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2027 Cleeve Hurdle Preview
Established in 1983, this Grade 2 hurdle, which is scheduled to take place in January of each year at the Cheltenham racecourse, is the Cleeve Hurdle. It is run over a trip of just shy of three miles and is open to runners who are aged five or older. The race takes place on trials day before the festival and serves as a trial for the Stayers' Hurdle.
Cleeve Hurdle Information:
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Cheltenham tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Schedule for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Cleeve 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 108%. The race in 2020 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 125%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Cleeve Hurdle, the over-round has been 115%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ115 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2027 Cleeve 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 Cleeve Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Cleeve Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Noble Yeats (5:06.56) in 2024
- Fire Dragon (5:54.20) in 2006
- Big Bucks (5:57.90) 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 Cleeve Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 5 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -3.41. Ahead of the 2027 Cleeve Hurdle, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Noble Yeats, trained by Emmet Mullins and ridden by Harry Cobden, who set the fastest winning time in the Cleeve Hurdle. That runner won the race in a time of 5:06.56 in 2024. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey R Walsh with Big Bucks who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 6:39.18 in the 2009 renewal.
Cleeve Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Cleeve 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 Cleeve Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 6:03.08 | Ma Shantou (IRE) 7yo 11-2 5/2 | Ben Jones Emma Lavelle (GB) |
| 2025 6:11.03 | Gowel Road (IRE) 9yo 11-2 5/2F | Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
| 2024 5:06.56 | Noble Yeats (IRE) 9yo 11-2 3/1 | Harry Cobden Emmet Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 6:00.23 | Gold Tweet (FR) 6yo 11-2 14/1 | Johnny Charron Gabriel Leenders (FR) |
| 2022 5:58.53 | Paisley Park (IRE) 10yo 11-6 5/1 | Aidan Coleman Emma Lavelle (GB) |
| 2020 6:25.81 | Paisley Park (IRE) 8yo 11-6 4/6F | Aidan Coleman Emma Lavelle (GB) |
| 2019 5:59.20 | Paisley Park (IRE) 7yo 11-6 100/30F | Aidan Coleman Emma Lavelle (GB) |
| 2018 6:25.60 | Agrapart (FR) 7yo 11-6 9/1 | Lizzie Kelly Nick Williams (GB) |
| 2017 5:59.90 | Unowhatimeanharry (GB) 9yo 11-8 10/11F | Barry Geraghty Harry Fry (GB) |
| 2016 6:26.20 | Thistlecrack (GB) 8yo 11-8 4/5F | Tom Scudamore Colin Tizzard (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Cleeve Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 31 placings from 167 runners
- IRE: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 6 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 3 runners
2026 Cleeve Hurdle Replay
Cleeve Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Cleeve Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Emma Lavelle, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Paisley Park (2019, 2020 & 2022) and Ma Shantou (2026). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Cleeve Hurdle are Paul Nicholls (3 wins) and Nick Williams (2 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Cleeve Hurdle; Nicky Henderson has sent a total of 11 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Cleeve 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Lavelle | 8-4-6 | +7.50 | +5.53 |
| Paul Nicholls | 17-3-5 | -7.25 | -7.04 |
| Nick Williams | 6-2-3 | +6.88 | +3.53 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 11-1-2 | -7.50 | -7.49 |
| David Pipe | 10-1-2 | -7.00 | -6.49 |
| Alan King | 8-1-3 | +7.00 | +3.47 |
| Harry Fry | 4-1-1 | -2.09 | -2.45 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 3-1-1 | +14.00 | +7.60 |
| Gabriel Leenders | 1-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.75 |
| Emmet Mullins | 1-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.88 |
Cleeve Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Cleeve Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Sam Twiston-Davies, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from Saphir Du Rheu (2015) and Gowel Road (2025).
Here are some of the top Cleeve 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 5-2-3 | +2.50 | +1.82 |
| Harry Cobden | 6-1-2 | -2.00 | -1.68 |
| Brian Hughes | 3-1-1 | +12.00 | +6.40 |
| Johnny Charron | 1-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.75 |
| Ben Jones | 1-1-1 | +2.50 | +1.56 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 3-0-1 | -3.00 | -0.50 |
| Sean Bowen | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Adam Wedge | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +3.50 |
| Jonathan Burke | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | -0.80 |
| Rex Dingle | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | -1.13 |
2027 Cleeve Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 5, 1, 2, PU, 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 1, PU, 1, 1, 2, 3, 2, (1, 4), 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 (71%) - No bigger than 10/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Off a break of 23 - 70 days
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Beaten no more -20l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - In a field of 7 - 17 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Furthest ran 2m6f - 4m2½f
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not in a G3/Cl4-5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not BL/BR/CH in colour
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved an RPR of 137+ (Season)
- 19 / 20 (72%) - Placed within last 2 starts
- 19 / 20 (80%) - No bigger than 8/1 (Last Win)
- 18 / 20 (55%) - No bigger than 14/1
- 18 / 20 (80%) - No older than a 9yo
- 18 / 20 (83%) - Won within last 6 starts
- 18 / 20 (83%) - Achieved a TS of 96+ (Season)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Cheltenham racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Cleeve 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 Cleeve Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Cleeve Hurdle Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +62.38, is when runners ran on Good To Soft ground when last winning.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 7 starts in the past year, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-22.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Cleeve Hurdle is Ascot; there have been a total of 7 winners of this race who ran at Ascot last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 171 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 5 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Cleeve Hurdle:
- Oscar (3 Wins)
- Cadoudal (2 Wins)
- Flemensfirth (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Cleeve Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Kings Theatre (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Passing Glance (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Knockara Beau in 2014, winning for George Charlton at odds of 66/1 under the guidance of Jan Faltejsek. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 9 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2027 Cleeve Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Cleeve Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Cleeve Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Ma Shantou Cheltenham - 1st of 7 (3/1) | Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle |
| 2025 - Gowel Road Cheltenham - 2nd of 6 (7/1) | Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle |
| 2024 - Noble Yeats Limerick - 2nd of 4 (10/11) | Party Time Hurdle |
| 2023 - Gold Tweet Pau - 2nd of 9 (6/4) | Prix Fernand Roy |
| 2022 - Paisley Park Ascot - 3rd of 8 (11/2) | Long Walk Hurdle |
| 2020 - Paisley Park Newbury - 1st of 5 (8/15) | Long Distance Hurdle |
| 2019 - Paisley Park Ascot - 1st of 11 (8/1) | Long Walk Hurdle |
| 2018 - Agrapart Cheltenham - 2nd of 8 (4/1) | Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle |
| 2017 - Unowhatimeanharry Ascot - 1st of 11 (6/5) | Long Walk Hurdle |
| 2016 - Thistlecrack Ascot - 1st of 8 (2/1) | Long Walk Hurdle |
Schedule for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham
Here is the schedule for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham, each race will be linked to the race blog and detail last year's winner in the table below.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Trophy Handicap Chase | Donnacha (IRE) 8yo - 12/1 | Nigel Hawke James Davies |
| Classic Novices Hurdle | Kripticjim (FR) 6yo - 14/1 | Joe Tizzard Brendan Powell |
| Cleeve Hurdle | Ma Shantou (IRE) 7yo - 5/2 | Emma Lavelle Ben Jones |
| Cotswold Chase | Spillanes Tower (IRE) 8yo - 11/4 | James Joseph Mangan Jack Kennedy |
| International Hurdle | The New Lion (GB) 7yo - 9/4 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| JCB Triumph Juvenile Hurdle Trial | Maestro Conti (FR) 4yo - 5/2 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| Timeform Novices Handicap Chase | Jordans Cross (IRE) 6yo - 7/1 | Anthony Honeyball Sam Twiston-Davies |
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 Cleeve Hurdle Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
