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2026 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Preview
Part of the Crystal Cup European Cross Country Challenge is the Cross Country Chase, which takes place in December at Cheltenham during the two-day Christmas Meeting.
The race is contested by horses aged five or older over a distance of just over three miles and six furlongs on the Cheltenham cross-country course, where a total of thirty-two obstacles are faced.
Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Information:
- Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Past Winners
- Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Trainer Statistics
- Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Jockey Statistics
Our dedicated Cheltenham tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Cheltenham throughout the season, so be sure to head over there. 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 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2004 when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2009 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 129%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase, the over-round has been 120%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ120 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Crystal Cup Cross Country 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 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase races over the last 20 renewals:
- Final Orders (8:04.15) in 2025
- Fact Of The Matter (8:09.40) in 2018
- Cantlow (8:10.50) in 2016
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 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase next time out, then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -6.93. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Final Orders, trained by Gavin Cromwell and ridden by Keith Donoghue, who set the fastest winning time in the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase. That runner won the race in a time of 8:04.15 in 2025. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer J Halley and jockey Mr Josh Halley with Outlaw Pete who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 9:16.53 in the 2012 renewal.
Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Past Winners
Here are the Crystal Cup Cross Country 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 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: Abandoned in 2022 due to frozen ground.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 8:04.15 | Final Orders (GB) 9yo 11-6 16/1 | Keith Donoghue Gavin Cromwell (IRE) |
| 2024 8:33.95 | Stumptown (IRE) 7yo 11-4 4/1F | Keith Donoghue Gavin Cromwell (IRE) |
| 2023 8:29.07 | Latenightpass (GB) 10yo 10-8 3/1F | Miss Gina Andrews Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2021 8:24.62 | Diesel DAllier (FR) 8yo 10-2 6/1 | Harry Bannister Richard J Bandey (GB) |
| 2020 8:49.33 | Some Neck (FR) 9yo 10-11 18/1 | Mr B W Harvey (7lbs) John C McConnell (IRE) |
| 2019 9:04.00 | Easysland (FR) 5yo 11-3 5/2F | Jonathan Plouganou D Cottin (FR) |
| 2018 8:09.40 | Fact Of The Matter (IRE) 8yo 10-10 6/1 | Gavin Sheehan Jamie Snowden (GB) |
| 2017 8:25.70 | Bless The Wings (IRE) 12yo 11-2 12/1 | Davy Russell Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2016 8:10.50 | Cantlow (IRE) 11yo 11-2 13/8F | Mark Walsh E Bolger (IRE) |
| 2015 8:14.00 | Josies Orders (IRE) 7yo 11-8 11/4 | Ms N Carberry E Bolger (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase have been based:
- IRE: 13 winners with an additional 21 placings from 131 runners
- GB: 5 winners with an additional 16 placings from 98 runners
- FR: 2 winners with an additional 6 placings from 25 runners
- CZE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Replay
Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase over the last 20 renewals is E Bolger, who has won the race seven times, with those seven winners coming from Spot Thedifference (2004 & 2006), Garde Champetre (2008, 2009 & 2011), Josies Orders (2015) and Cantlow (2016). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase is Gavin Cromwell (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Crystal Cup Cross Country 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| E Bolger | 37-7-20 | -5.62 | +6.22 |
| Gavin Cromwell | 5-2-3 | +17.00 | +12.00 |
| Gordon Elliott | 20-1-3 | -7.00 | -6.17 |
| Paul Nicholls | 12-1-5 | -4.00 | -1.67 |
| A J Martin | 6-1-1 | +0.00 | -1.87 |
| D Cottin | 6-1-3 | -2.50 | +0.56 |
| Martin Keighley | 5-1-2 | +4.00 | +2.06 |
| Richard J Bandey | 2-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.75 |
| John C McConnell | 1-1-1 | +18.00 | +10.80 |
| Jamie Snowden | 1-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.60 |
Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase over the last 20 renewals is Keith Donoghue, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from Stumptown (2024) and Final Orders (2025).
Here are some of the top Crystal Cup Cross Country 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Donoghue | 5-2-3 | +17.00 | +14.13 |
| Mark Walsh | 6-1-4 | -3.37 | +0.14 |
| Miss Gina Andrews | 3-1-2 | +1.00 | +1.01 |
| Harry Bannister | 2-1-2 | +5.00 | +4.85 |
| Mr B W Harvey | 1-1-1 | +18.00 | +10.80 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 1-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.60 |
| Jonathan Plouganou | 1-1-1 | +2.50 | +1.56 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -4.80 |
| Sean Bowen | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -2.75 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
2026 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): (1, 7), 11, 3, 2, 1, 1, 4, UR, 6, UR, 8, 1, 3, (3, 4), 1, 3, 5, 1, 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 (67%) - No bigger than 18/1
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Ran over 2m4½f - 3m6f (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - No bigger than 20/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - No bigger than 9/1 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Furthest Won 2m6½f - 4m2f
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Furthest ran 3m3f - 4m4f
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Within the first 10 of the market
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Ran over 3m - 3m6f (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - In a field of 5 - 17 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - In a field of 7 - 17 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Furthest Placed 3m - 4m2f
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Highest Placed is not Cl3-5
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Not CH in colour
- 20 / 20 (87%) - In a field of 6 - 24 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not in a G1/G3/Cl5 (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Cheltenham racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Crystal Cup Cross Country 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 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 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase by adding a tip on the race here.
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Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +33.38, is when the runner's last place was 1 start ago.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in a race restricted to 4yo+ last time out, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-58.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 12 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Punchestown; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Punchestown last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 252 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 3 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase:
- Garde Royale (3 Wins)
- Lafontaine I (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase despite multiple attempts:
- Presenting (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Network (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Be My Native (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Kings Theatre (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Saddlers Hall (0 Wins from 6 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Some Neck in 2020, winning for John C McConnell at odds of 18/1 under the guidance of Mr B W Harvey. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 7 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Final Orders Punchestown - 3rd of 15 (16/1) | Colm Quinn BMW Risk Of Thunder Chase |
| 2024 - Stumptown Punchestown - 1st of 13 (3/1) | Colm Quinn BMW Risk Of Thunder Chase |
| 2023 - Latenightpass Cheltenham - 2nd of 13 (9/2) | Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Diesel DAllier Cheltenham - 3rd of 13 (19/2) | Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase |
| 2020 - Some Neck Punchestown - 3rd of 17 (20/1) | Ballymore Group Risk Of Thunder Chase |
| 2019 - Easysland Compiegne - 1st of 10 (12/5) | Grand Steeple Chase-Cross-Country de Compiegne |
| 2018 - Fact Of The Matter Cheltenham - 2nd of 7 (7/1) | Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Bless The Wings Fairyhouse - PU of 14 (14/1) | Porterstown Handicap Chase |
| 2016 - Cantlow Punchestown - 1st of 13 (3/1) | Risk Of Thunder Chase |
| 2015 - Josies Orders Cheltenham - 1st of 16 (11/4) | Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase |
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 Crystal Cup Cross Country 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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