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 Classic Trial Preview
Established in 1953 with Mountain King winning the inaugural running, the Classic Trial is a Group 3 flat race that is run over one mile, one furlong and two hundred and nine yards and is open to three-year-olds only.
Fillies receive a 3lb allowance whilst Group 1 & Group 2 winners have to shoulder a 4lb penalty, the race can serve as a trial for the Epsom Derby. Benny The Dip was the last runner to win both races back in 1997.
Classic Trial Information:
If you are interested in other predictions at Sandown, then head over to the Sandown tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Sandown Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Classic Trial market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2015 when the race had an over-round of 107%. The race in 2008 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 126%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Classic Trial, the over-round has been 112%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £112 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Classic Trial 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 Classic Trial Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Classic Trial over the last 20 renewals:
- Berlin Tango (2:06.70) in 2020
- Primary (2:09.40) in 2006
- Bangkok (2:09.43) in 2019
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 Classic Trial 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 -8.87. Ahead of the 2026 Classic Trial, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 2:06.70 was set by Berlin Tango in 2020, which is the quickest time over that period. The runner was trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by David Probert. The slowest winning time was set in 2012 when Imperial Monarch won in a time of 2:27.86, booked to ride was Joseph O'Brien by the trainer A P O'Brien.
Classic Trial Past Winners
Here are the Classic Trial 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. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Classic Trial are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: The 2020 renewal was switched to the Kempton racecourse. Chabal was disqualified from the 2010 renewal, and Azmeel was promoted to first after testing positive for a banned substance. The 2023 renewal was abandoned due to unsafe ground.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 2:10.93 | Swagman (GER) 3yo 9-3 (2 of 5) 9/2 | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2024 2:12.61 | Arabian Crown (FR) 3yo 9-3 (9 of 8) 5/6F | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2022 2:13.53 | Westover (GB) 3yo 9-1 (3 of 6) 5/1 | Rob Hornby Ralph Beckett (GB) |
| 2021 2:12.13 | Alenquer (FR) 3yo 9-1 (9 of 10) 25/1 | Tom Marquand William Haggas (GB) |
| 2020 2:06.70 | Berlin Tango (GB) 3yo 9-1 (6 of 9) 7/1 | David Probert Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2019 2:09.43 | Bangkok (IRE) 3yo 9-1 (4 of 6) 10/11F | Silvestre De Sousa Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2018 2:14.13 | Sevenna Star (IRE) 3yo 9-1 (9 of 7) 15/8F | Frankie Dettori John Gosden (GB) |
| 2017 2:14.33 | Cunco (IRE) 3yo 9-1 (3 of 5) 5/1 | Robert Tart John Gosden (GB) |
| 2016 2:11.11 | Midterm (GB) 3yo 9-1 (5 of 6) 8/11F | Ryan Moore Sir Michael Stoute (GB) |
| 2015 2:12.91 | Master Ceramibo (IRE) 3yo 9-1 (1 of 4) 12/1 | David Probert Andrew Balding (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Classic Trial have been based:
- GB: 16 winners with an additional 23 placings from 119 runners
- IRE: 4 winners with an additional 2 placings from 15 runners
Classic Trial Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Classic Trial over the last 20 renewals is John Gosden, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Centennial (2008), Azmeel (2010), Western Hymn (2014), Cunco (2017) and Sevenna Star (2018). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Classic Trial are Andrew Balding (3 wins), A P O'Brien (2 wins) and William Haggas (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Classic Trial 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Gosden | 15-5-7 | +4.26 | +2.94 |
| Andrew Balding | 8-3-6 | +14.91 | +5.81 |
| A P O'Brien | 10-2-3 | -2.12 | -3.44 |
| William Haggas | 5-2-3 | +26.00 | +15.80 |
| Ralph Beckett | 7-1-3 | -1.00 | +0.18 |
| Charlie Appleby | 6-1-5 | -4.17 | -0.29 |
| Michael Bell | 3-1-1 | +3.50 | +1.30 |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 3-1-1 | -1.27 | -1.54 |
| David Simcock | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | -0.12 |
| John & Thady Gosden | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
Classic Trial Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Classic Trial over the last 20 renewals is William Buick, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Azmeel (2010), Western Hymn (2014) and Arabian Crown (2024). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Classic Trial are Ryan Moore (2 wins), Frankie Dettori (2 wins) and David Probert (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Classic Trial 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Buick | 11-3-6 | -1.17 | +0.16 |
| Ryan Moore | 13-2-3 | -5.77 | -4.98 |
| Frankie Dettori | 12-2-3 | -2.62 | -3.52 |
| David Probert | 4-2-3 | +17.00 | +5.83 |
| Jamie Spencer | 7-1-3 | -1.50 | -0.52 |
| Tom Marquand | 4-1-2 | +22.00 | +13.30 |
| Rob Hornby | 1-1-1 | +5.00 | +3.13 |
| Robert Tart | 1-1-1 | +5.00 | +3.13 |
| Chris Hayes | 1-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.50 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 1-1-1 | +0.91 | +0.57 |
2026 Classic Trial Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): (2, 4), 4, 3, 1, 5, DSQ, 9, 1, 2, 1, 4, 1, 4, 1, 1, 4, 4, 3, 1, 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 (63%) - Not on GF/FM/STD (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Highest Run is not G2/Cl2/Cl5
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Not BB/BR/CH/RG in colour
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 82+ (Non-Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Carried 123 - 131lbs (LTO)
- 19 / 20 (76%) - Not on FM/STD (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (78%) - Carried 125 - 131lbs (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (80%) - No bigger than 8/1 (Career Win)
- 19 / 20 (84%) - No bigger than 8/1 (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 80+ (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (87%) - No bigger than 16/1 (Career Place)
- 19 / 20 (89%) - Not in a Handicap (Last Win)
- 18 / 20 (70%) - No bigger than 16/1 (Career)
- 17 / 20 (63%) - Within the first 4 of the market
- 17 / 20 (67%) - No bigger than 10/1 (Debut)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Sandown racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Classic Trial. 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 Classic Trial by adding a tip on the race here.
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Classic Trial Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +49.59, is when runners ran on Soft ground last time out.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran on Standard ground last time out, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-33.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 2 (3) [5 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 9 (2,1) [8 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 3 (5) [6 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 9 (1,6) [10 Runners]
- 2020: Winner in 6 (11,4) [9 Runners]
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Classic Trial are Leopardstown, Saint-Cloud and Newbury, there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 130 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 4 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Classic Trial:
- Frankel (2 Wins)
- Galileo (2 Wins)
- High Chaparral (2 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Alenquer in 2021, winning for William Haggas at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of Tom Marquand. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 7 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Classic Trial, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Classic Trial
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Classic Trial, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Swagman Leopardstown - 2nd of 5 (8/1) | Japan Racing Association Tyros Stakes |
| 2024 - Arabian Crown Newmarket (Rowley) - 1st of 4 (10/11) | Ghaiyyath Zetland Stakes |
| 2022 - Westover Pontefract - 2nd of 11 (8/11) | Silver Tankard Stakes |
| 2021 - Alenquer Haydock - 2nd of 6 (15/8) | Betfair Exchange Ascendant Stakes |
| 2020 - Berlin Tango Kempton (AW) - 2nd of 5 (15/8) | "Road To The Kentucky Derby" Conditions Stakes |
| 2019 - Bangkok Doncaster - 1st of 17 (1/1) | 32Red Casino Maiden Stakes |
| 2018 - Sevenna Star Windsor - 1st of 7 (8/11) | Crown And Cushion Eton Novice Stakes |
| 2017 - Cunco Saint-Cloud - 7th of 13 (18/1) | Criterium de Saint-Cloud |
| 2016 - Midterm Newbury - 1st of 17 (8/1) | Al Basti Equiworld Maiden Stakes |
| 2015 - Master Ceramibo Saint-Cloud - 9th of 9 (16/1) | Criterium International |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Classic Trial Preview are at hand, Andy and James. 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 Flat Racing.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
