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2026 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Preview
The New Year's Day Handicap Chase is, as the name would suggest, run on New Year's Day at the Cheltenham racecourse. This Premier Handicap is open to runners who are aged five or older. It is contested over a distance of two miles, four and a half furlongs, during which a total of seven fences are to be jumped.
Given the time of year, the ground is usually pretty demanding; it's been run on either Heavy or Soft ground more than any other, so consider that when making your bets.
Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Information:
- Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Past Winners
- Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Trainer Statistics
- Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Jockey Statistics
We also have a dedicated Cheltenham tips page that will cover this race as well as all of the other races on the day of the race. See which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Cheltenham Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2024 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2023 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 131%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase, the over-round has been 119%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £119 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap 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 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase races over the last 20 renewals:
- Aso (5:10.60) in 2019
- Fondmort (5:13.90) in 2006
- Calgary Bay (5:16.50) in 2012
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 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 20 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +2.00. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase, see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 5:10.60 was set by Aso in 2019, trained by Venetia Williams and ridden by Charlie Deutsch, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2014 when Double Ross won in a time of 5:47.37 for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, who booked Sam Twiston-Davies in the saddle.
Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Past Winners
Here are the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap 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 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 5:31.64 | Springwell Bay (GB) 8yo 11-3 11/4F | Jonjo O'Neill Jr Jonjo & A J O'Neill (GB) |
| 2024 5:25.53 | Shakem UpArry (IRE) 10yo 10-2 11/2 | Ben Jones Ben Pauling (GB) |
| 2023 5:22.79 | Midnight River (GB) 8yo 11-4 6/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2022 5:23.57 | Vienna Court (IRE) 7yo 10-6 10/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
| 2020 5:29.61 | Oldgrangewood (GB) 9yo 10-7 12/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2019 5:10.60 | Aso (FR) 9yo 11-12 3/1F | Charlie Deutsch Venetia Williams (GB) |
| 2018 5:36.30 | Ballyhill (FR) 7yo 10-2 9/1 | Jamie Bargary (3lbs) Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
| 2017 5:31.00 | Shantou Flyer (IRE) 7yo 11-2 20/1 | Aidan Coleman Rebecca Curtis (GB) |
| 2016 5:31.50 | Village Vic (IRE) 9yo 10-10 7/2F | Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs (GB) |
| 2015 5:21.40 | Splash Of Ginge (GB) 7yo 10-9 9/2F | Jamie Bargary (7lbs) Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 37 placings from 222 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 4 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 3 runners
Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase over the last 20 renewals is Nigel Twiston-Davies, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Whereareyounow (2004), Double Ross (2014), Splash Of Ginge (2015), Ballyhill (2018) and Vienna Court (2022). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase are Venetia Williams (2 wins) and Dan Skelton (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 20-5-7 | +15.38 | +8.75 |
| Venetia Williams | 16-2-4 | +3.00 | -1.01 |
| Dan Skelton | 5-2-3 | +15.00 | +9.38 |
| Paul Nicholls | 28-1-8 | -17.00 | -6.81 |
| Nicky Henderson | 15-1-3 | -10.67 | -8.73 |
| Philip Hobbs | 11-1-4 | -6.50 | -4.31 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 8-1-2 | +1.00 | +1.63 |
| David Pipe | 6-1-2 | +2.00 | +2.38 |
| Tom George | 3-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.38 |
| Henrietta Knight | 2-1-2 | +7.00 | +6.50 |
Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase over the last 20 renewals, with Sam Twiston-Davies, Harry Skelton, and Jamie Bargary having all won the race two times. Sam Twiston-Davies' winners have been with Double Ross (2014) and Vienna Court (2022). Harry Skelton winners have been with Oldgrangewood (2020) and Midnight River (2023). Jamie Bargary's winners have been with Splash Of Ginge (2015) and Ballyhill (2018).
Here are some of the top Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 13-2-6 | +0.38 | +3.75 |
| Harry Skelton | 5-2-3 | +15.00 | +9.38 |
| Jamie Bargary | 4-2-2 | +11.50 | +6.21 |
| Charlie Deutsch | 6-1-2 | -2.00 | -1.81 |
| Ben Jones | 1-1-1 | +5.50 | +3.44 |
| Jonjo O'Neill Jr | 1-1-1 | +2.75 | +1.65 |
| Harry Cobden | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | -0.94 |
| Nick Scholfield | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| Sean Bowen | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 3-0-1 | -3.00 | -1.50 |
2026 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 5, 6, 1, 4, 6, (3, F), 7, 2, F, 1, 1, 1, 2, (4, 7), 1, 8, (3, 8), 5, PU, (1, 6)
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%) - Achieved an RPR of 139+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Ran in 11 - 35 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Within the first 10 of the market
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Break of 10 - 337 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 1 - 5 placings (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Beaten no more -33l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved an RPR of 140+ (Last 5)
- 19 / 20 (83%) - Achieved a TS of 109+ (Last 3)
- 18 / 20 (68%) - No bigger than 12/1 (LTO)
- 18 / 20 (83%) - Placed within last 4 starts
- 18 / 20 (83%) - Held an OR of 136+ (Hcps)
- 17 / 20 (69%) - Achieved an RPR of 146+ (Career)
- 17 / 20 (74%) - No older than a 9yo
- 17 / 20 (80%) - Won by at least 1¼l (Last Win)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Cheltenham racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap 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 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase by adding a tip on the race here.
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Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +25.88, is when runners ran over 2m on debut.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 3 career starts in the class, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-27.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase is Cheltenham; there have been a total 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 Newbury; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Newbury last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 221 runners, while female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 8 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase; that stallion is Presenting, who has failed to produce a winner from 5 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Shantou Flyer in 2017, winning for Rebecca Curtis at odds of 20/1 under the guidance of Aidan Coleman. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 6 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Springwell Bay Cheltenham - 2nd of 5 (13/2) | SSS Super Alloys Novices Chase |
| 2024 - Shakem UpArry Newbury - 6th of 20 (33/1) | Coral Gold Cup |
| 2023 - Midnight River Cheltenham - 3rd of 14 (15/2) | Paddy Power Gold Cup |
| 2022 - Vienna Court Cheltenham - 1st of 11 (12/1) | CF Roberts Electrical & Mechanical Services Mares Handicap Chase |
| 2020 - Oldgrangewood Newbury - 1st of 12 (6/1) | Get Your Ladbrokes £1 Free Bet Today Handicap Chase |
| 2019 - Aso Newbury - 1st of 6 (8/1) | Ladbrokes Handicap Chase |
| 2018 - Ballyhill Aintree - F of 7 (9/2) | Premier League Derby Betting At 188Bet Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Shantou Flyer Galway - 9th of 22 (10/1) | Galway Plate |
| 2016 - Village Vic Cheltenham - 1st of 14 (8/1) | December Gold Cup |
| 2015 - Splash Of Ginge Cheltenham - F of 12 (11/1) | December Gold Cup |
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 Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase 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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