You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident youâre betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Elite Hurdle Preview
Scheduled to take place in November of each year at the Wincanton racecourse, the Elite Hurdle is a Grade 2 race that is run over a trip of one mile and seven furlongs, in which these runners aged four or older will face a total of eight hurdles.
Established in 1992 and originally staged at Cheltenham, it was moved to Wincanton in 1994, and between 1998 & 2017, the race was a limited handicap and because of the differing types of races, please approach the trends with caution.
Elite Hurdle Information:
Our dedicated Wincanton tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Elite Hurdle, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Wincanton throughout the season, so be sure to head over there.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Elite Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2022 when the race had an over-round of 105%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 118%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Elite Hurdle, the over-round has been 112%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ112 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Elite 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 Elite Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Elite Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Knappers Hill (3:25.26) in 2022
- Sceau Royal (3:25.30) in 2016
- Nearby (3:25.80) in 2010
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 Elite Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -11.89. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Elite Hurdle.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2008 renewal when Chomba Womba from Nicky Henderson under the guidance of Barry Geraghty, won in a time of 3:56.78, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Knappers Hill, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Harry Cobden set the quickest time of 3:25.26 in the 2022 renewal.
Elite Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Elite 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 Elite Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:32.34 | Rubaud (FR) 7yo 11-8 1/8F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2024 3:30.90 | Rubaud (FR) 6yo 11-8 11/10F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2023 3:41.30 | Rubaud (FR) 5yo 11-8 1/2F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2022 3:25.26 | Knappers Hill (IRE) 6yo 11-2 11/8F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2021 3:29.50 | Sceau Royal (FR) 9yo 11-6 4/5F | Daryl Jacob Alan King (GB) |
| 2020 3:30.30 | Sceau Royal (FR) 8yo 11-0 4/5F | Daryl Jacob Alan King (GB) |
| 2019 3:36.70 | Fusil Raffles (FR) 4yo 11-3 4/7F | Daryl Jacob Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2018 3:31.70 | Verdana Blue (IRE) 6yo 10-11 5/2 | Jeremiah McGrath Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2017 3:49.20 | London Prize (GB) 6yo 10-9 4/1 | Tom O'Brien Ian Williams (GB) |
| 2016 3:25.30 | Sceau Royal (FR) 4yo 11-10 4/6F | Daryl Jacob Alan King (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Elite Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 20 placings from 120 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 4 runners
2025 Elite Hurdle Replay
Elite Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Elite Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Paul Nicholls, who has won the race eight times, with those eight winners coming from Celestial Halo (2009 & 2011), Zarkandar (2012), Irving (2015), Knappers Hill (2022) and Rubaud (2023, 2024 & 2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Elite Hurdle are Alan King (3 wins), Nicky Henderson (3 wins) and John Quinn (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Elite 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Nicholls | 25-8-15 | -1.18 | -3.68 |
| Alan King | 9-3-3 | -3.73 | -3.58 |
| Nicky Henderson | 8-3-4 | +0.82 | -0.55 |
| John Quinn | 4-2-2 | +6.50 | +3.21 |
| Philip Hobbs | 3-1-1 | +3.50 | +1.30 |
| Jeremy Scott | 3-1-2 | +2.50 | +1.86 |
| Ian Williams | 1-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.50 |
| Dan Skelton | 5-0-2 | -5.00 | -0.30 |
| Harry Fry | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | -2.29 |
| Fergal O'Brien | 3-0-2 | -3.00 | +2.75 |
Elite Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Elite Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Harry Cobden, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Knappers Hill (2022) and Rubaud (2023, 2024 & 2025). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Elite Hurdle are Nick Scholfield (2 wins) and Dougie Costello (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Elite 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Cobden | 8-4-5 | -0.89 | -3.16 |
| Nick Scholfield | 5-2-4 | +6.00 | +8.29 |
| Dougie Costello | 4-2-2 | +6.50 | +3.21 |
| Jeremiah McGrath | 1-1-1 | +2.50 | +1.56 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -3.19 |
| Harry Skelton | 3-0-2 | -3.00 | -0.30 |
| Bryony Frost | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Tristan Durrell | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | +0.00 |
| Nico de Boinville | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | -1.19 |
| Thomas Garner | 1-0-1 | -1.00 | +0.38 |
2026 Elite Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 3, 2, (1, 3), 9, F, 2, 2, F, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 1, (1, 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 (64%) - Not in a Cl3-5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Had 1 - 4 wins (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Achieved a TS of 111+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Had 4 - 13 placings (Hurdle)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - No bigger than 16/1
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Highest Won is not Cl3-4
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Achieved an RPR of 133+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Achieved a TS of 117+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Had 4 - 23 placings (Further)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 50/1 (Career)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Not BB/BL/BR/GR in colour
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Break of 14 - 272 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Carried 135 - 165lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 20/1 (Career Place)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Furthest Placed 2m½f - 2m5f
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Wincanton racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Elite 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 ÂŁ6,000 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 Elite Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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Elite Hurdle Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +14.45, is when runners had 1 season win.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 wins in the past year, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-28.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Elite Hurdle is Kempton; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Kempton last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Aintree; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Aintree last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 18 winners from a total of 118 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 6 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Elite Hurdle:
- Air Chief Marshal (3 Wins)
- Doctor Dino (3 Wins)
- Galileo (2 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Purple Bay in 2014, winning for John Ferguson at odds of 16/1 under the guidance of Mikey Ennis. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 9 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Elite Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Elite Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Elite Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Rubaud Kempton - 1st of 4 (10/11) | CopyBet Hurdle |
| 2024 - Rubaud Kempton - 1st of 8 (9/4) | TrustATrader Approved And Reviewed Trades People Hurdle |
| 2023 - Rubaud Kempton - 1st of 5 (2/1) | Trustatrader Approved And Reviewed Trades People Hurdle |
| 2022 - Knappers Hill Chepstow - 1st of 10 (16/5) | Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle |
| 2021 - Sceau Royal Kempton - 1st of 4 (7/4) | Unibet 3 Uniboosts A Day Hurdle |
| 2020 - Sceau Royal Ffos Las - 1st of 12 (10/1) | Welsh Champion Hurdle |
| 2019 - Fusil Raffles Punchestown - 1st of 5 (13/8) | Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle |
| 2018 - Verdana Blue Kempton - 1st of 6 (8/13) | Matchbook VIP Hurdle |
| 2017 - London Prize Newmarket (Rowley) - 2nd of 34 (16/1) | Cesarewitch Handicap |
| 2016 - Sceau Royal Cheltenham - 1st of 6 (9/2) | Masterson Holdings Hurdle |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Elite Hurdle Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips 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
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
