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2027 Coral Challenge Preview
Scheduled to take place in July of each year at the Sandown Racecourse is the Coral Challenge. This race is a class two handicap that is open to runners aged three or older and is contested over a mile. The race takes place on the same day as the Coral Charge and the Eclipse.
Coral Challenge 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 2026
How competitive is the Coral Challenge 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 114%. The race in 2010 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 130%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Coral Challenge, the over-round has been 123%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £123 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2027 Coral Challenge 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 Coral Challenge Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Coral Challenge races over the last 20 renewals:
- Prince Of Johanne (1:38.87) in 2013
- El Hayem (1:39.21) in 2017
- Velox (1:39.35) in 2014
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 Coral Challenge next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -14.50. Ahead of the 2027 Coral Challenge, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Prince Of Johanne, trained by Tom Tate and ridden by Graham Lee, who set the fastest winning time in the Coral Challenge. That runner won the race in a time of 1:38.87 in 2013. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Charles Hills and jockey Billy Loughnane with Ciceros Gift who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 1:47.24 in the 2024 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Coral Challenge Past Winners
Here are the Coral Challenge past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the race year, the winning horse, and the horse's age & weight. Also detailed is the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Coral Challenge are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 1:40.72 | Indalo (IRE) 5yo 9-1 (3 of 14) 9/4F | Ray Dawson Roger Varian (GB) |
| 2025 1:41.24 | Classic (GB) 5yo 8-10 (2 of 12) 6/1 | Sean Levey Richard Hannon (GB) |
| 2024 1:47.24 | Ciceros Gift (GB) 4yo 9-12 (1 of 10) 11/2 | Billy Loughnane Charles Hills (GB) |
| 2023 1:41.71 | Perotto (GB) 5yo 8-13 (4 of 15) 5/1F | Tom Marquand Roger Varian (GB) |
| 2022 1:41.44 | Sinjaari (IRE) 6yo 9-11 (7 of 11) 7/2 | Kieran Shoemark Harry & Roger Charlton (GB) |
| 2021 1:44.53 | Magical Morning (GB) 4yo 9-0 (11 of 13) 13/2 | Frankie Dettori John & Thady Gosden (GB) |
| 2020 1:43.51 | Montatham (GB) 4yo 9-3 (6 of 9) 6/5F | Jim Crowley William Haggas (GB) |
| 2019 1:40.83 | Mojito (IRE) 5yo 9-8 (8 of 13) 4/1F | Frankie Dettori William Haggas (GB) |
| 2018 1:39.73 | Tigre Du Terre (FR) 3yo 8-8 (5 of 15) 9/2F | Tom Marquand Richard Hannon (GB) |
| 2017 1:39.21 | El Hayem (IRE) 4yo 8-12 (10 of 13) 8/1 | Ryan Moore Sir Michael Stoute (GB) |
Coral Challenge Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the Coral Challenge over the last 20 renewals, with William Haggas, Richard Hannon, and Roger Varian having all won the race twice. William Haggas's winners have been with Mojito (2019) and Montatham (2020). Richard Hannon's winners have been with Tigre Du Terre (2018) and Classic (2025). Roger Varian's winners have been with Perotto (2023) and Indalo (2026). One trainer has not had the best of times in the Coral Challenge; David O'Meara has sent a total of 14 runners to the race without recording a win.
Here are some of the top Coral Challenge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Haggas | 10-2-3 | -2.80 | -3.34 |
| Richard Hannon | 9-2-2 | +3.50 | -0.44 |
| Roger Varian | 7-2-3 | +2.25 | +0.49 |
| Andrew Balding | 16-1-2 | -5.00 | -5.12 |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 8-1-3 | +1.00 | +2.06 |
| Saeed bin Suroor | 7-1-1 | -2.50 | -3.81 |
| Clive Cox | 5-1-2 | +29.00 | +18.38 |
| William Knight | 5-1-2 | +12.00 | +6.77 |
| Charles Hills | 4-1-1 | +2.50 | +0.30 |
| Tom Tate | 3-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.00 |
Coral Challenge Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the Coral Challenge over the last 20 renewals, with both Ryan Moore and Tom Marquand having won the race twice. Ryan Moore's winners have been with Ordnance Row (2007) and El Hayem (2017). Tom Marquand's winners have been with Tigre Du Terre (2018) and Perotto (2023).
Here are some of the top Coral Challenge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Moore | 16-2-6 | +5.00 | +2.20 |
| Tom Marquand | 4-2-3 | +7.50 | +5.32 |
| William Buick | 10-1-3 | -7.00 | -6.16 |
| James Doyle | 9-1-3 | -4.50 | -3.18 |
| Jim Crowley | 7-1-1 | -4.80 | -5.28 |
| David Probert | 6-1-2 | +5.00 | +4.88 |
| Luke Morris | 3-1-1 | +31.00 | +18.63 |
| Billy Loughnane | 3-1-2 | +3.50 | +2.68 |
| Kieran Shoemark | 3-1-1 | +1.50 | +0.10 |
| Sean Levey | 2-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.75 |
2027 Coral Challenge Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 5, 3, 3, 4, 2, 1, 3, 4, (1, 9), 14, 6, 1, 1, 1, 9, 2, (1, 12), (3, 4), 3, 1
The percentage shown is the proportion 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 (72%) - Not in a G3/LST/Cl3-5 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - No bigger than 20/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Not on HY/SFT/FM/STD-SLW/FS (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Fewer than 11 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Ran in 4 - 35 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 87+ (Going)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved an RPR of 94+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Highest Won is not G1-2/LST
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved a TS of 77+ (Last 5)
- 19 / 20 (84%) - No older than a 6yo
- 19 / 20 (89%) - Placed within last 5 starts
- 18 / 20 (65%) - No bigger than 16/1
- 18 / 20 (77%) - Achieved an RPR of 99+ (Career)
- 18 / 20 (84%) - No bigger than 22/1 (Debut)
- 18 / 20 (87%) - Won within last 10 starts
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Sandown racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Coral Challenge. 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 Coral Challenge by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
2027 Coral Challenge Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2027 renewal of the Coral Challenge will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually 48 hours before the race.
Coral Challenge Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +18.25, is when runners had 0 season wins.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners finished in 2nd on debut; when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-47.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2026: Winner in 3 (9,4) [14 Runners]
- 2025: Winner in 2 (8,9) [12 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 1 (3,9) [10 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 4 (5,15) [15 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 7 (9,3) [11 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Coral Challenge is Ascot; there have been a total of 9 winners of this race who ran at Ascot last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Sandown; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Sandown last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 271 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 5 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Coral Challenge; that stallion, Muhaarar, has produced 2 winners (2024,2021).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Coral Challenge despite multiple attempts:
- Danehill Dancer (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Cape Cross (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Famous Name (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Shamardal (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Siyouni (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Black Spirit in 2010, winning for Clive Cox at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of Luke Morris. 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 2027 Coral Challenge, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Coral Challenge
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Coral Challenge. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Indalo Ascot - 3rd of 28 (9/1) | Royal Hunt Cup |
| 2025 - Classic Sandown - 2nd of 5 (11/8) | Read Meg Nicholls Blog At betmgm.co.uk Handicap |
| 2024 - Ciceros Gift Ascot - 7th of 9 (12/1) | St James's Palace Stakes |
| 2023 - Perotto Ascot - 10th of 30 (7/1) | Royal Hunt Cup |
| 2022 - Sinjaari Ascot - 5th of 29 (14/1) | Royal Hunt Cup |
| 2021 - Magical Morning Ascot - 8th of 30 (12/1) | Royal Hunt Cup |
| 2020 - Montatham Ascot - 2nd of 23 (8/1) | Royal Hunt Cup |
| 2019 - Mojito Ascot - 18th of 18 (4/1) | Ascot Challenge Cup |
| 2018 - Tigre Du Terre Maisons-Laffitte - 2nd of 11 (4/1) | Prix de la Ville de Maisons-Laffitte |
| 2017 - El Hayem Newbury - 11th of 15 (4/1) | Toronado Handicap |
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 Coral Challenge Preview are Andy and James. 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 Flat racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal races at Sandown Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Sandown racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
