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 Cross Country Chase Preview
The marmite race of the festival is the Cross Country Chase which was introduced in 2005. The race is run over a trip slightly further than three miles and six furlongs with thirty-two various obstacles to be negotiated. in 2016 it became a conditions event as opposed to its initial handicap status from inception in 2005 but in 2025 the race was switched to a Limited Handicap.
This is very much a specialist race with old favourites running here on multiple occasions. A New Story ran in the race on six consecutive occasions and other frequent runners included Garde Champetre, Sizing Australia and Any Currency. Spot Thedifference won the inaugural cross country chase, then finished runner-up in 2006 and fourth in 2007. Upon his retirement, he had won on seven occasions over the cross-country fences at Cheltenham!
Dual Aintree Grand National winner Tiger Roll won this race in 2018 & 2019 before his Grand National double and also returned to win it in 2021 and was runner-up in 2022 on his last visit to a racecourse before being retired. Below we have previewed the Cross Country Chase trends and statistics and form picks highlighted by our expert tipsters in forum posts to help you find the winner of the Cross Country Chase.
Master the Cross Country Chase with our expert analysis of past race data and trainer records, and enhance your betting strategy with our selection of Cheltenham free bets.
Cross Country Chase Information:
- Cross Country Chase Past Winners
- Cross Country Chase Trainer Statistics
- Cross Country Chase Jockey Statistics
Our dedicated Cheltenham tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Cross Country Chase but will also have predictions for each meeting at Cheltenham throughout the season so be sure to head over there. 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 Cross Country Chase market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2005 when the race had an over-round of 119%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 137%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Cross Country Chase, the over-round has been 125%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £125 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Cross Country Chase 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 Cross Country Chase Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Cross Country Chase over the last 20 renewals:
- Balthazar King (7:51.70) in 2012
- Sizing Australia (8:06.22) in 2011
- Josies Orders (8:11.00) in 2016
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 Cross Country Chase next time out then you would have backed a total of 5 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +16.25. Ahead of the 2026 Cross Country Chase why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2020 renewal when Easysland from D Cottin under the guidance of Jonathan Plouganou, won in a time of 9:09.60, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Balthazar King, trained by Philip Hobbs and ridden by Richard Johnson set the quickest time of 7:51.70 in the 2012 renewal.
Cross Country Chase Past Winners
Here are the Cross Country Chase 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 Cross Country Chase are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: The race was abandoned in 2024 due to the cross-country course being waterlogged.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 8:25.54 | Stumptown (IRE) 8yo 11-10 5/2F | Keith Donoghue Gavin Cromwell (IRE) |
| 2023 8:39.40 | Delta Work (FR) 10yo 11-7 11/10F | Keith Donoghue Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2022 9:08.68 | Delta Work (FR) 9yo 11-4 5/2F | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2021 8:42.65 | Tiger Roll (IRE) 11yo 11-4 9/2 | Keith Donoghue Mrs Denise Foster (IRE) |
| 2020 9:09.60 | Easysland (FR) 6yo 11-4 3/1 | Jonathan Plouganou D Cottin (FR) |
| 2019 8:27.28 | Tiger Roll (IRE) 9yo 11-4 5/4F | Keith Donoghue Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2018 8:51.60 | Tiger Roll (IRE) 8yo 11-4 7/1 | Keith Donoghue Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2017 8:12.30 | Cause Of Causes (USA) 9yo 11-4 4/1 | Mr J J Codd Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2016 8:11.00 | Josies Orders (IRE) 8yo 11-4 15/8F | Ms N Carberry E Bolger (IRE) |
| 2015 8:23.80 | Rivage DOr (FR) 10yo 10-10 16/1 | Davy Russell A J Martin (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Cross Country Chase have been based:
- IRE: 17 winners with an additional 37 placings from 164 runners
- GB: 2 winners with an additional 10 placings from 126 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 4 placings from 23 runners
Cross Country Chase Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Cross Country Chase over the last 20 renewals with both E Bolger and Gordon Elliott who have both won the race five times. E Bolger winners have been with Spot Thedifference (2005), Heads Onthe Ground (2007), Garde Champetre (2008 & 2009) and Josies Orders (2016). Gordon Elliott winners have been with Cause Of Causes (2017), Tiger Roll (2018 & 2019) and Delta Work (2022 & 2023). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Cross Country Chase is Philip Hobbs (2 wins). Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Cross Country Chase, Paul Nicholls has sent a total of 16 runners to the race without recording any wins whilst W P Mullins has sent out 15 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Cross Country Chase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| E Bolger | 47-5-16 | -26.12 | -17.70 |
| Gordon Elliott | 26-5-13 | -5.15 | -3.08 |
| Philip Hobbs | 12-2-4 | -0.50 | +3.57 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 11-1-3 | -3.50 | -4.31 |
| Michael Hourigan | 7-1-5 | +19.00 | +19.88 |
| A J Martin | 5-1-1 | +12.00 | +6.00 |
| Peter Maher | 4-1-2 | +11.00 | +6.62 |
| P J Rothwell | 4-1-2 | +0.50 | +4.69 |
| D Cottin | 4-1-2 | +0.00 | -0.60 |
| Mrs Denise Foster | 3-1-1 | +2.50 | +0.70 |
Cross Country Chase Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Cross Country Chase over the last 20 renewals is Keith Donoghue who has won the race five times with those five winners coming from Tiger Roll (2018, 2019 & 2021), Delta Work (2023) and Stumptown (2025).
Here are some of the top Cross Country Chase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Donoghue | 7-5-6 | +14.35 | +7.63 |
| Jonathan Plouganou | 4-1-1 | +0.00 | -1.20 |
| Jack Kennedy | 1-1-1 | +2.50 | +1.25 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 8-0-2 | -8.00 | -4.50 |
| Mark Walsh | 7-0-2 | -7.00 | -5.25 |
| Felix De Giles | 4-0-3 | -4.00 | -1.55 |
| Darragh O'Keeffe | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -3.50 |
| Mr Derek O'Connor | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| Richie McLernon | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| James Reveley | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
2026 Cross Country Chase Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): F, (1, 6), 1, 6, 2, 5, 4, PU, 7, 3, RO, 1, 3, 3, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 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 (61%) - Within the first 9 of the market
- 20 / 20 (65%) - No bigger than 25/1
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Not BB/CH/GR in colour
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Achieved an RPR of 122+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No more than +4yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 66/1 (Career)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Ran over 2m5f - 4m2½f (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 134+ (Career)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Furthest Won 2m6f - 4m2½f
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved an RPR of 127+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - No bigger than 25/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran in 3 - 11 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran over 1m3f - 2m6½f (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Is not GB/GER bred
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Furthest ran 3m1f - 4m4f
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Cheltenham racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Cross Country Chase. 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 Cross Country Chase by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Cross Country Chase Trend Analysis
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners wore only cheekpieces, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-53.
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Cross Country Chase are Cheltenham and Navan, there has been a total number of 6 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 305 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 8 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Cross Country Chase:
- Authorized (3 Wins)
- Be My Native (2 Wins)
- Garde Royale (2 Wins)
- Kings Theatre (2 Wins)
- Milan (2 Wins)
- Network (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Cross Country Chase despite multiple attempts:
- Saddlers Hall (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Winged Love (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Anshan (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Presenting (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Glacial Storm (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was A New Story in 2010, winning for Michael Hourigan at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of A P Heskin. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 7 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.
Route to the Cross Country Chase
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Cross Country Chase, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Stumptown Cheltenham - 1st of 15 (4/1) | Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase |
| 2023 - Delta Work Navan - 6th of 8 (9/1) | William Hill Boyne Hurdle |
| 2022 - Delta Work Leopardstown - 6th of 8 (12/1) | Irish Gold Cup |
| 2021 - Tiger Roll Navan - 6th of 6 (11/1) | Ladbrokes Ireland Boyne Hurdle |
| 2020 - Easysland Pau - 1st of 12 (7/5) | Grand Cross De Pau Reverdy |
| 2019 - Tiger Roll Navan - 1st of 6 (25/1) | Ladbrokes Ireland Boyne Hurdle |
| 2018 - Tiger Roll Cheltenham - 5th of 9 (7/1) | Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase |
| 2017 - Cause Of Causes Cheltenham - 5th of 10 (6/1) | Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase |
| 2016 - Josies Orders Navan - 9th of 12 (10/1) | Davis Civil Engineering Handicap Hurdle |
| 2015 - Rivage DOr Galway - F of 20 (12/1) | Guinness Galway Blazers Handicap Chase |
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 Cross Country Chase 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
