Mares’ Chase is one of the newest races at the Festival, a Grade 2 event over about 2 miles 4 furlongs on the Wednesday. It was introduced in 2021 to give female chasers their own championship race. With only 5 renewals, the sample size is small, but some patterns have already formed.

Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Dinoblue	W P Mullins	M P Walsh	8	5/2
2024	Limerick Lace	Gavin Cromwell	K M Donoghue	7	3/1
2023	Impervious	C A Murphy	B Hayes	7	11/4
2022	Elimay	W P Mullins	M P Walsh	8	13/4
2021	Colreevy	W P Mullins	P Townend	8	13/4

Key Trends

Age profile: Three winners have been eight-year-olds, two have been seven-year-olds. No other ages have won.

Mares' Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Mares’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 race over about 2 miles 4 furlongs on the Tuesday of the Festival. It’s the championship for female hurdlers and has been won by some outstanding mares including Honeysuckle, Lossiemouth and Annie Power (who fell at the last when odds-on in 2015 before the race gained Grade 1 status).

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Lossiemouth	W P Mullins	P Townend	6	4/6
2024	Lossiemouth	W P Mullins	P Townend	5	8/13
2023	Honeysuckle	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	9	13/4
2022	Marie’s Rock	N Henderson	N de Boinville	7	18/1
2021	Black Tears	Denise Foster	J W Kennedy	7	11/1
2020	Honeysuckle	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	6	13/4
2019	Roksana	Dan Skelton	H Skelton	7	10/1
2018	Benie Des Dieux	W P Mullins	R Walsh	7	9/2
2017	Apple’s Jade	Gordon Elliott	B J Cooper	5	7/2
2016	Vroum Vroum Mag	W P Mullins	R Walsh	7	4/6

Key Trends

Age profile: Seven-year-olds have the most wins with 6 from 11 renewals. Five-year-olds have won twice, six-year-olds twice, and there’s one nine-year-old winner (Honeysuckle’s farewell in 2023).

Market Rasen Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Market Rasen is a right-handed, sharp National Hunt track in Lincolnshire that also stages a popular summer jumping programme. The tight bends and undulations suit handy, quick-jumping types. Summer meetings on fast ground can produce some interesting results.

Course Profile


Direction	Right-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (873), Chase (537), National Hunt Flat (127)
Total races (dataset)	1,537

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Dan Skelton	483	101	20.9%
Olly Murphy	392	82	20.9%
Fergal O’Brien	365	67	18.4%
Jonjo O’Neill	263	36	13.7%
N J Henderson	147	33	22.4%
Dr R D P Newland	149	32	21.5%
A King	208	31	14.9%
N A Twiston-Davies	156	29	18.6%
Micky Hammond	251	29	11.6%
P Bowen	151	25	16.6%
B Ellison	198	24	12.1%
Stuart Edmunds	100	21	21.0%
Ben Pauling	137	21	15.3%
M T Walford	181	18	9.9%
C E Longsdon	175	18	10.3%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Harry Skelton	348	79	22.7%
Aidan Coleman	266	58	21.8%
Sam Twiston-Davies	260	56	21.5%
S Bowen	235	56	23.8%
B S Hughes	305	47	15.4%
R Johnson	224	43	19.2%
P J Brennan	205	40	19.5%
G Sheehan	195	29	14.9%
James Bowen	143	27	18.9%
Henry Brooke	209	26	12.4%
J J Burke	129	21	16.3%
Kielan Woods	215	21	9.8%
T Scudamore	153	20	13.1%
Fergus Gregory	70	20	28.6%
Sean Quinlan	144	20	13.9%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,659 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 590 times — a strike rate of 35.6%.

Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle is run over about 2 miles 4 furlongs on the Friday of the Festival. It’s restricted to conditional (apprentice) jockeys, which gives it a distinctive character. The race has developed a reputation for producing future stars — Galopin Des Champs and Sir Des Champs both won this before going on to the highest level.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Wodhooh	Gordon Elliott	D J Gilligan	5	9/2
2024	Better Days Ahead	Gordon Elliott	D J Gilligan	6	5/1
2023	Iroko	O Greenall & J Guerriero	A P Kelly	5	6/1
2022	Banbridge	J P O’Brien	M M McDonagh	6	12/1
2021	Galopin Des Champs	W P Mullins	S F O’Keeffe	5	8/1
2020	Indefatigable	P R Webber	Rex Dingle	7	25/1
2019	Early Doors	J P O’Brien	Jonjo O’Neill Jr.	6	5/1
2018	Blow By Blow	Gordon Elliott	D Meyler	7	11/1
2017	Champagne Classic	Gordon Elliott	J J Slevin	6	12/1
2016	Ibis Du Rheu	P F Nicholls	Jack Sherwood	5	14/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Six-year-olds have won 9 of 17 renewals (53%), followed by five-year-olds with 6 wins. Two seven-year-olds complete the picture. Youth dominates — nothing older than 7 has won.

Newton Abbot Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Newton Abbot is a left-handed, flat, sharp National Hunt track in Devon that races mainly through the summer months on better ground than most jumps courses see. The tight track and firm conditions produce quick racing and favour nippy, quick-jumping sorts.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (685), Chase (437), National Hunt Flat (78)
Total races (dataset)	1,200

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
P F Nicholls	368	105	28.5%
Fergal O’Brien	187	40	21.4%
D E Pipe	315	36	11.4%
C L Tizzard	233	36	15.5%
P J Hobbs	208	33	15.9%
Dan Skelton	187	32	17.1%
Evan Williams	245	30	12.2%
Joe Tizzard	145	28	19.3%
Harry Fry	113	26	23.0%
N P Mulholland	217	24	11.1%
J Scott	164	21	12.8%
A J Honeyball	84	20	23.8%
J W Mullins	197	20	10.2%
P Bowen	102	20	19.6%
M F Harris	100	19	19.0%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Sam Twiston-Davies	303	70	23.1%
H Cobden	253	57	22.5%
R Johnson	235	44	18.7%
T Scudamore	288	37	12.8%
Aidan Coleman	109	29	26.6%
T J O’Brien	179	29	16.2%
Nick Scholfield	243	28	11.5%
Harry Skelton	137	26	19.0%
S Bowen	143	26	18.2%
Brendan Powell	232	26	11.2%
P J Brennan	113	24	21.2%
James Bowen	117	21	17.9%
G Sheehan	156	20	12.8%
Adam Wedge	193	19	9.8%
David Noonan	256	18	7.0%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,275 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 468 times — a strike rate of 36.7%.

Pertemps Final - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Pertemps Network Final is a handicap hurdle over 3 miles on the Thursday of the Festival. To qualify, horses must have run in one of the qualifying rounds during the season. The qualification system adds an extra layer to the puzzle.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Doddiethegreat	N Henderson	B S Hughes	9	25/1
2024	Monmiral	P F Nicholls	H Cobden	7	25/1
2023	Good Time Jonny	A J Martin	L McKenna	8	9/1
2022	Third Wind	H Morrison	T J O’Brien	8	25/1
2021	Mrs Milner	Paul Nolan	B J Cooper	6	12/1
2020	Sire Du Berlais	Gordon Elliott	B J Geraghty	8	10/1
2019	Sire Du Berlais	Gordon Elliott	B J Geraghty	7	4/1
2018	Delta Work	Gordon Elliott	D N Russell	5	6/1
2017	Presenting Percy	Patrick G Kelly	D N Russell	6	11/1
2016	Mall Dini	Patrick G Kelly	D N Russell	6	14/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Eight-year-olds lead with 7 wins from 22 renewals. Six-year-olds have 6 wins, seven-year-olds 3. Nine-year-olds have 4 wins, and there are single wins from a five-year-old and a ten-year-old. A wide spread.

Perth Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Perth is a right-handed, flat National Hunt track in Scotland that races primarily from April to September. The course rides fast and the easy fences make it a good venue for front-runners. It has built a reputation as a well-run, enjoyable track with improving prize money.

Course Profile


Direction	Right-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (611), Chase (398), National Hunt Flat (57)
Total races (dataset)	1,066

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Gordon Elliott	461	114	24.7%
Miss Lucinda V Russell	774	68	8.8%
Olly Murphy	178	49	27.5%
D McCain Jnr	164	42	25.6%
N G Richards	343	34	9.9%
Fergal O’Brien	155	34	21.9%
Miss L Harrison	336	29	8.6%
S R Crawford	282	25	8.9%
N A Twiston-Davies	135	23	17.0%
Iain Jardine	206	21	10.2%
Keith Dalgleish	105	20	19.0%
Mrs Dianne Sayer	156	20	12.8%
P Bowen	77	18	23.4%
N P Mulholland	93	18	19.4%
Mrs R Dobbin	129	17	13.2%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
S Bowen	273	85	31.1%
R Johnson	306	80	26.1%
B S Hughes	417	80	19.2%
Sam Twiston-Davies	152	30	19.7%
B Hughes	229	30	13.1%
Craig Nichol	291	30	10.3%
D R Fox	358	27	7.5%
Danny McMenamin	227	24	10.6%
P J Brennan	129	24	18.6%
Henry Brooke	274	23	8.4%
James Bowen	93	22	23.7%
Sean Quinlan	308	20	6.5%
C O’Farrell	188	18	9.6%
T Scudamore	82	17	20.7%
D A Jacob	80	16	20.0%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,166 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 417 times — a strike rate of 35.8%.

Plate Chase (Festival Handicap Chase) - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Plate Chase (formerly the Festival Handicap Chase, also sometimes known as the Brown Advisory Plate) is run over about 2 miles 4½ furlongs on the Thursday of the Festival. It regularly draws big fields and is one of the more wide-open handicap chases of the week.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Jagwar	O Greenall & J Guerriero	Jonjo O’Neill Jr.	6	3/1
2024	Shakem Up’arry	Ben Pauling	Ben Jones	10	8/1
2023	Seddon	John C McConnell	B Harvey	10	20/1
2022	Coole Cody	Evan Williams	Adam Wedge	11	22/1
2021	The Shunter	Emmet Mullins	J C Gainford	8	13/4
2020	Simply The Betts	Harry Whittington	G Sheehan	7	100/30
2019	Siruh Du Lac	Nick Williams	L Kelly	6	9/2
2018	The Storyteller	Gordon Elliott	D N Russell	7	5/1
2017	Road To Respect	Noel Meade	B J Cooper	6	14/1
2016	Empire Of Dirt	C A Murphy	B J Cooper	9	16/1

Key Trends

Age profile: The age spread is unusually wide. Six-year-olds and eight-year-olds both have 4 wins, seven-year-olds 3. But ten and eleven-year-olds have combined for 5 wins, including Mister McGoldrick at 11 in 2008 and Coole Cody at 11 in 2022. Older horses perform better here than in most Festival races.

Plumpton Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Plumpton is one of the tightest National Hunt tracks in Britain, a sharp left-handed circuit in East Sussex with a testing uphill finish. The tight bends make jumping accuracy essential, and the ground can get very testing through the winter.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (658), Chase (394), National Hunt Flat (57)
Total races (dataset)	1,109

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
C Gordon	509	98	19.3%
G L Moore	670	98	14.6%
P F Nicholls	122	36	29.5%
A J Honeyball	158	35	22.2%
J W Mullins	271	34	12.5%
N P Mulholland	258	32	12.4%
A King	128	30	23.4%
N J Henderson	91	26	28.6%
Miss S West	198	25	12.6%
Dan Skelton	98	18	18.4%
D E Pipe	127	18	14.2%
C L Tizzard	112	18	16.1%
D G Bridgwater	154	17	11.0%
Miss Z C Davison	147	17	11.6%
Joe Tizzard	83	17	20.5%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Tom Cannon	463	83	17.9%
J E Moore	389	51	13.1%
Joshua Moore	254	36	14.2%
M Goldstein	354	34	9.6%
H Cobden	121	34	28.1%
Brendan Powell	245	26	10.6%
T Scudamore	147	24	16.3%
G Sheehan	169	23	13.6%
Sam Twiston-Davies	102	22	21.6%
Rex Dingle	164	21	12.8%
Aidan Coleman	96	20	20.8%
Nick Scholfield	151	19	12.6%
N D Fehily	73	18	24.7%
Freddie Gordon	67	17	25.4%
Caoilin Quinn	118	17	14.4%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,182 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 441 times — a strike rate of 37.3%.

Ryanair Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Ryanair Chase is a Grade 1 race over about 2 miles 5 furlongs on the Thursday of the Festival. It sits between the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup in terms of distance and tends to attract high-class chasers who are either too slow for two miles or lack the stamina for the Gold Cup trip.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Fact To File	W P Mullins	M P Walsh	8	6/4
2024	Protektorat	Dan Skelton	H Skelton	9	19/2
2023	Envoi Allen	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	9	13/2
2022	Allaho	W P Mullins	P Townend	8	4/7
2021	Allaho	W P Mullins	R Blackmore	7	3/1
2020	Min	W P Mullins	P Townend	9	2/1
2019	Frodon	P F Nicholls	B Frost	7	9/2
2018	Balko Des Flos	Henry de Bromhead	D N Russell	7	8/1
2017	Un De Sceaux	W P Mullins	R Walsh	9	11/4
2016	Vautour	W P Mullins	R Walsh	7	Evs

Key Trends

Age profile: Seven-year-olds lead with 6 wins, followed by eight and nine-year-olds with 5 each. Three ten-year-olds have won (Albertas Run twice and Fondmort). Taranis at 6 is the youngest winner. The race suits experienced chasers rather than novice types.

Sedgefield Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sedgefield is a sharp, left-handed, undulating National Hunt track in County Durham. The tight turns and short straights favour handy, experienced jumpers. Mostly Class 4-5 racing, and it’s a productive venue for northern trainers.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (726), Chase (465), National Hunt Flat (94)
Total races (dataset)	1,285

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
D McCain Jnr	607	106	17.5%
Micky Hammond	628	72	11.5%
B Ellison	334	66	19.8%
P A Kirby	262	39	14.9%
Rebecca Menzies	296	37	12.5%
Sam England	221	36	16.3%
Jennie Candlish	195	31	15.9%
Mrs S J Smith	210	29	13.8%
N P Mulholland	70	26	37.1%
C Grant	303	25	8.3%
Kenneth Slack	79	22	27.8%
Mrs Dianne Sayer	158	22	13.9%
B M R Haslam	210	22	10.5%
Dan Skelton	97	21	21.6%
Evan Williams	91	20	22.0%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
B S Hughes	533	126	23.6%
Henry Brooke	410	70	17.1%
Sean Quinlan	442	59	13.3%
B Hughes	258	50	19.4%
Danny McMenamin	214	35	16.4%
Jonathan England	212	31	14.6%
Danny Cook	173	31	17.9%
Thomas Dowson	234	26	11.1%
C O’Farrell	210	25	11.9%
Jamie Hamilton	274	22	8.0%
R P McLernon	198	21	10.6%
Ross Chapman	210	20	9.5%
Callum Bewley	234	18	7.7%
S Bowen	68	18	26.5%
Joe Colliver	99	17	17.2%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,360 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 519 times — a strike rate of 38.2%.

Stayers' Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Stayers’ Hurdle (sponsored by Paddy Power) is a Grade 1 race over 3 miles on Thursday of the Festival. It’s the championship for the staying hurdlers, and repeat winners are a feature — Flooring Porter, Baracouda and others have won this more than once.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Bob Olinger	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	10	8/1
2024	Teahupoo	Gordon Elliott	J W Kennedy	7	5/4
2023	Sire Du Berlais	Gordon Elliott	M P Walsh	11	33/1
2022	Flooring Porter	Gavin Cromwell	D E Mullins	7	4/1
2021	Flooring Porter	Gavin Cromwell	D E Mullins	6	12/1
2020	Lisnagar Oscar	Rebecca Curtis	Adam Wedge	7	50/1
2019	Paisley Park	Emma Lavelle	A Coleman	7	19/8
2018	Penhill	W P Mullins	P Townend	7	12/1
2017	Nichols Canyon	W P Mullins	R Walsh	7	10/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Seven-year-olds have won 7 of the 11 renewals in our dataset, a truly dominant record. Beyond that, winners have come at 6, 8, 10 and even 11. But if you’re looking for one number, 7 is it.

Stratford Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Stratford-upon-Avon is a left-handed, sharp, flat National Hunt course that races mainly through the spring and summer. The quick ground and tight track produce fast-run racing. Small fields and moderate prize money mean trainer intent is worth tracking.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (626), Chase (487), National Hunt Flat (95)
Total races (dataset)	1,208

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Dan Skelton	334	67	20.1%
Fergal O’Brien	224	34	15.2%
N A Twiston-Davies	176	30	17.0%
Olly Murphy	193	28	14.5%
A King	118	28	23.7%
D McCain Jnr	166	26	15.7%
Jamie Snowden	106	25	23.6%
P F Nicholls	81	25	30.9%
N P Mulholland	169	22	13.0%
Gary Hanmer	114	22	19.3%
Dr R D P Newland	114	22	19.3%
W J Greatrex	105	21	20.0%
C E Longsdon	138	21	15.2%
Jonjo O’Neill	155	19	12.3%
P J Hobbs	101	19	18.8%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Harry Skelton	234	58	24.8%
Sam Twiston-Davies	279	49	17.6%
R Johnson	221	44	19.9%
Aidan Coleman	166	35	21.1%
S Bowen	162	32	19.8%
G Sheehan	193	32	16.6%
Harry Bannister	132	28	21.2%
B S Hughes	135	25	18.5%
P J Brennan	151	23	15.2%
Tom Cannon	130	23	17.7%
Kielan Woods	156	20	12.8%
Adam Wedge	143	19	13.3%
T Scudamore	155	18	11.6%
Thomas Bellamy	114	15	13.2%
David Bass	103	14	13.6%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,286 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 471 times — a strike rate of 36.6%.

Supreme Novices' Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 race over about 2 miles that opens the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday. It’s the first chance for the novice hurdlers to prove themselves at the highest level, and it regularly produces future champions — Altior, Constitution Hill, Douvan and Vautour all started their Festival careers here.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Kopek Des Bordes	W P Mullins	P Townend	5	4/6
2024	Slade Steel	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	6	7/2
2023	Marine Nationale	Barry Connell	M O’Sullivan	6	9/2
2022	Constitution Hill	N Henderson	N de Boinville	5	9/4
2021	Appreciate It	W P Mullins	P Townend	7	8/11
2020	Shishkin	N Henderson	N de Boinville	6	6/1
2019	Klassical Dream	W P Mullins	R Walsh	5	6/1
2018	Summerville Boy	T R George	N D Fehily	6	9/1
2017	Labaik	Gordon Elliott	J W Kennedy	6	25/1
2016	Altior	N Henderson	N de Boinville	6	4/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Five and six-year-olds dominate. From 23 renewals, 9 winners were aged five and 12 were aged six. Only 2 seven-year-olds have won (Appreciate It in 2021 and Captain Cee Bee in 2008). Nothing older has managed it.

Taunton Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Taunton is a right-handed, tight National Hunt track in Somerset with a short home straight. The sharp bends and relatively easy fences suit nimble types who can keep a handy position. Mostly Class 3-5 racing through the winter months.

Course Profile


Direction	Right-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (645), Chase (285), National Hunt Flat (52)
Total races (dataset)	982

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
P F Nicholls	470	132	28.1%
P J Hobbs	245	38	15.5%
D E Pipe	366	34	9.3%
Harry Fry	181	30	16.6%
J Scott	200	30	15.0%
C L Tizzard	213	29	13.6%
Evan Williams	278	26	9.4%
N P Mulholland	270	26	9.6%
Dan Skelton	167	21	12.6%
Robert Walford	99	20	20.2%
A J Honeyball	139	20	14.4%
N J Hawke	214	19	8.9%
Philip Hobbs & Johnson White	78	18	23.1%
N J Henderson	87	18	20.7%
Olly Murphy	101	15	14.9%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
H Cobden	255	76	29.8%
Sam Twiston-Davies	195	33	16.9%
M G Nolan	186	26	14.0%
Brendan Powell	211	21	10.0%
David Noonan	267	21	7.9%
T Scudamore	215	20	9.3%
Aidan Coleman	106	19	17.9%
R Johnson	137	19	13.9%
James Best	274	19	6.9%
Rex Dingle	142	17	12.0%
N D Fehily	85	17	20.0%
Lorcan Williams	78	16	20.5%
Nick Scholfield	174	15	8.6%
Harry Skelton	88	14	15.9%
G Sheehan	94	14	14.9%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,045 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 403 times — a strike rate of 38.6%.

Triumph Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 race over about 2 miles 1 furlong on Friday of the Festival, exclusively for four-year-old hurdlers (juveniles). It’s the championship race for the youngest jumpers, and past winners include Defi Du Seuil, Tiger Roll and Lossiemouth.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Poniros	W P Mullins	Jonjo O’Neill Jr.	4	100/1
2024	Majborough	W P Mullins	M P Walsh	4	6/1
2023	Lossiemouth	W P Mullins	P Townend	4	19/8
2022	Vauban	W P Mullins	P Townend	4	5/2
2021	Quilixios	Henry de Bromhead	R Blackmore	4	3/1
2020	Burning Victory	W P Mullins	P Townend	4	12/1
2019	Pentland Hills	N Henderson	N de Boinville	4	20/1
2018	Farclas	Gordon Elliott	J W Kennedy	4	9/1
2017	Defi Du Seuil	P J Hobbs	R Johnson	4	5/2
2016	Ivanovich Gorbatov	A P O’Brien	B J Geraghty	4	9/2

Key Trends

Age profile: Every single winner has been a four-year-old — that’s the age restriction, so no surprises there. All 23 winners, aged 4.

Ultima Handicap Chase - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Ultima Handicap Chase is run over about 3 miles 1 furlong on the Tuesday of the Festival. It’s the first handicap chase of the meeting, typically drawing a field of 20+ runners. Corach Rambler’s back-to-back wins in 2022-23 proved this race can produce a star.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Myretown	Lucinda Russell	P W Wadge	8	15/2
2024	Chianti Classico	K C Bailey	David Bass	7	6/1
2023	Corach Rambler	Lucinda Russell	D R Fox	9	6/1
2022	Corach Rambler	Lucinda Russell	D R Fox	8	10/1
2021	Vintage Clouds	Mrs Sue Smith	R Mania	11	28/1
2020	The Conditional	D G Bridgwater	B Powell	8	17/2
2019	Beware The Bear	N Henderson	J McGrath	9	10/1
2018	Coo Star Sivola	Nick Williams	L Kelly	6	5/1
2017	Un Temps Pour Tout	D E Pipe	T Scudamore	8	9/1
2016	Un Temps Pour Tout	D E Pipe	T Scudamore	7	11/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Eight-year-olds have won 5 of 11 renewals (45%). Seven and nine-year-olds have 2 wins each. The oldest winner was Vintage Clouds at 11 in 2021, and the youngest Coo Star Sivola at 6 in 2018.

Uttoxeter Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uttoxeter is a left-handed, fairly flat National Hunt course in Staffordshire. The course rides fair and is relatively straightforward, making it a good venue for novices. The Midlands Grand National in March is the biggest fixture.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (1130), Chase (611), National Hunt Flat (104)
Total races (dataset)	1,845

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Dan Skelton	613	126	20.6%
Olly Murphy	381	75	19.7%
Fergal O’Brien	421	71	16.9%
Jonjo O’Neill	409	52	12.7%
Dr R D P Newland	192	43	22.4%
N J Henderson	206	42	20.4%
N P Mulholland	357	40	11.2%
D E Pipe	287	37	12.9%
Harry Fry	141	33	23.4%
C E Longsdon	226	33	14.6%
D McCain Jnr	322	32	9.9%
N A Twiston-Davies	279	31	11.1%
Tom Lacey	177	27	15.3%
Jamie Snowden	163	27	16.6%
P Bowen	183	25	13.7%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Harry Skelton	409	116	28.4%
S Bowen	416	87	20.9%
Sam Twiston-Davies	392	64	16.3%
Aidan Coleman	267	50	18.7%
R Johnson	331	49	14.8%
G Sheehan	267	46	17.2%
J J Burke	237	41	17.3%
T Scudamore	283	35	12.4%
B S Hughes	228	34	14.9%
P J Brennan	225	34	15.1%
T J O’Brien	239	28	11.7%
Henry Brooke	202	25	12.4%
James Bowen	195	24	12.3%
Nick Scholfield	188	23	12.2%
R T Dunne	258	23	8.9%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,987 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 693 times — a strike rate of 34.9%.

Weatherbys Champion Bumper - Cheltenham Festival Trends & Statistics

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Weatherbys Champion Bumper is a Grade 1 National Hunt Flat Race over about 2 miles on Wednesday of the Festival. It’s the championship for bumper horses — young, unraced-over-hurdles types who are at the start of their careers. Envoi Allen, Cue Card, Facile Vega and Sir Gerhard all launched their Festival careers here.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Age	SP
2025	Bambino Fever	W P Mullins	Miss J Townend	5	4/1
2024	Jasmin De Vaux	W P Mullins	Mr P W Mullins	5	9/2
2023	A Dream To Share	John E Kiely	Mr J L Gleeson	5	7/2
2022	Facile Vega	W P Mullins	Mr P W Mullins	5	11/4
2021	Sir Gerhard	W P Mullins	R Blackmore	6	9/4
2020	Ferny Hollow	W P Mullins	P Townend	5	11/1
2019	Envoi Allen	Gordon Elliott	Mr J J Codd	5	3/1
2018	Relegate	W P Mullins	Ms K Walsh	5	25/1
2017	Fayonagh	Gordon Elliott	Mr J J Codd	6	7/1
2016	Ballyandy	N A Twiston-Davies	S Twiston-Davies	5	5/1

Key Trends

Age profile: Five-year-olds have won 12 of 20 renewals (60%). Six-year-olds have won 7, and there’s a single four-year-old winner in Cue Card (2010). The five-year-old profile is clearly dominant.

Wetherby Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Wetherby is a left-handed, galloping National Hunt course in West Yorkshire with a flat, fair track. The Charlie Hall Chase in late October traditionally marks the start of the northern jump season. A well-run track that stages quality racing relative to its size.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (594), Chase (427), Flat (231), National Hunt Flat (84)
Total races (dataset)	1,336

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
Dan Skelton	368	96	26.1%
Micky Hammond	724	48	6.6%
Olly Murphy	172	34	19.8%
P A Kirby	339	33	9.7%
M T Walford	267	27	10.1%
Jonjo O’Neill	155	25	16.1%
D McCain Jnr	251	25	10.0%
N A Twiston-Davies	124	23	18.5%
N G Richards	111	23	20.7%
T D Easterby	335	20	6.0%
Miss Lucinda V Russell	160	19	11.9%
R A Fahey	79	19	24.1%
Mrs S J Smith	221	19	8.6%
N P Mulholland	99	19	19.2%
K C Bailey	91	18	19.8%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Harry Skelton	256	76	29.7%
B S Hughes	345	48	13.9%
Sean Quinlan	313	34	10.9%
Jamie Hamilton	310	33	10.6%
G Sheehan	143	29	20.3%
B Hughes	198	26	13.1%
Danny Cook	207	22	10.6%
Henry Brooke	253	21	8.3%
S Bowen	91	20	22.0%
Kielan Woods	107	19	17.8%
R Johnson	93	19	20.4%
D Tudhope	73	18	24.7%
Charlie Hammond	84	18	21.4%
Joe Colliver	139	18	12.9%
P J Brennan	61	17	27.9%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,445 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 518 times — a strike rate of 35.8%.

Wincanton Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Wincanton is a right-handed, galloping National Hunt course in Somerset. The track is fairly testing with an uphill finish and can get very soft in winter. The Badger Ales Trophy is the main event. Paul Nicholls, based nearby, has an excellent record here.

Course Profile


Direction	Right-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (606), Chase (429), National Hunt Flat (80)
Total races (dataset)	1,115

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
P F Nicholls	656	185	28.2%
C L Tizzard	416	57	13.7%
J Scott	271	39	14.4%
P J Hobbs	296	38	12.8%
N P Mulholland	388	30	7.7%
A J Honeyball	247	30	12.1%
Joe Tizzard	196	26	13.3%
D E Pipe	205	22	10.7%
Harry Fry	186	22	11.8%
Robert Walford	178	21	11.8%
Emma Lavelle	128	19	14.8%
A King	180	19	10.6%
Dan Skelton	143	17	11.9%
C Gordon	109	17	15.6%
N J Henderson	103	17	16.5%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
H Cobden	300	89	29.7%
Sam Twiston-Davies	250	46	18.4%
D A Jacob	140	34	24.3%
Harry Cobden	110	33	30.0%
Brendan Powell	311	33	10.6%
T J O’Brien	186	28	15.1%
R Johnson	153	23	15.0%
Nick Scholfield	239	22	9.2%
Tom Cannon	185	22	11.9%
Rex Dingle	153	22	14.4%
G Sheehan	116	21	18.1%
Bryony Frost	116	20	17.2%
T Scudamore	177	19	10.7%
M G Nolan	210	19	9.0%
Lorcan Williams	119	18	15.1%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,213 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 434 times — a strike rate of 35.8%.

Worcester Racecourse Guide - Statistics & Trends

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Worcester is a left-handed, flat National Hunt track beside the River Severn that races from May to October, mostly on better ground. The flat, easy track and summer conditions produce quick racing. It can flood, leading to cancellations.

Course Profile


Direction	Left-handed
Surface	Turf
Racing	Hurdle (801), Chase (466), National Hunt Flat (124)
Total races (dataset)	1,391

Top Trainers

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%
N P Mulholland	449	57	12.7%
Dan Skelton	358	57	15.9%
Jonjo O’Neill	355	53	14.9%
Fergal O’Brien	365	52	14.2%
D E Pipe	328	41	12.5%
P Bowen	199	41	20.6%
N J Henderson	184	41	22.3%
P J Hobbs	167	39	23.4%
Dr R D P Newland	205	39	19.0%
N A Twiston-Davies	191	37	19.4%
C E Longsdon	241	33	13.7%
Ben Pauling	194	32	16.5%
P F Nicholls	120	29	24.2%
Jamie Snowden	147	27	18.4%
Olly Murphy	137	26	19.0%

Top Jockeys

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%
Sam Twiston-Davies	492	89	18.1%
R Johnson	295	61	20.7%
S Bowen	287	59	20.6%
Harry Skelton	287	58	20.2%
T Scudamore	319	41	12.9%
Aidan Coleman	247	39	15.8%
G Sheehan	208	33	15.9%
James Bowen	155	32	20.6%
H Cobden	141	31	22.0%
Kielan Woods	197	29	14.7%
P J Brennan	171	26	15.2%
T J O’Brien	203	26	12.8%
Thomas Bellamy	168	24	14.3%
Nico de Boinville	149	24	16.1%
Sean Bowen	124	24	19.4%

Favourite Performance

Across 1,502 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 516 times — a strike rate of 34.4%.

The 15-30 Day Sweet Spot: What Race Fitness Really Means in Jump Racing

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

“He’ll be fitter for that run.” It’s a phrase you hear after almost every moderate performance over jumps. But does the data actually support the idea that recently-run horses have an edge? We looked at over 193,000 jump racing performances since 2022 to find out.

The Results

Days Since Last Run	Runners	Winners	Win Rate
1-14 days	25,229	2,283	9.0%
15-30 days	68,317	7,354	10.8%
31-60 days	51,818	5,530	10.7%
61-90 days	12,103	1,054	8.7%
90+ days	35,691	3,215	9.0%

The sweet spot is clear: 15-30 days between runs produces the highest win rate at 10.8%, with 31-60 days virtually identical at 10.7%.