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2026 Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Preview
The Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle is scheduled to take place in December of each year at the Ascot racecourse. The race is Grade 3 and open to runners aged three years old or older and is run over one mile, seven and a half furlongs, with runners facing a total of eight hurdles.
Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Information:
- Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
- Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Ascot Festive 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 Ascot tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Ascot Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2023 when the race had an over-round of 114%. The race in 2018 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 142%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle, the over-round has been 129%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ129 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Ascot Festive 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 Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Brain Power (3:39.90) in 2016
- Wilful (3:42.46) in 2025
- Jack The Giant (3:42.90) in 2007
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 Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 20 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -4.09. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 3:39.90 was set by Brain Power in 2016, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by David Mullins, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2012 when Cause Of Causes won in a time of 4:12.70 for trainer Gordon Elliott, who booked Davy Condon in the saddle.
Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Ascot Festive 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 Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: Abandoned in 2022 due to a frozen track.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:42.46 | Wilful (IRE) 6yo 11-2 15/2 | Jonjo O'Neill Jr Jonjo & A J O'Neill (GB) |
| 2024 3:44.10 | Fiercely Proud (IRE) 5yo 10-13 12/1 | Kielan Woods Ben Pauling (GB) |
| 2023 3:44.60 | Luccia (GB) 5yo 11-8 9/2 | Paul O'Brien Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2021 3:46.25 | Tritonic (GB) 4yo 11-0 8/1 | A P Heskin Alan King (GB) |
| 2020 3:51.90 | Not So Sleepy (GB) 8yo 11-6 20/1 | Tom O'Brien Hughie Morrison (GB) |
| 2019 3:50.75 | Not So Sleepy (GB) 7yo 10-3 9/2F | Jonathan Burke Hughie Morrison (GB) |
| 2018 3:47.90 | Mohaayed (GB) 6yo 11-10 16/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2017 3:49.40 | Hunters Call (IRE) 7yo 10-3 9/1 | Jack Kennedy Olly Murphy (GB) |
| 2016 3:39.90 | Brain Power (IRE) 5yo 11-11 12/1 | David Mullins Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2015 3:47.00 | Jollys Cracked It (FR) 6yo 11-3 7/1F | Noel Fehily Harry Fry (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 19 winners with an additional 49 placings from 308 runners
- IRE: 2 winners with an additional 5 placings from 39 runners
2025 Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Replay
Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Nicky Henderson, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Jack The Giant (2007), Sentry Duty (2008), Brain Power (2016) and Luccia (2023). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle are Alan King (2 wins), Dan Skelton (2 wins), Gordon Elliott (2 wins) and Hughie Morrison (2 wins). Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle. Paul Nicholls has sent a total of 25 runners to the race without recording any wins, whilst Gary Moore has sent out 15 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Ascot Festive 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 | 30-4-11 | +4.75 | +4.60 |
| Alan King | 18-2-4 | +4.00 | +2.44 |
| Dan Skelton | 14-2-4 | +14.00 | +6.32 |
| Gordon Elliott | 5-2-3 | +36.00 | +23.88 |
| Hughie Morrison | 4-2-2 | +22.50 | +13.31 |
| David Pipe | 18-1-2 | -10.00 | -8.99 |
| Philip Hobbs | 16-1-3 | -6.00 | -2.99 |
| Venetia Williams | 9-1-2 | +25.00 | +15.13 |
| Harry Fry | 9-1-4 | -1.00 | +1.87 |
| Olly Murphy | 4-1-1 | +6.00 | +2.63 |
Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Harry Skelton, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from Willows Saviour (2013) and Mohaayed (2018).
Here are some of the top Ascot Festive 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 | 11-2-4 | +17.00 | +9.32 |
| Jonjo O'Neill Jr | 4-1-3 | +4.50 | +4.92 |
| Jonathan Burke | 4-1-2 | +1.50 | +0.67 |
| Kielan Woods | 3-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.50 |
| Jack Kennedy | 2-1-1 | +8.00 | +4.63 |
| Paul O'Brien | 1-1-1 | +4.50 | +2.70 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 6-0-4 | -6.00 | +2.50 |
| Nico de Boinville | 6-0-3 | -6.00 | +0.07 |
| Harry Cobden | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -4.44 |
| Tom Cannon | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
2026 Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): (7, F), 10, 8, 5, 1, 17, 4, UR, 13, (4, 7), (1, 15), 4, 3, 14, (1, 6), (4, 11), PU, 7, 7, 3
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.
- 21 / 21 (78%) - Fewer than 14 races (Further)
- 21 / 21 (79%) - Within the first 13 of the market
- 21 / 21 (83%) - Ran in 4 - 15 races (Hurdle)
- 21 / 21 (84%) - Not on HY/GF/STD (Last Win)
- 21 / 21 (84%) - Achieved an RPR of 130+ (Last 5)
- 21 / 21 (84%) - Had 2 - 7 placings (Hurdle)
- 21 / 21 (85%) - Not on HY/FM/STD-SLW/STD (Debut)
- 21 / 21 (86%) - Fewer than 5 placings (Hcps)
- 21 / 21 (86%) - Ran in 3 - 11 races (1 Year)
- 21 / 21 (87%) - Fewer than 3 wins (Hcps)
- 21 / 21 (88%) - No bigger than 33/1
- 21 / 21 (88%) - Won by at least ½l (Last Win)
- 21 / 21 (89%) - Had 1 - 4 wins (Hurdle)
- 20 / 21 (88%) - No older than a 7yo
- 19 / 21 (72%) - Achieved an RPR of 128+ (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Ascot racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Ascot Festive 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 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 Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +78.75, is when runners ran on Good ground last time out.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when a runner's last win was 4 starts ago, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-43.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 8 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Ascot; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Ascot last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 335 runners, while female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 12 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle; that stallion, Beat Hollow, has produced 2 winners (2020,2019).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Sadlers Wells (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Galileo (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Thesis in 2003, winning for Venetia Williams at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of B J Crowley. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Ascot Festive Handicap Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Wilful Chepstow - 3rd of 9 (19/2) | Welsh Champion Hurdle |
| 2024 - Fiercely Proud Cheltenham - 6th of 15 (16/1) | Greatwood Hurdle |
| 2023 - Luccia Cheltenham - 3rd of 15 (6/1) | Greatwood Hurdle |
| 2021 - Tritonic Cheltenham - 5th of 19 (10/1) | Greatwood Hurdle |
| 2020 - Not So Sleepy Newcastle - UR of 6 (23/1) | Fighting Fifth Hurdle |
| 2019 - Not So Sleepy Ascot - 1st of 9 (6/1) | Rewarding Ownership With The ROA Handicap Hurdle |
| 2018 - Mohaayed Cheltenham - 7th of 18 (25/1) | Greatwood Hurdle |
| 2017 - Hunters Call Sligo - 3rd of 10 (9/1) | BoyleSports Handicap Hurdle |
| 2016 - Brain Power Sandown - 1st of 10 (9/2) | Jumeirah Hotels And Resorts December Handicap Hurdle |
| 2015 - Jollys Cracked It Ascot - 3rd of 11 (5/1) | William Hill Handicap 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 Ascot Festive Handicap 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
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Andy Powell
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