You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 December Festival Hurdle Preview
Scheduled to take place in December of each year at the Leopardstown Racecourse is the December Festival Hurdle. The race is run at the Christmas Festival, it is a Grade 1, which is run over two miles, during which the runners face a total of eight hurdles.
The race has been won by some decent types over the years, with Istabraq, Hurricane Fly and Sharjah all winning the race a record four times, whilst the Champion Hurdler, State Man, was a dual winner of this race.
December Festival Hurdle Information:
- December Festival Hurdle Past Winners
- December Festival Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- December Festival Hurdle Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Leopardstown 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 Races Covered during the Irish Christmas Festival section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the December Festival Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2006 when the race had an over-round of 108%. The race in 2009 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 120%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the December Festival Hurdle, the over-round has been 113%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £113 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 December Festival 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 December Festival Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run December Festival Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Brighterdaysahead (3:45.20) in 2024
- Al Eile (3:48.50) in 2007
- Sharjah (3:48.60) 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 December Festival Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 8 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -5.39. Ahead of the 2026 December Festival Hurdle, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Brighterdaysahead, trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Sam Ewing, who set the fastest winning time in the December Festival Hurdle. That runner won the race in a time of 3:45.20 in 2024. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer C A Murphy and jockey R Walsh with Brave Inca who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 4:17.40 in the 2006 renewal.
December Festival Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the December Festival 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 December Festival Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:53.10 | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo 11-5 4/6F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2024 3:45.20 | Brighterdaysahead (FR) 5yo 11-5 5/2 | Sam Ewing Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2023 3:55.60 | State Man (FR) 6yo 11-12 4/7F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2022 3:55.70 | State Man (FR) 5yo 11-12 4/6F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2021 3:49.70 | Sharjah (FR) 8yo 11-12 5/6F | Mr P W Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2020 3:56.40 | Sharjah (FR) 7yo 11-12 11/2 | Mr P W Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2019 3:48.60 | Sharjah (FR) 6yo 11-10 9/2 | Mr P W Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2018 3:55.00 | Sharjah (FR) 5yo 11-10 6/1 | Mr P W Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2017 4:04.90 | Mick Jazz (FR) 6yo 11-10 14/1 | Davy Russell Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2016 3:55.00 | Petit Mouchoir (FR) 5yo 11-10 6/1 | B J Cooper Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
2025 December Festival Hurdle Replay
December Festival Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the December Festival Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race twelve times, with those twelve winners coming from Hurricane Fly (2010, 2012, 2013 & 2014), Nichols Canyon (2015), Sharjah (2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021), State Man (2022 & 2023) and Lossiemouth (2025). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the December Festival Hurdle is Gordon Elliott (2 wins).
Here are some of the top December Festival 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 39-12-17 | -5.00 | +0.15 |
| Gordon Elliott | 19-2-5 | -0.50 | -1.71 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 6-1-3 | +1.00 | +2.38 |
| D K Weld | 3-1-2 | +1.33 | +2.33 |
| John Queally | 2-1-1 | +3.50 | +2.81 |
| C A Murphy | 2-1-2 | +0.50 | -0.05 |
| C Byrnes | 2-1-2 | -0.27 | +0.15 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 5-0-3 | -5.00 | -2.66 |
| Noel Meade | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -4.00 |
| Sabrina J Harty | 3-0-1 | -3.00 | -0.50 |
December Festival Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the December Festival Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Paul Townend, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Hurricane Fly (2010), Unaccompanied (2011), State Man (2022 & 2023) and Lossiemouth (2025). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the December Festival Hurdle is Mr P W Mullins (4 wins).
Here are some of the top December Festival 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Townend | 14-5-5 | -3.03 | -5.64 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 6-4-4 | +14.83 | +8.52 |
| Sam Ewing | 1-1-1 | +2.50 | +1.56 |
| Jack Kennedy | 6-0-2 | -6.00 | -3.12 |
| Mark Walsh | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | -1.37 |
| Danny Mullins | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -2.16 |
| Brian Hayes | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +6.75 |
| Jordan Gainford | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +0.10 |
| Keith Donoghue | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
2026 December Festival Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 3, 5, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, PU, 5, 5, 4, 1, 1, 1, 3, 1
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 (61%) - Not in a G2-3/Cl2-3 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (68%) - No bigger than 14/1
- 20 / 20 (70%) - Within the first 4 of the market
- 20 / 20 (72%) - Achieved an RPR of 142+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Furthest ran 2m½f - 2m5f
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Achieved a TS of 130+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Achieved a TS of 93+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Beaten no more -13½l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Furthest Placed 2m - 2m5f
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Held an OR of 142+ (Class)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Carried 154 - 166lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Ran in 1 - 6 races (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Off a break of 14 - 155 days
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Highest Placed is G1
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Fewer than 5 races (Season)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Leopardstown racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the December Festival 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 £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 December Festival Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
December Festival Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +12.97, is when runners were FR bred.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in a Class 1 (G2) last time out, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-19.
The course which has produced the most winners of the December Festival Hurdle is Punchestown; there have been a total of 11 winners of this race who ran at Punchestown last time out. The next best courses, which have produced the second most winners, are Fairyhouse and Newcastle; there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 17 winners from a total of 106 runners, while female runners have produced 3 winners from a total of 9 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the December Festival Hurdle:
- Doctor Dino (6 Wins)
- Montjeu (4 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Mick Jazz in 2017, winning for Gordon Elliott at odds of 14/1 under the guidance of Davy Russell. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 10 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.
Route to the December Festival Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the December Festival Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Lossiemouth Punchestown - 1st of 4 (1/5) | Morgiana Hurdle |
| 2024 - Brighterdaysahead Punchestown - 1st of 7 (9/4) | Morgiana Hurdle |
| 2023 - State Man Punchestown - 1st of 4 (117/100) | Morgiana Hurdle |
| 2022 - State Man Punchestown - 1st of 4 (4/9) | Morgiana Hurdle |
| 2021 - Sharjah Punchestown - 1st of 3 (6/4) | Morgiana Hurdle |
| 2020 - Sharjah Galway - 10th of 20 (5/2) | Connacht Hotel |
| 2019 - Sharjah Punchestown - 4th of 5 (7/2) | Morgiana Hurdle |
| 2018 - Sharjah Punchestown - 1st of 4 (7/2) | Morgiana Hurdle |
| 2017 - Mick Jazz Fairyhouse - 5th of 7 (25/1) | Hatton's Grace Hurdle |
| 2016 - Petit Mouchoir Newcastle - F of 6 (4/1) | Fighting Fifth Hurdle |
Races Covered during the Irish Christmas Festival
Remember to head to the Leopardstown predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters support in the December Festival Hurdle. Below are the other principal races that we cover during the Irish Christmas Festival, with links to each race blog as well as information for last year's winners.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Friday Racing Post Novice Chase | Romeo Coolio (GB) 6yo - 8/15 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| Saturday Paddy's Rewards Club Chase | Solness (FR) 7yo - 8/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Sam Ewing |
| Saturday Future Champions Novice Hurdle | Skylight Hustle (IRE) 5yo - 3/1 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| Saturday Paddy Power Chase | Favori De Champdou (FR) 10yo - 66/1 | Gordon Elliott Sam Ewing |
| Sunday Irish Christmas Hurdle | Teahupoo (FR) 8yo - 5/2 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| Sunday Savills Chase | Affordale Fury (IRE) 7yo - 7/1 | Noel Meade Sam Ewing |
| Monday December Festival Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
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 December Festival Hurdle 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
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
