Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Preview
Scheduled to take place in April of each year at the Aintree racecourse is the Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle, this is a fairly new race with the inaugural running in 2009.
The race was created to give the conditional and amateur jockeys a chance to shine at the Grand National meeting.
It is a class two handicap hurdle that is run over two miles and half a furlong where there are nine hurdles to jump.
National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Information:
- National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
- National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
In April, the only thing racing fans are interested in is the Grand National tips from the OLBG expert racing tipsters, which of the forty runners are they predicting to win the showcase race at Aintree? We cover every race at the Aintree Grand National Meeting and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Thursday, Friday & Saturday.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 16 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2022 when the race had an over-round of 124%. The race in 2019 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 137%, whilst on average over the last 16 renewals of the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle, the over-round has been 133%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £133 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle 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 National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle over the last 16 renewals:
- Far Away So Close (3:50.80) in 2011
- Chief Justice (3:54.50) in 2019
- Astre De La Cour (3:55.30) in 2015
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 16 if you had followed the winner of the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle next time out then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 15 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +1.25. Ahead of the 2026 National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
When looking over the past 16 renewals, a time of 3:50.80 was set by Far Away So Close in 2011, which is the quickest time over that period, the runner was trained by Paul Nolan and ridden by Mr M N Doran. The slowest winning time was set in 2024 when El Jefe won in a time of 4:19.05, booked to ride was Ben Smith by the trainer Andrew Hamilton.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle 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. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:58.02 | Shes A Saint (IRE) 8yo 10-2 25/1 | Tristan Durrell (3lbs) Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2024 4:19.05 | El Jefe (IRE) 7yo 9-9 40/1 | Ben Smith (7lbs) Andrew Hamilton (GB) |
| 2023 4:13.49 | Punctuation (GB) 6yo 11-2 40/1 | Liam Harrison (3lbs) Fergal O'Brien (GB) |
| 2022 4:00.91 | Hacker Des Places (FR) 5yo 10-11 10/1 | Angus Cheleda (5lbs) Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2021 4:02.85 | Rowland Ward (GB) 5yo 10-1 12/1 | Charlie Hammond Stuart Edmunds (GB) |
| 2019 3:54.50 | Chief Justice (GB) 4yo 11-2 13/2 | Mr J J Codd Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2018 4:10.80 | Havana Beat (IRE) 8yo 9-11 12/1 | James Nixon (7lbs) Tony Carroll (GB) |
| 2017 3:58.60 | Chesterfield (IRE) 7yo 10-5 8/1 | Daniel Sansom (10lbs) Seamus Mullins (GB) |
| 2016 4:12.20 | Ivan Grozny (FR) 6yo 11-9 16/1 | David Mullins (3lbs) W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2015 3:55.30 | Astre De La Cour (FR) 5yo 10-10 10/1 | David Mullins (5lbs) Robert Walford (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 13 winners with an additional 40 placings from 263 runners
- IRE: 3 winners with an additional 7 placings from 49 runners
- AUS: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 16 renewals in the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle, Donald McCain has sent a total of 21 runners to the race without recording any wins whilst Philip Hobbs has sent out 11 without a winner.
Here are some of the top National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle trainer statistics over the last 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicky Henderson | 16-1-3 | +13.00 | +6.63 |
| Paul Nicholls | 13-1-4 | -2.00 | -0.45 |
| Dan Skelton | 8-1-1 | +18.00 | +8.63 |
| Gordon Elliott | 8-1-3 | -0.50 | -0.12 |
| John Quinn | 8-1-2 | -2.00 | -2.12 |
| Evan Williams | 6-1-2 | +11.00 | +8.63 |
| Lucinda Russell | 3-1-1 | +64.00 | +39.25 |
| Tony Carroll | 3-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.50 |
| Fergal O'Brien | 2-1-2 | +39.00 | +25.88 |
| Stuart Edmunds | 2-1-1 | +11.00 | +6.50 |
National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
Here are some of the top National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle jockey statistics over the last 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Hammond | 4-1-1 | +9.00 | +4.50 |
| David Bass | 3-1-1 | +26.00 | +15.50 |
| Tristan Durrell | 3-1-1 | +23.00 | +13.63 |
| Adam Wedge | 3-1-2 | +14.00 | +11.63 |
| Angus Cheleda | 3-1-2 | +8.00 | +7.00 |
| Liam Harrison | 2-1-1 | +39.00 | +24.00 |
| Ben Smith | 1-1-1 | +40.00 | +25.00 |
| James Nixon | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.50 |
| Daniel Sansom | 1-1-1 | +8.00 | +5.00 |
| Lorcan Murtagh | 4-0-3 | -4.00 | +6.50 |
2026 National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 18, 8, 12, 7, (1, 14), 6, 10, (5, 7), 5, 8, 4, (2, F), 4, 12, 5, 3
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.
- 16 / 16 (77%) - In a field of 5 - 14 (Debut)
- 16 / 16 (77%) - Ran over 1m7½f - 2m1f (LTO)
- 16 / 16 (79%) - Not in IRL/SCO/WAL (LTO)
- 16 / 16 (81%) - Carried 113 - 154lbs (Debut)
- 16 / 16 (82%) - Ran over 1m7½f - 2m1f (Last Win)
- 16 / 16 (87%) - Had 2 - 7 wins (Career)
- 16 / 16 (88%) - Not in a G2/LST/Cl3 (Debut)
- 16 / 16 (88%) - Not on GF/FM/STD-FS (Debut)
- 16 / 16 (89%) - In a field of 7 - 28 (LTO)
- 15 / 16 (86%) - No bigger than 40/1
- 15 / 16 (86%) - Not fallen (Season)
- 14 / 16 (78%) - Achieved an RPR of 113+ (LTO)
- 14 / 16 (82%) - No more than +3yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 14 / 16 (87%) - Held an OR of 124+
- 13 / 16 (69%) - No bigger than 5/1 (Last Win)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Aintree racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle. 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 National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor which had produced 8+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +116.00 is when runners had a IRE bred dam.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 3 season places, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-64.
The course which has produced the most winners of the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle is Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 7 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 13 winners from a total of 295 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 3 winners from a total of 18 runners.
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Kings Theatre (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Authorized (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Montjeu (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Westerner (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 16 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Culcabock in 2009, winning for Lucinda Russell at odds of 66/1 under the guidance of Campbell Gillies. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 16 renewals there have been 1 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Shes A Saint Cartmel - 2nd of 7 (7/4) | Hadwins EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle |
| 2024 - El Jefe Haydock - 7th of 9 (18/1) | My Pension Expert Challenger Two Mile Hurdle Series Final Handicap Hurdle |
| 2023 - Punctuation Sandown - PU of 16 (23/1) | Imperial Cup |
| 2022 - Hacker Des Places Sandown - 3rd of 22 (16/1) | Imperial Cup |
| 2021 - Rowland Ward Fakenham - 4th of 11 (4/1) | Country Food Trust Fakenham Silver Cup Handicap Hurdle |
| 2019 - Chief Justice Cheltenham - 12th of 21 (25/1) | Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle |
| 2018 - Havana Beat Huntingdon - 1st of 11 (4/1) | Daily Racing Specials At 188Bet Maiden Hurdle |
| 2017 - Chesterfield Newbury - 2nd of 8 (9/2) | William Hill "High 5" Supporting Greatwood Handicap Hurdle |
| 2016 - Ivan Grozny Cheltenham - 8th of 26 (41/1) | County Handicap Hurdle |
| 2015 - Astre De La Cour Stratford - 1st of 15 (4/1) | Warwickshire And Northamptonshire Air Ambulance Handicap Hurdle |
Schedule for Thursday at the Aintree Grand National Meeting
The three-day Grand National meeting kicks off on Thursday with four Grade 1 events on the seven-race card which features both the Aintree Hurdle and the Bowl Chase.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:45 Aintree Manifesto Novices Chase | Impaire Et Passe (FR) 7yo - 9/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:20 Aintree Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle | Murcia (FR) 4yo - 11/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:55 Aintree Bowl Chase | Gaelic Warrior (GER) 7yo - 11/4 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
| 15:30 Aintree Aintree Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo - 5/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:05 Aintree Foxhunters Chase | Gracchus De Balme (FR) 9yo - 22/1 | J J O'Shea Mr Huw Edwards |
| 16:40 Aintree Red Rum Handicap Chase | Sans Bruit (FR) 7yo - 5/1 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 17:15 Aintree Nickel Coin Mares Bumper | Seo Linn (IRE) 5yo - 15/8 | P Twomey W J Lee |
Schedule for Friday at the Aintree Grand National Meeting
Day 2 of the Grand National meeting is Ladies Day or Fabulous Friday, the highlights on the track being the Melling Chase plus there is the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:45 Aintree Mildmay Novices Chase | Caldwell Potter (FR) 7yo - 11/4 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 14:20 Aintree National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle | Wellington Arch (GB) 6yo - 14/1 | Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:55 Aintree Top Novices Hurdle | Salvator Mundi (FR) 5yo - 7/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 15:30 Aintree Melling Chase | Jonbon (FR) 9yo - 4/6 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 16:05 Aintree Topham Chase | Gentleman De Mee (FR) 9yo - 14/1 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 16:40 Aintree Sefton Novices Hurdle | Julius Des Pictons (FR) 6yo - 14/1 | Jamie Snowden Gavin Sheehan |
| 17:15 Aintree National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle | Shes A Saint (IRE) 8yo - 25/1 | Dan Skelton Tristan Durrell |
Schedule for Saturday at the Aintree Grand National Meeting
The Grand National is obviously the showpiece of the Aintree meeting and day 3 also includes three Grade 1 events, the feature of those being the Liverpool Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Aintree National Meeting 3m Handicap Hurdle | Deep Cave (IRE) 7yo - 28/1 | Christian Williams Jack Tudor |
| 13:55 Aintree Mersey Novices Hurdle | Honesty Policy (IRE) 5yo - 5/1 | Gordon Elliott Mark Walsh |
| 14:30 Aintree Freebooter Handicap Chase | Cruz Control (FR) 8yo - 10/1 | Tom Lacey Stan Sheppard |
| 15:05 Aintree Liverpool Hurdle | Hiddenvalley Lake (IRE) 8yo - 12/1 | Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe |
| 16:00 Aintree Grand National | Nick Rockett (IRE) 8yo - 33/1 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
| 17:00 Aintree Maghull Novices Chase | Kalif Du Berlais (FR) 5yo - 15/8 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 17:35 Aintree Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race | Green Splendour (GB) 5yo - 100/30 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle 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 National Hunt Racing.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
