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 Scottish Champion Hurdle Preview
Scheduled to take place in April of each year at the Ayr racecourse is the Scottish Champion Hurdle, a race that takes place on the same day as the Scottish Grand National.
This is a Grade 2 which is a limited handicap race open to runners aged four or older, the race is run over two miles during which the runners will face up to a total of nine hurdles.
Scottish Champion Hurdle Information:
- Scottish Champion Hurdle Past Winners
- Scottish Champion Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Scottish Champion Hurdle Jockey Statistics
Our dedicated Ayr tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Scottish Champion Hurdle but will also have predictions for each meeting at Ayr throughout the season so be sure to head over there. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Other Principal Races at Ayr Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Scottish Champion 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 113%. The race in 2008 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 130%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Scottish Champion Hurdle, the over-round has been 121%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £121 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Scottish Champion 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 Scottish Champion Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Scottish Champion Hurdle over the last 20 renewals:
- Border Castle (3:34.40) in 2008
- Cheltenian (3:35.30) in 2015
- Noble Alan (3:36.80) in 2009
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 Scottish Champion Hurdle next time out then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -2.43. Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Champion Hurdle why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 3:34.40 was set by Border Castle in 2008, which is the quickest time over that period, the runner was trained by Andrew Haynes and ridden by Nick Scholfield. The slowest winning time was set in 2024 when Favour And Fortune won in a time of 3:54.38, booked to ride was Tom Cannon by the trainer Alan King.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Scottish Champion Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Scottish Champion 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 Scottish Champion Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:51.72 | Cracking Rhapsody (IRE) 6yo 11-5 10/1 | Craig Nichol Ewan Whillans (GB) |
| 2024 3:54.38 | Favour And Fortune (IRE) 6yo 11-2 5/1 | Tom Cannon Alan King (GB) |
| 2023 3:43.04 | Rubaud (FR) 5yo 10-11 7/2F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2022 3:47.07 | Anna Bunina (FR) 6yo 10-4 6/1 | Sean Bowen John C McConnell (IRE) |
| 2021 3:43.80 | Milkwood (IRE) 7yo 11-6 3/1F | Sam Twiston-Davies Neil Mulholland (GB) |
| 2019 3:39.10 | Verdana Blue (IRE) 7yo 11-3 4/1F | Connor Brace (7lbs) Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2018 3:41.50 | Midnight Shadow (GB) 5yo 10-4 25/1 | Danny Cook Sue Smith (GB) |
| 2017 3:43.20 | Chesterfield (IRE) 7yo 10-5 12/1 | Daniel Sansom (7lbs) Seamus Mullins (GB) |
| 2016 3:51.50 | Chtibello (FR) 5yo 11-1 8/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2015 3:35.30 | Cheltenian (FR) 9yo 10-13 10/1 | Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Scottish Champion Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 36 placings from 214 runners
- IRE: 2 winners with an additional 6 placings from 22 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 1 runner
Scottish Champion Hurdle Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the Scottish Champion Hurdle over the last 20 renewals with Paul Nicholls, Alan King and Philip Hobbs having all won the race two times. Paul Nicholls winners have been with Sanctuaire (2011) and Rubaud (2023). Alan King winners have been with Raya Star (2012) and Favour And Fortune (2024). Philip Hobbs winners have been with Noble Request (2006) and Cheltenian (2015).
Here are some of the top Scottish Champion 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 | 24-2-8 | -14.00 | -10.79 |
| Alan King | 14-2-3 | +0.50 | -2.12 |
| Philip Hobbs | 10-2-3 | +5.50 | +2.10 |
| Nicky Henderson | 22-1-5 | -17.00 | -13.52 |
| Dan Skelton | 10-1-3 | -1.00 | -2.12 |
| Donald McCain | 9-1-2 | -4.00 | -4.35 |
| Nicky Richards | 8-1-3 | +1.50 | +0.21 |
| John C McConnell | 4-1-3 | +3.00 | +3.05 |
| Evan Williams | 4-1-2 | +1.00 | +0.70 |
| Neil Mulholland | 4-1-1 | +0.00 | -1.20 |
Scottish Champion Hurdle Jockey Statistics
There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Scottish Champion Hurdle, Brian Hughes has ridden 10 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Scottish Champion 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 Skelton | 11-1-3 | -2.00 | -3.12 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 8-1-2 | -4.00 | -3.20 |
| Harry Cobden | 5-1-2 | -0.50 | -1.12 |
| Sean Bowen | 4-1-1 | +3.00 | +0.60 |
| Adam Wedge | 4-1-2 | +1.00 | +0.70 |
| Nick Scholfield | 3-1-1 | +38.00 | +23.00 |
| Danny Cook | 3-1-1 | +23.00 | +13.63 |
| Daniel Sansom | 2-1-2 | +11.00 | +7.75 |
| Craig Nichol | 2-1-2 | +9.00 | +7.13 |
| Tom Cannon | 2-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.13 |
2026 Scottish Champion Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 9, 2, 2, 5, 1, (1, PU), 6, (2, 4), 3, 2, 5, (3, 15), 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 5, 2
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%) - Carried 141 - 161lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (71%) - Ran in 3 - 6 races (Season)
- 20 / 20 (71%) - Achieved a TS of 93+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Achieved an RPR of 119+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Ran in 5 - 29 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - In a field of 7 - 26 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 14/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved a TS of 105+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - No bigger than 33/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Dam is not CZE/GDR/GER/NZ/SAF/USA bred
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Placed within last 4 starts
- 20 / 20 (88%) - No bigger than 28/1 (Career Place)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - No more than +17lbs (Vs Min Weight)
- 19 / 20 (84%) - Beaten no more -11½l (Debut)
- 19 / 20 (84%) - Achieved a TS of 105+ (Last 3)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Ayr racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Scottish Champion 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 Scottish Champion Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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Scottish Champion Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +42.83 is when runners ran over 2m when last winning.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in a race worth £4,000 on debut, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-29.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Scottish Champion Hurdle is Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 7 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Aintree, there has been a total number 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 17 winners from a total of 214 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 3 winners from a total of 23 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Scottish Champion Hurdle, that stallion is Montjeu who has failed to produce a winner from 6 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Border Castle in 2008, winning for Andrew Haynes at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Nick Scholfield. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 6 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Scottish Champion Hurdle, head over to see which other runners today are being backed by the best racing tipsters.
Route to the Scottish Champion Hurdle
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Scottish Champion Hurdle, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Cracking Rhapsody Cheltenham - 7th of 16 (20/1) | County Handicap Hurdle |
| 2024 - Favour And Fortune Cheltenham - 6th of 11 (29/1) | Supreme Novices Hurdle |
| 2023 - Rubaud Kempton - 1st of 7 (11/4) | Sky Bet Dovecote Novices Hurdle |
| 2022 - Anna Bunina Musselburgh - 3rd of 7 (8/1) | Scottish County Handicap Hurdle |
| 2021 - Milkwood Cheltenham - 3rd of 25 (29/1) | County Handicap Hurdle |
| 2019 - Verdana Blue Cheltenham - 5th of 10 (33/1) | Champion Hurdle |
| 2018 - Midnight Shadow Aintree - 7th of 13 (25/1) | Top Novices Hurdle |
| 2017 - Chesterfield Aintree - 1st of 19 (8/1) | National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle |
| 2016 - Chtibello Newbury - 3rd of 7 (7/2) | Gerry Feilden Hurdle |
| 2015 - Cheltenian Cheltenham - 8th of 24 (12/1) | County Handicap Hurdle |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Scottish Champion 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
