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 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Preview
This Premier Handicap Hurdle is scheduled to take place at the Grand National meeting each year at the Aintree racecourse.
This race is open to runners aged four or older and was first run in 1989, it is run over a trip of two miles and four furlongs in which the runners will have to jump a total of eleven hurdles.
National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Information:
- National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
- National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- National Meeting 2m4f 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 2m4f Handicap Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2013 when the race had an over-round of 125%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 138%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle, the over-round has been 132%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £132 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 National Meeting 2m4f 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 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals:
- Theinval (4:52.20) in 2015
- Genghis (4:53.10) in 2005
- Wellington Arch (4:53.33) in 2025
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 National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle next time out then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -11.50. Before placing your bet on the 2026 National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2018 renewal when Jester Jet from Tom Lacey under the guidance of Robert Dunne, won in a time of 5:11.60, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Theinval, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Jeremiah McGrath set the quickest time of 4:52.20 in the 2015 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the National Meeting 2m4f 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 2m4f Handicap Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 4:53.33 | Wellington Arch (GB) 6yo 10-6 14/1 | Jonjo O'Neill Jr Jonjo & A J O'Neill (GB) |
| 2024 5:06.36 | Kateira (GB) 7yo 11-5 5/1F | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2023 4:58.57 | Fennor Cross (IRE) 6yo 10-10 8/1 | Ben Harvey (5lbs) John C McConnell (IRE) |
| 2022 4:53.51 | Langer Dan (IRE) 6yo 11-1 4/1F | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2021 5:00.35 | Tronador (IRE) 5yo 10-4 22/1 | Jack Kennedy Mrs Denise Foster (IRE) |
| 2019 4:57.50 | Three Musketeers (IRE) 9yo 10-5 8/1 | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2018 5:11.60 | Jester Jet (GB) 8yo 10-9 20/1 | Robert Dunne Tom Lacey (GB) |
| 2017 4:54.60 | Rather Be (IRE) 6yo 11-2 10/1 | Jeremiah McGrath Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2016 5:01.60 | Party Rock (IRE) 9yo 10-8 33/1 | Sean Quinlan Jennie Candlish (GB) |
| 2015 4:52.20 | Theinval (FR) 5yo 11-4 7/1 | Jeremiah McGrath (3lbs) Nicky Henderson (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 15 winners with an additional 53 placings from 376 runners
- IRE: 5 winners with an additional 6 placings from 46 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 2 runners
National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Nicky Henderson who has won the race three times with those three winners coming from Minella Forfitness (2013), Theinval (2015) and Rather Be (2017). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle are Dan Skelton (2 wins), Jonjo O'Neill (2 wins) and Gordon Elliott (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle, Paul Nicholls (0-26), David Pipe (0-15), Philip Hobbs (0-14), Nigel Twiston-Davies (0-11) and Venetia Williams (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top National Meeting 2m4f 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicky Henderson | 37-3-12 | -7.00 | -2.86 |
| Dan Skelton | 18-2-2 | -7.00 | -10.37 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 17-2-6 | +18.00 | +14.20 |
| Gordon Elliott | 10-2-3 | +16.00 | +9.25 |
| Donald McCain | 17-1-4 | -6.00 | +3.75 |
| Alan King | 13-1-8 | +4.00 | +11.38 |
| Peter Bowen | 6-1-2 | +5.00 | +3.75 |
| Sue Smith | 4-1-1 | +47.00 | +28.25 |
| Jennie Candlish | 4-1-1 | +30.00 | +17.63 |
| Tom Lacey | 3-1-1 | +18.00 | +10.50 |
National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals with Harry Skelton, Jeremiah McGrath and Jack Kennedy having all won the race two times. Harry Skelton winners have been with Langer Dan (2022) and Kateira (2024). Jeremiah McGrath's winners have been with Theinval (2015) and Rather Be (2017). Jack Kennedy winners have been with Three Musketeers (2019) and Tronador (2021). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle, Brian Hughes has ridden 10 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top National Meeting 2m4f 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Skelton | 11-2-2 | +0.00 | -3.37 |
| Jeremiah McGrath | 5-2-2 | +14.00 | +7.63 |
| Jack Kennedy | 4-2-3 | +28.00 | +19.00 |
| David Bass | 5-1-1 | +6.00 | +2.25 |
| Jonjo O'Neill Jr | 4-1-2 | +11.00 | +9.38 |
| Sean Quinlan | 2-1-1 | +32.00 | +19.63 |
| Robert Dunne | 2-1-1 | +19.00 | +11.50 |
| Ben Harvey | 1-1-1 | +8.00 | +5.00 |
| Brian Hughes | 10-0-0 | -10.00 | -10.00 |
| Nico de Boinville | 9-0-5 | -9.00 | -1.74 |
2026 National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 16, 21, 5, 17, (7, 13), 10, PU, 8, 3, 14, 2, (3, PU, PU), (2, 4, 12), 3, 7, 4, (1, 16), 7, (1, 8, 9), 8
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 (83%) - Ran in 5 - 26 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Not on HY/GF/STD-SLW/STD (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Not BB/BL/GR in colour
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Off a break of 18 - 143 days
- 20 / 20 (88%) - No bigger than 80/1 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Had 2 - 13 placings (Career)
- 19 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 8/1 (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (86%) - Achieved a TS of 101+ (Last 5)
- 19 / 20 (87%) - No more than +18lbs (Vs Min Weight)
- 19 / 20 (87%) - No bigger than 25/1 (Career Place)
- 18 / 20 (61%) - Within the first 12 of the market
- 18 / 20 (79%) - Achieved an RPR of 131+ (Career)
- 18 / 20 (81%) - Carried no more than 158lbs
- 18 / 20 (87%) - Held an OR of 128+
- 18 / 20 (88%) - No more than +3yrs (Vs Min Age)
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 2m4f 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 2m4f Handicap Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +46.00 is when runners were aged 6.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 2 season places, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-92.
The course which has produced the most winners of the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle is Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 9 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Uttoxeter, there has been a total number of 3 winners of this race who ran at Uttoxeter 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 410 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 14 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle:
- Oscar (2 Wins)
- Second Empire (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Beneficial (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Authorized (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Accordion (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Martaline (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Saint Des Saints (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Auroras Encore in 2008, winning for Sue Smith at odds of 50/1 under the guidance of Tjade Collier. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 2 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 National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Wellington Arch Uttoxeter - 2nd of 15 (10/3) | JenningsBet 200 Shops Nationwide Handicap Hurdle |
| 2024 - Kateira Kempton - 4th of 11 (15/2) | Read Nicky Hendersons Exclusive Unibet Blog Handicap Hurdle |
| 2023 - Fennor Cross Cheltenham - 11th of 14 (81/1) | Supreme Novices Hurdle |
| 2022 - Langer Dan Cheltenham - BD of 23 (7/2) | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle |
| 2021 - Tronador Downpatrick - 7th of 10 (23/1) | Randox Rated Hurdle |
| 2019 - Three Musketeers Haydock - 8th of 11 (9/1) | Peter Marsh Chase |
| 2018 - Jester Jet Warwick - 2nd of 7 (7/1) | olbg.com Mares Hurdle |
| 2017 - Rather Be Cheltenham - UR of 23 (10/1) | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle |
| 2016 - Party Rock Uttoxeter - PU of 16 (29/1) | Betfred "Treble Odds On Lucky15s" Handicap Hurdle |
| 2015 - Theinval Kempton - 1st of 17 (7/1) | Kempton Park 888Sport.com Silver Plate |
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 2m4f 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
