Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 20 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Bunbury Cup Preview
Scheduled to take place in July of each year at the Newmarket racecourse is the Bunbury Cup, which features at the July Festival. The race is run over a distance of seven furlongs, it is run over the straight course and is open to runners who are aged three or older.
One of the popular betting handicaps of the turf flat season in England, the Bunbury Cup is named in honour of Sir Charles Bunbury, who founded the two English Classics (1000 & 2000 Guineas) staged at Newmarket.
Bunbury Cup Information:
If you are interested in other predictions at Newmarket, then head over to the Newmarket tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal races during the Newmarket July Festival section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Bunbury Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2016 when the race had an over-round of 121%. The race in 2015 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 134%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Bunbury Cup, the over-round has been 128%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £128 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Bunbury Cup Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Bunbury Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Bunbury Cup races over the last 20 renewals:
- Rene Mathis (1:22.61) in 2015
- Vale Of Kent (1:22.69) in 2019
- Bless Him (1:22.84) in 2022
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Bunbury Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +2.00. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Bunbury Cup, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 1:22.61 was set by Rene Mathis in 2015, which is the quickest time over that period. The runner was trained by Richard Fahey and ridden by Paul Hanagan. The slowest winning time was set in 2012 when Bonnie Brae won in a time of 1:30.91, booked to ride was Ryan Moore by trainer David Elsworth.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Bunbury Cup Past Winners
Here are the Bunbury Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Bunbury Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:24.75 | More Thunder (IRE) 4yo 9-8 (13 of 12) 6/5F | Tom Marquand William Haggas (GB) |
| 2024 1:24.08 | Aalto (FR) 4yo 8-12 (10 of 20) 15/2 | Rossa Ryan Ian Williams (GB) |
| 2023 1:25.70 | Biggles (GB) 6yo 9-3 (18 of 15) 5/1 | Ryan Moore Ralph Beckett (GB) |
| 2022 1:22.84 | Bless Him (IRE) 8yo 9-3 (3 of 18) 25/1 | Jamie Spencer David Simcock (GB) |
| 2021 1:24.03 | Motakhayyel (GB) 5yo 9-10 (3 of 18) 11/2 | Frankie Dettori Richard Hannon (GB) |
| 2020 1:23.12 | Motakhayyel (GB) 4yo 9-7 (14 of 17) 5/1 | Jim Crowley Richard Hannon (GB) |
| 2019 1:22.69 | Vale Of Kent (IRE) 4yo 9-4 (14 of 17) 13/2 | Frankie Dettori Mark Johnston (GB) |
| 2018 1:24.36 | Burnt Sugar (IRE) 6yo 9-1 (16 of 18) 7/1 | Paul Hanagan Roger Fell (GB) |
| 2017 1:23.78 | Above The Rest (IRE) 6yo 8-10 (19 of 18) 12/1 | Clifford Lee (5lbs) David Barron (GB) |
| 2016 1:23.99 | Golden Steps (FR) 5yo 9-0 (14 of 16) 7/1F | Frankie Dettori Marco Botti (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Bunbury Cup have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 57 placings from 341 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 3 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
2025 Bunbury Cup Replay
Bunbury Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Bunbury Cup over the last 20 renewals is Richard Fahey, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Brae Hill (2011), Heavens Guest (2014) and Rene Mathis (2015). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Bunbury Cup is Richard Hannon (2 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Bunbury Cup; David O'Meara has sent a total of 12 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Bunbury Cup trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Fahey | 20-3-6 | +22.00 | +12.39 |
| Richard Hannon | 10-2-3 | +2.50 | +3.20 |
| David Simcock | 10-1-3 | +16.00 | +11.63 |
| William Haggas | 8-1-3 | -5.80 | -4.25 |
| Jamie Osborne | 6-1-2 | +9.00 | +8.38 |
| Roger Fell | 5-1-2 | +3.00 | +2.38 |
| David Elsworth | 5-1-2 | +2.50 | +2.56 |
| David Barron | 4-1-1 | +9.00 | +4.50 |
| Ian Williams | 4-1-3 | +4.50 | +10.82 |
| Ralph Beckett | 4-1-1 | +2.00 | +0.13 |
Bunbury Cup Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Bunbury Cup over the last 20 renewals is Frankie Dettori, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from St Moritz (2010), Golden Steps (2016), Vale Of Kent (2019) and Motakhayyel (2021). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Bunbury Cup is Ryan Moore (3 wins). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Bunbury Cup; William Buick has ridden 10 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Bunbury Cup jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie Dettori | 12-4-5 | +15.00 | +7.76 |
| Ryan Moore | 13-3-7 | +13.50 | +11.76 |
| Jamie Spencer | 9-1-3 | +17.00 | +11.01 |
| Adam Kirby | 5-1-1 | +10.00 | +4.75 |
| Jim Crowley | 5-1-1 | +1.00 | -0.87 |
| Tony Hamilton | 3-1-2 | +10.00 | +7.00 |
| Tom Marquand | 3-1-2 | -0.80 | +1.00 |
| Clifford Lee | 2-1-2 | +11.00 | +9.25 |
| Rossa Ryan | 2-1-1 | +6.50 | +3.69 |
| Barry McHugh | 1-1-1 | +11.00 | +6.88 |
2026 Bunbury Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 13, (13, 17), 11, 2, 1, 19, 12, 9, 13, 9, (1, 9), 16, 10, 2, 16, 10, (4, 13), 3, 4, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (68%) - Within the first 11 of the market
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Achieved a TS of 78+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - No bigger than 25/1
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Achieved an RPR of 96+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Highest Placed is not G1-2/Cl3-4
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Not on HY/SFT/FM/STD/FS (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Ran in 4 - 37 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Off a break of 8 - 42 days
- 20 / 20 (88%) - No bigger than 33/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Fewer than 6 placings (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Ran in 3 - 13 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Had 1 - 8 wins (Hcps)
- 18 / 20 (59%) - Achieved a TS of 92+ (Hcps)
- 18 / 20 (76%) - Achieved an RPR of 101+ (Last 5)
- 17 / 20 (68%) - Held an OR of 90+ (Last Win)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Newmarket racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Bunbury Cup. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Bunbury Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Bunbury Cup Trend Analysis
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran over 1m when last winning, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-56.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 13 (5,6) [12 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 10 (5,8,6) [20 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 18 (3,16) [15 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 3 (17,5,6) [18 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 3 (14,10,6) [18 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Bunbury Cup is Ascot; there have been a total of 11 winners of this race who ran at Ascot last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 336 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 10 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Bunbury Cup; that stallion, Heeraat, has produced 2 winners (2021,2020).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Bunbury Cup despite multiple attempts:
- Exceed And Excel (0 Wins from 16 runners)
- Acclamation (0 Wins from 10 runners)
- Invincible Spirit (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Cable Bay (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Indian Ridge (0 Wins from 6 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Bless Him in 2022, winning for David Simcock at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of Jamie Spencer. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Bunbury Cup, head over to see which other runners today are being backed by the best racing tipsters.
Route to the Bunbury Cup
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Bunbury Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - More Thunder Ascot - 2nd of 28 (3/1) | Wokingham Stakes |
| 2024 - Aalto Haydock - 2nd of 11 (7/2) | Barrie Wells Trust Box4Kids Handicap |
| 2023 - Biggles Ascot - 9th of 29 (13/2) | Buckingham Palace Stakes |
| 2022 - Bless Him Ascot - 7th of 29 (20/1) | Royal Hunt Cup |
| 2021 - Motakhayyel Newmarket (July) - 2nd of 9 (10/3) | Close Brothers Criterion Stakes |
| 2020 - Motakhayyel Ascot - 1st of 23 (14/1) | Buckingham Palace Stakes |
| 2019 - Vale Of Kent Newcastle (AW) - 8th of 8 (7/1) | Betfair Casino Handicap |
| 2018 - Burnt Sugar Ascot - 16th of 30 (33/1) | Royal Hunt Cup |
| 2017 - Above The Rest York - 4th of 18 (10/1) | JCB Handicap |
| 2016 - Golden Steps Chester - 3rd of 12 (16/1) | Betway Handicap |
Other Principal races during the Newmarket July Festival
Remember to head to the Newmarket predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters support in the Bunbury Cup. Below are the other principal races that we cover during the July Festival, with links to each race blog as well as information for last year's winners.
Thursday at the July Festival
The highlight on Thursday, known as Ladies Day, is the Princess of Wales's Stakes, a Group 2 contest over one mile and four furlongs.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Bahrain Trophy Stakes | Scandinavia (USA) 3yo - 11/8 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| July Stakes | Zavateri (IRE) 2yo - 18/1 | Eve Johnson Houghton Charles Bishop |
| bet365 Sprint Handicap | Prince Of India (IRE) 3yo - 7/1 | Marco Botti Marco Ghiani |
| Princess of Wales's Stakes | El Cordobes (IRE) 4yo - 7/2 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
Friday at the July Festival
Festival Friday, as it is known, features the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes, which is part of the British Champion Series and is run over a mile.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| bet365 Handicap | Kings Charter (IRE) 3yo - 9/4 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
| Duchess of Cambridge Stakes | Venetian Sun (IRE) 2yo - 2/5 | K R Burke Clifford Lee |
| bet365 Trophy Heritage Handicap | Oneforthegutter (GB) 6yo - 12/1 | Ian Williams Silvestre De Sousa |
| Falmouth Stakes | Cinderellas Dream (GB) 4yo - 5/2 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
Saturday at the July Festival
As the name would indicate, 'July Cup Day', the main race on the final day of the July Festival is the July Cup, another race which is part of the British Champion Series; this race is contested over six furlongs.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Bunbury Cup | More Thunder (IRE) 4yo - 6/5 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
| bet365 Mile Handicap | Fifth Column (IRE) 3yo - 4/1 | John & Thady Gosden Ryan Moore |
| Superlative Stakes | Saba Desert (GB) 2yo - 6/1 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
| July Cup | No Half Measures (GB) 4yo - 66/1 | Richard Hughes Neil Callan |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Bunbury Cup Preview are at hand, Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for Flat Racing.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
