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 youâre betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Devon National Preview
Scheduled to take place in February of each year at the Exeter racecourse is the class three Devon National, a race that is open to runners who are aged five or older and are rated no higher than 135. The race is run over a distance of three miles, six and a half furlongs, during which the runners will face a total of twenty-one fences.
Devon National Information:
If you are interested in other predictions at Exeter, then head over to the Exeter 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.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Devon National 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 111%. The race in 2019 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 131%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Devon National, the over-round has been 121%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ121 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Devon National 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 Devon National Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Devon National races over the last 20 renewals:
- Gwencily Berbas (7:40.03) in 2023
- Ammunition (7:49.70) in 2011
- Toulouse-Lautrec (7:51.20) in 2005
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 Devon National next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 20 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -15.00. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Devon National.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Gwencily Berbas, trained by David Pipe and ridden by Philip Armson, who set the fastest winning time in the Devon National. That runner won the race in a time of 7:40.03 in 2023. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Robert Walford and jockey Harry Kimber with Art Decco who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 8:56.07 in the 2025 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Devon National Past Winners
Here are the Devon National 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 Devon National are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 8:56.07 | Art Decco (GB) 9yo 11-13 9/2 | Harry Kimber Robert Walford (GB) |
| 2024 8:43.20 | Mr Vango (IRE) 8yo 11-7 11/4F | Ben Jones Mark Bradstock (GB) |
| 2023 7:40.03 | Gwencily Berbas (FR) 12yo 10-11 13/2 | Philip Armson (3lbs) David Pipe (GB) |
| 2022 8:09.38 | Captain Drake (IRE) 9yo 11-2 20/1 | Bryan Carver (3lbs) Harry Fry (GB) |
| 2021 8:27.00 | Samuel Jackson (GB) 9yo 11-0 4/1F | Micheal Nolan Richard Mitford-Slade (GB) |
| 2020 8:26.30 | Christmas In April (FR) 8yo 11-6 8/1 | Harry Cobden Colin Tizzard (GB) |
| 2019 7:52.60 | Dawson City (GB) 10yo 11-10 6/1 | Tom Bellamy Polly Gundry (GB) |
| 2018 8:32.20 | Dawson City (GB) 9yo 11-6 8/1 | Andrew Thornton Polly Gundry (GB) |
| 2017 7:51.40 | Kingswell Theatre (GB) 8yo 11-6 20/1 | Ben Poste (3lbs) Michael Scudamore (GB) |
| 2016 8:50.40 | Fourovakind (GB) 11yo 11-5 9/2F | Gavin Sheehan Harry Whittington (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Devon National have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 40 placings from 239 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
Devon National Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Devon National over the last 20 renewals is Jonjo O'Neill, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Teeming Rain (2009 & 2010) and Catching On (2015). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Devon National is Polly Gundry (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Devon National 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonjo O'Neill | 11-3-4 | +26.50 | +14.51 |
| Polly Gundry | 5-2-4 | +11.00 | +8.93 |
| David Pipe | 12-1-1 | -4.50 | -7.10 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 11-1-6 | +6.00 | +9.30 |
| Jeremy Scott | 5-1-1 | +3.00 | +0.38 |
| Henry Daly | 5-1-1 | +3.00 | +0.20 |
| Tom George | 3-1-1 | +7.00 | +3.63 |
| Sue Gardner | 3-1-3 | +2.50 | +3.56 |
| Robert Walford | 3-1-2 | +2.50 | +1.70 |
| Richard Mitford-Slade | 3-1-1 | +2.00 | +0.50 |
Devon National Jockey Statistics
Here are some of the top Devon National 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micheal Nolan | 6-1-2 | -1.00 | -0.80 |
| Harry Cobden | 5-1-2 | +4.00 | +3.75 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 5-1-3 | +0.50 | +0.86 |
| Nick Scholfield | 3-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.38 |
| Tom Bellamy | 3-1-1 | +4.00 | +1.75 |
| Ben Jones | 3-1-2 | +0.75 | +0.59 |
| Bryan Carver | 2-1-1 | +19.00 | +11.50 |
| Richie McLernon | 2-1-1 | +8.00 | +4.63 |
| Philip Armson | 2-1-1 | +5.50 | +2.90 |
| Lucy Gardner | 2-1-2 | +3.50 | +3.06 |
2026 Devon National Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 4, PU, 2, 5, PU, 9, 3, 6, (3, 4), PU, (1, PU), 3, 4, 6, 3, 1, (PU, PU), 6, 1, 3
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 (69%) - Ran in 2 - 6 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Fewer than 3 wins (Class)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Won within last 9 starts
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Fewer than 4 races (90 Days)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Highest Run is not LST/Cl4
- 20 / 20 (89%) - No more than -22lbs (Vs Max Weight)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Ran over 2m5½f - 3m5½f (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - No bigger than 22/1
- 19 / 20 (77%) - Held an OR of 109+ (LTO)
- 19 / 20 (83%) - Furthest Won 2m7½f - 3m6½f
- 19 / 20 (83%) - Held an OR of 109+ (Class)
- 19 / 20 (85%) - No more than +4yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 19 / 20 (86%) - Ran over 2m5½f - 3m6½f (Last Win)
- 18 / 20 (73%) - Achieved a TS of 76+ (Last 3)
- 18 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 16/1 (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Exeter racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Devon National. 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 Devon National by adding a tip on the race here.
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Devon National Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +42.00, is when runners ran on Soft ground last time out.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a biggest odds run of 50/1, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-33.
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Devon National are Wincanton and Chepstow; 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 20 winners from a total of 226 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 15 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Devon National:
- Midnight Legend (2 Wins)
- Supreme Leader (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Devon National despite multiple attempts:
- Presenting (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Alderbrook (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Westerner (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Old Vic (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Winged Love (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was The Clyda Rover in 2013, winning for Helen Nelmes at odds of 22/1 under the guidance of Paul Moloney. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Devon National, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
If you are interested in other races at the Exeter racecourse, then why not read our blog for the Haldon Gold Cup?
Route to the Devon National
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Devon National. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Art Decco Windsor - 5th of 11 (12/1) | Fitzdares Windsor Stayers Handicap Chase |
| 2024 - Mr Vango Wincanton - 3rd of 7 (9/2) | Rodney Francis Chinnock Memorial Lord Stalbridge Cup Handicap Chase |
| 2023 - Gwencily Berbas Market Rasen - 5th of 6 (10/1) | Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Handicap Chase |
| 2022 - Captain Drake Wincanton - 6th of 8 (23/1) | Watch RacingTV With Free Trial Now Handicap Hurdle |
| 2021 - Samuel Jackson Exeter - 2nd of 12 (10/1) | MansionBet Bet 10 Get 20 Handicap Chase |
| 2020 - Christmas In April Plumpton - 3rd of 4 (4/5) | New Plumpton History Book Available Chase |
| 2019 - Dawson City Chepstow - 7th of 20 (16/1) | Welsh Grand National |
| 2018 - Dawson City Wincanton - 3rd of 9 (11/2) | Higos Insurance Services Somerset National Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Kingswell Theatre Warwick - 11th of 20 (33/1) | Classic Chase |
| 2016 - Fourovakind Chepstow - PU of 20 (16/1) | Welsh Grand National |
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 Devon National 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
