Betfred Handicap Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Derby Festival)

Our preview of the Betfred Handicap, a race contested over 1m2f at Epsom during the Derby Festival, outlines the most significant winning records, details the accomplishments of leading trainers and jockeys and digs into the historical trends.
Betfred Handicap Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Derby Festival)
Andy Powell
Andy Powell Expert Guide

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.

2027 Betfred Handicap Preview

This class two handicap is scheduled to take place in June of each year at the Epsom racecourse during the Derby Festival. The race is open to runners who are aged four or older and is contested over a distance of one mile and two furlongs.

Betfred Handicap Information:

Our dedicated Epsom tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Betfred Handicap, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Epsom 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 Races Covered at the Epsom Derby Festival section for links to these.

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How competitive is the Betfred Handicap market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2013, when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2026 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 133%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Betfred Handicap, the over-round has been 120%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £120 which is bet.

Below you will find the 2027 Betfred Handicap 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 Betfred Handicap Trend Analysis.

These are the top three quickest-run Betfred Handicap races over the last 20 renewals:

  1. Farraaj (2:04.35) in 2014
  2. Cadillac (2:05.51) in 2023
  3. Sky Defender (2:05.65) in 2020

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 Betfred Handicap next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -7.00. Ahead of the 2027 Betfred Handicap, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?

The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2016 renewal when Imshivalla from Richard Fahey under the guidance of Paul Hanagan, won in a time of 2:12.63, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Farraaj, trained by Roger Varian and ridden by Andrea Atzeni, set the quickest time of 2:04.35 in the 2014 renewal.

What the expert says...
The Wolferton Stakes is a popular destination for the winner. Between 2007 and 2023, eight of the winners went straight to the Wolferton Stakes next time out; however, only Gatewood (2012) went on to win that race. Since then, the runners have gone on to finish 5th, 4th & 15th.

Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com

Betfred Handicap Past Winners

Here are the Betfred Handicap 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 Betfred Handicap are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.

YearHorse (Drawn)Info
2026
2:08.85
Sallaal (IRE)
4yo 9-9 (16 of 16) 5/2F
Ray Dawson
Roger Varian (GB)
2025
2:08.38
Ecureuil Secret (FR)
4yo 9-7 (11 of 13) 28/1
Oisin Orr
Richard Fahey (GB)
2024
2:12.07
Bolster (GB)
4yo 9-8 (3 of 13) 5/1
Pierre-Louis Jamin
K R Burke (GB)
2023
2:05.51
Cadillac (IRE)
5yo 9-11 (8 of 11) 12/1
Kevin Stott
George Boughey (GB)
2022
2:07.16
Royal Champion (IRE)
4yo 9-2 (1 of 14) 14/1
Andrea Atzeni
Roger Varian (GB)
2021
2:12.46
Blue Cup (FR)
5yo 8-12 (9 of 9) 9/2F
Oisin Murphy
David Menuisier (GB)
2020
2:05.65
Sky Defender (GB)
4yo 9-5 (16 of 13) 22/1
Joe Fanning
Mark Johnston (GB)
2019
2:06.08
Mountain Angel (IRE)
5yo 9-4 (6 of 11) 11/4F
Andrea Atzeni
Roger Varian (GB)
2018
2:10.27
Ajman King (IRE)
4yo 9-6 (9 of 11) 5/4F
Andrea Atzeni
Roger Varian (GB)
2017
2:06.96
Not So Sleepy (GB)
5yo 9-8 (2 of 14) 10/1
Adam Kirby
Hughie Morrison (GB)

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Betfred Handicap have been based:

  • GB: 20 winners with an additional 39 placings from 233 runners
  • IRE: 0 winners with an additional 2 placings from 2 runners
  • HK: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner

2026 Betfred Handicap Replay


Betfred Handicap Trainer Statistics

The leading trainer in the Betfred Handicap over the last 20 renewals is Roger Varian, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Farraaj (2014), Ajman King (2018), Mountain Angel (2019), Royal Champion (2022) and Sallaal (2026). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Betfred Handicap are Richard Fahey (2 wins) and Stuart Kittow (2 wins).

Here are some of the top Betfred Handicap 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):

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
Roger Varian7-5-5+25.00+14.77
Richard Fahey15-2-4+40.00+22.90
Stuart Kittow4-2-2+12.00+6.40
Andrew Balding12-1-4+5.00+4.97
Ralph Beckett7-1-4-1.50+1.13
K R Burke5-1-1+1.00-0.87
David Menuisier4-1-2+1.50+0.76
John Gosden4-1-2-0.75-0.59
Hughie Morrison3-1-1+8.00+4.25
Saeed bin Suroor3-1-2+1.50+1.60

Betfred Handicap Jockey Statistics

The leading jockey in the Betfred Handicap over the last 20 renewals is Andrea Atzeni, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Farraaj (2014), Ajman King (2018), Mountain Angel (2019) and Royal Champion (2022). Two jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Betfred Handicap. Silvestre De Sousa has ridden 12 runners in the race without recording any wins, whilst Ryan Moore has ridden 10 without a winner.

Here are some of the top Betfred Handicap 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):

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Andrea Atzeni9-4-4+19.50+10.21
Oisin Murphy8-1-2-2.50-3.46
William Buick8-1-1-4.75-5.59
Joe Fanning6-1-1+17.00+8.75
Adam Kirby4-1-1+7.00+3.25
Neil Callan4-1-1+3.00+0.60
Edward Greatrex3-1-2+14.00+10.10
Oisin Orr2-1-1+27.00+16.50
Pierre-Louis Jamin2-1-1+4.00+2.13
Kevin Stott1-1-1+12.00+7.20

2027 Betfred Handicap Runners & Shortlist

The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2027 renewal of the Betfred Handicap will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually 48 hours before the race.

Betfred Handicap Trend Analysis

✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +49.25, is when runners had 1 start in the past 90 days.

❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners finished in 4th on debut, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-35.

Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:

  • 2026: Winner in 16 (15,10,3) [16 Runners]
  • 2025: Winner in 11 (6,1) [13 Runners]
  • 2024: Winner in 3 (11,8) [13 Runners]
  • 2023: Winner in 8 (2,5) [11 Runners]
  • 2022: Winner in 1 (3,13) [14 Runners]

The course which has produced the most winners of the Betfred Handicap is Epsom; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Epsom last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is York; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at York last time out.

The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 18 winners from a total of 220 runners, while female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 16 runners.

Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Betfred Handicap:

  • Danehill Dancer (2 Wins)
  • Galileo (2 Wins)
  • Lope De Vega (2 Wins)

These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Betfred Handicap despite multiple attempts:

  • High Chaparral (0 Wins from 7 runners)
  • Key Of Luck (0 Wins from 5 runners)
  • Rock Of Gibraltar (0 Wins from 5 runners)
  • Sir Percy (0 Wins from 5 runners)

Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Ecureuil Secret in 2025, winning for Richard Fahey at odds of 28/1 under the guidance of Oisin Orr. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 6 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2027 Betfred Handicap.

Route to the Betfred Handicap

Many trainers target races as preparation for the Betfred Handicap. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:

InfoLast Race
2026 - Sallaal
Epsom - 2nd of 6 (5/2)
Lilley Plummer Risks City & Suburban Handicap
2025 - Ecureuil Secret
Deauville - 3rd of 11 (3/1)
Prix Vulcain
2024 - Bolster
Pontefract - 1st of 9 (13/2)
Riu Hotels And Resorts Handicap
2023 - Cadillac
Newmarket (Rowley) - 15th of 17 (9/1)
Suffolk Stakes
2022 - Royal Champion
Doncaster - 4th of 4 (5/1)
SBK Doncaster Mile Stakes
2021 - Blue Cup
York - 7th of 12 (5/2)
Macmillan Charity Handicap
2020 - Sky Defender
Doncaster - 4th of 7 (7/1)
Heed Your Hunch At Betway Handicap
2019 - Mountain Angel
Epsom - 1st of 11 (7/2)
Investec City And Suburban Handicap
2018 - Ajman King
Epsom - 1st of 10 (9/4)
Investec City And Suburban Handicap
2017 - Not So Sleepy
York - 8th of 20 (16/1)
Macmillan Charity 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 Betfred Handicap 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

James Banting

Expert Guide

James Banting, a passionate horse racing enthusiast and aficionado, brings a wealth of experience to OLBG, having attended numerous race meetings over the years. His background working with the Jockey Association provides him with a unique insider's perspective on the industry.
Andy Powell

Andy Powell

Expert Guide

Andy, a seasoned horse racing expert with over 15 years of experience, possesses a comprehensive understanding of the sport, from delving into complex statistical data for flat racing in the UK and Ireland to crafting insightful flat racing blogs for OLBG.

Races Covered at the Epsom Derby Festival

Here is the 2027 schedule for the two-day Epsom Derby Festival. Each race will be linked to the race blog, and details of last year's winner are in the table below.

Epsom Derby Festival races for Friday 4th June 2027

RaceLast WinnerInfo
Epsom 3yo DashNaanas Shadow (IRE)
3yo - 7/2
Katie Scott
Oisin Murphy
Woodcote StakesHickory Lad (IRE)
2yo - 100/30
Phillip Makin
Sam James
Diomed StakesSeagulls Eleven (IRE)
4yo - 5/2
Hugo Palmer
Oisin Murphy
Betfred HandicapSallaal (IRE)
4yo - 5/2
Roger Varian
Ray Dawson
Epsom OaksThundering On (GB)
3yo - 5/1
Joseph Patrick O'Brien
Dylan Browne McMonagle
HKJC World Pool HandicapMister Winston (GB)
4yo - 6/1
Andrew Balding
Oisin Murphy
Surrey StakesEllusive Butterfly (IRE)
3yo - 9/1
K R Burke
Clifford Lee
Debenhams HandicapColombier (GB)
6yo - 12/1
Hamad Al Jehani
James Doyle

Epsom Derby Festival races for Saturday 5th June 2027

RaceLast WinnerInfo
Tattenham Corner StakesTen Bob Tony (IRE)
5yo - 11/2
Ed Walker
Kieran Shoemark
Princess Elizabeth StakesSparks Fly (GB)
6yo - 7/2
David Loughnane
Laura Pearson
Coronation CupBay City Roller (IRE)
4yo - 17/2
George Scott
Oisin Murphy
Epsom DashArklow Lad (IRE)
4yo - 7/1
Michael Appleby
Harry Davies
Epsom DerbyChristmas Day (IRE)
3yo - 7/1
A P O'Brien
Ronan Whelan
Lester Piggott HandicapFolk Pageant (GB)
3yo - 5/1
Charlie Johnston
Rowan Scott
Northern Dancer HandicapToo Soon (GB)
4yo - 17/2
Gary & Josh Moore
Warren Fentiman
JRA Tokyo Trophy HandicapSondad (GB)
5yo - 11/2
Michael & David Easterby
Joanna Mason

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