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 County Handicap Hurdle Preview
The County Hurdle is a Grade 3 handicap run on the new course at Cheltenham where runners face eight hurdles over two miles and one furlong. Usually run at a fast and furious pace and was traditionally the festival finale "Get Out Stakes!" until 2009, whereas it's now the second race on Gold Cup Friday.
Master the County Handicap Hurdle with our expert analysis of past race data and trainer records, and enhance your betting strategy with our selection of Cheltenham free bets.
County Handicap Hurdle Information:
- County Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
- County Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- County Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Cheltenham tips on the day of the race, do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist or are they predicting other runners? We cover every race at the Cheltenham Festival and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the County Handicap Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2008 when the race had an over-round of 130%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 145%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the County Handicap Hurdle, the over-round has been 134%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £134 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 County 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 County Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run County Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals:
- Desert Quest (3:52.70) in 2006
- Pedrobob (3:53.90) in 2007
- Final Approach (3:54.77) in 2011
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the County Handicap Hurdle next time out then you would have backed a total of 6 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +6.92. Whilst we wait for the 2026 County Handicap Hurdle 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 3:52.70 was set by Desert Quest in 2006, which is the quickest time over that period, the runner was trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by R Walsh. The slowest winning time was set in 2024 when Absurde won in a time of 4:25.10, booked to ride was Paul Townend by the trainer W P Mullins.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
County Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the County 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 County Handicap Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 4:05.57 | Kargese (FR) 5yo 11-3 3/1F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2024 4:25.10 | Absurde (FR) 6yo 10-10 12/1 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 4:06.12 | Faivoir (FR) 8yo 10-7 33/1 | Bridget Andrews Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2022 4:01.25 | State Man (FR) 5yo 11-1 11/4F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2021 4:02.27 | Belfast Banter (IRE) 6yo 10-0 33/1 | Kevin Sexton Peter Fahey (IRE) |
| 2020 4:02.42 | Saint Roi (FR) 5yo 10-13 11/2F | Barry Geraghty W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2019 4:04.85 | Chtibello (FR) 8yo 11-5 12/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2018 4:18.00 | Mohaayed (GB) 6yo 10-8 33/1 | Bridget Andrews (3lbs) Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2017 4:00.00 | Arctic Fire (GER) 8yo 11-12 20/1 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2016 3:55.50 | Superb Story (IRE) 5yo 10-12 8/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the County Handicap Hurdle have been based:
- IRE: 13 winners with an additional 28 placings from 195 runners
- GB: 7 winners with an additional 32 placings from 300 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
County Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the County Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins who has won the race eight times with those eight winners coming from Thousand Stars (2010), Final Approach (2011), Wicklow Brave (2015), Arctic Fire (2017), Saint Roi (2020), State Man (2022), Absurde (2024) and Kargese (2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the County Handicap Hurdle are Dan Skelton (4 wins) and Paul Nicholls (3 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the County Handicap Hurdle, Nicky Henderson (0-32), Gordon Elliott (0-30), Philip Hobbs (0-26), Noel Meade (0-16), Alan King (0-13), Jonjo O'Neill (0-13), David Pipe (0-11) and Henry De Bromhead (0-11) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top County Handicap Hurdle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 59-8-20 | +47.25 | +38.20 |
| Dan Skelton | 18-4-6 | +72.00 | +42.01 |
| Paul Nicholls | 26-3-6 | +12.00 | +5.45 |
| A J Martin | 5-1-3 | +6.00 | +4.88 |
| Thomas Mullins | 3-1-1 | +18.00 | +10.50 |
| T Hogan | 2-1-1 | +49.00 | +30.25 |
| Peter Fahey | 2-1-1 | +32.00 | +19.63 |
| Anthony Mullins | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.50 |
| Nicky Henderson | 32-0-4 | -32.00 | -20.87 |
| Gordon Elliott | 30-0-5 | -30.00 | -16.62 |
County Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the County Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Paul Townend who has won the race five times with those five winners coming from Wicklow Brave (2015), Arctic Fire (2017), State Man (2022), Absurde (2024) and Kargese (2025). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the County Handicap Hurdle are Harry Skelton (2 wins) and Bridget Andrews (2 wins). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the County Handicap Hurdle, Sam Twiston-Davies has ridden 13 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top County Handicap Hurdle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Townend | 16-5-6 | +51.75 | +29.73 |
| Harry Skelton | 9-2-4 | +13.00 | +7.75 |
| Bridget Andrews | 6-2-2 | +62.00 | +37.26 |
| Kevin Sexton | 2-1-1 | +32.00 | +19.63 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 13-0-0 | -13.00 | -13.00 |
| Danny Mullins | 8-0-3 | -8.00 | -0.74 |
| Mark Walsh | 8-0-1 | -8.00 | -6.75 |
| Brian Hughes | 7-0-0 | -7.00 | -7.00 |
| Jack Kennedy | 6-0-2 | -6.00 | -0.49 |
| Richie McLernon | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | +3.75 |
2026 County Handicap Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): (1, 10), 25, 2, 6, 23, 15, 14, (9, F), PU, 13, (4, PU), 6, 16, 4, 1, 10, 1, 17, 2, 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 (76%) - Beaten no more -19l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Within the first 17 of the market
- 20 / 20 (80%) - No bigger than 7/1 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Not on GS/FM/STD-SLW/STD (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - No bigger than 12/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Fewer than 3 races (Class)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - No bigger than 50/1 (Career)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Fewer than 10 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Fewer than 5 placings (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - No bigger than 50/1
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not in a LST/Cl5-6 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Had 2 - 14 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Highest Placed is not Cl3/Cl5
- 19 / 20 (87%) - No more than -21lbs (Vs Max Weight)
- 18 / 20 (79%) - Achieved an RPR of 136+ (Career)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Cheltenham racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the County 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 County Handicap Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
County Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +65.25 is when runners ran in France on debut.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners were aged 7, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-117.
The course which has produced the most winners of the County Handicap Hurdle is Leopardstown, there has been a total number of 6 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Newbury, there has been a total number of 3 winners of this race who ran at Newbury 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 472 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 25 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the County Handicap Hurdle, that stallion Coastal Path has produced 2 winners (2023,2020).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the County Handicap Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Montjeu (0 Wins from 12 runners)
- Sadlers Wells (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Arcadio (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Authorized (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Fame And Glory (0 Wins from 7 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Silver Jaro in 2008, winning for T Hogan at odds of 50/1 under the guidance of Noel Fehily. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 County Handicap Hurdle why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the County Handicap Hurdle
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the County Handicap Hurdle, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Kargese Ascot - 2nd of 7 (2/5) | BetMGM Mares Hurdle |
| 2024 - Absurde Leopardstown - 4th of 10 (33/1) | Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle |
| 2023 - Faivoir Newbury - PU of 16 (25/1) | Newbury Handicap Hurdle |
| 2022 - State Man Limerick - 1st of 14 (1/6) | Follow Limerick Racecourse On Twitter |
| 2021 - Belfast Banter Naas - 2nd of 7 (6/1) | Paddy Power Betting Shop Novice Hurdle |
| 2020 - Saint Roi Tramore - 1st of 14 (5/2) | David Flynn Building Contractors Maiden Hurdle |
| 2019 - Chtibello Aintree - 2nd of 11 (20/1) | Merseyrail Handicap Hurdle |
| 2018 - Mohaayed Kempton - 3rd of 4 (20/1) | Christmas Hurdle |
| 2017 - Arctic Fire Leopardstown - 2nd of 5 (8/1) | Irish Champion Hurdle |
| 2016 - Superb Story Cheltenham - 2nd of 17 (8/1) | Greatwood Hurdle |
Schedule for Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival
Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle, the feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle | Kopek Des Bordes (FR) 5yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Arkle Challenge Trophy | Jango Baie (FR) 6yo - 5/1 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Ultima Handicap Chase | Myretown (IRE) 8yo - 13/2 | Lucinda Russell Patrick Wadge |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Close Brothers Mares Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle | Golden Ace (GB) 7yo - 25/1 | Jeremy Scott Lorcan Williams |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Puturhandstogether (IRE) 4yo - 17/2 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Mark Walsh |
| 17:20 Cheltenham National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup | Haiti Couleurs (FR) 8yo - 7/2 | Rebecca Curtis Ben Jones |
Schedule for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival
The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it and some don't!
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Turners Novices Hurdle | The New Lion (GB) 6yo - 3/1 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Brown Advisory Novices Chase | Lecky Watson (IRE) 7yo - 20/1 | W P Mullins Sean O'Keeffe |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Coral Cup | Jimmy Du Seuil (FR) 6yo - 16/1 | W P Mullins Danny Mullins |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Cross Country Chase | Stumptown (IRE) 8yo - 5/2 | Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase | Marine Nationale (IRE) 8yo - 5/1 | Barry Connell Sean Flanagan |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Johnny Henderson Grand Annual | Jazzy Matty (FR) 6yo - 15/2 | Cian Collins Danny Gilligan |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Champion Bumper | Bambino Fever (IRE) 5yo - 4/1 | W P Mullins Miss J Townend |
Schedule for Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival
Halfway through the festival and onto day three where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last best up the Cheltenham hill.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Mares Novices Hurdle | Air Of Entitlement (IRE) 6yo - 16/1 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Novices Limited Handicap Chase | Caldwell Potter (FR) 7yo - 7/1 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Pertemps Network Final | Doddiethegreat (IRE) 9yo - 25/1 | Nicky Henderson Brian Hughes |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Ryanair Chase | Fact To File (FR) 8yo - 6/4 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Stayers Hurdle | Bob Olinger (IRE) 10yo - 8/1 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Plate | Jagwar (FR) 6yo - 3/1 | Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup | Daily Present (IRE) 8yo - 12/1 | Paul Nolan Mr B T Stone |
Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival
The final day of the festival and feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle | Poniros (GB) 4yo - 100/1 | W P Mullins Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:00 Cheltenham County Handicap Hurdle | Kargese (FR) 5yo - 3/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase | Dinoblue (FR) 8yo - 6/4 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle | Jasmin De Vaux (FR) 6yo - 6/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Cheltenham Gold Cup | Inothewayurthinkin (IRE) 7yo - 15/2 | Gavin Cromwell Mark Walsh |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Hunters Chase | Wonderwall (IRE) 9yo - 28/1 | S Curling Mr R James |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle | Wodhooh (FR) 5yo - 9/2 | Gordon Elliott Danny Gilligan |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this County Handicap Hurdle Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. 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.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
