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 Galway Hurdle Preview
Established in 1913, the Galway Hurdle is a race run at the Galway Summer Festival in late July or early August, which is a handicap race open to runners who are aged four or older. The race is run over two miles, in which runners have to contend with nine hurdles.
Galway Hurdle Information:
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Galway tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners?
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Galway 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 128%. The race in 2012 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 149%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Galway Hurdle, the over-round has been 138%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £138 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Galway 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 Galway Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Galway Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Overturn (3:33.70) in 2010
- Tudor City (3:36.20) in 2022
- Quick Jack (3:36.50) in 2015
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 Galway Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 5 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -4.50. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Galway Hurdle.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 3:33.70 was set by Overturn in 2010, which is the quickest time over that period. The runner was trained by Donald McCain and ridden by Graham Lee. The slowest winning time was set in 2013 when Missunited won in a time of 3:58.20, booked to ride was Robbie Power by trainer Michael Winters.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Galway Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Galway 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 Galway Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:41.00 | Ndaawi (GB) 5yo 11-7 13/2 | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2024 3:40.30 | Nurburgring (IRE) 4yo 10-10 13/2 | J J Slevin Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2023 3:38.80 | Zarak The Brave (FR) 4yo 11-5 9/2 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2022 3:36.20 | Tudor City (IRE) 10yo 10-11 22/1 | Liam McKenna (7lbs) A J Martin (IRE) |
| 2021 3:39.40 | Saldier (FR) 7yo 11-10 18/1 | Mr P W Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2020 3:41.20 | Aramon (GER) 7yo 11-10 7/1 | Mr P W Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2019 3:40.20 | Tudor City (IRE) 7yo 11-0 10/1 | Robbie Power A J Martin (IRE) |
| 2018 3:45.00 | Sharjah (FR) 5yo 11-7 12/1 | Mr P W Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2017 3:43.60 | Tigris River (IRE) 6yo 10-9 5/1 | Barry Geraghty Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2016 3:38.50 | Clondaw Warrior (IRE) 9yo 11-5 9/2F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Galway Hurdle have been based:
- IRE: 19 winners with an additional 55 placings from 359 runners
- GB: 1 winner with an additional 5 placings from 34 runners
2025 Galway Hurdle Replay
Galway Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Galway Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Clondaw Warrior (2016), Sharjah (2018), Aramon (2020), Saldier (2021) and Zarak The Brave (2023). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Galway Hurdle are A J Martin (4 wins), Joseph Patrick O'Brien (2 wins) and Michael Winters (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Galway Hurdle. Noel Meade (0-16), D K Weld (0-11), Mrs John Harrington (0-11) and Henry De Bromhead (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Galway 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 | 64-5-15 | -13.00 | -8.89 |
| A J Martin | 23-4-7 | +21.00 | +10.82 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 22-2-4 | -8.50 | -8.12 |
| Michael Winters | 2-2-2 | +12.50 | +7.82 |
| Gordon Elliott | 39-1-10 | -31.50 | -13.67 |
| John E Kiely | 4-1-1 | +4.00 | +1.38 |
| Paul W Flynn | 3-1-1 | +18.00 | +10.50 |
| Paul Nolan | 3-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.38 |
| Patrick J Flynn | 2-1-2 | +19.00 | +13.00 |
| Donald McCain | 2-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.75 |
Galway Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Galway Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Mr P W Mullins, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Sharjah (2018), Aramon (2020) and Saldier (2021). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Galway Hurdle is Paul Townend (2 wins). Two jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Galway Hurdle. Mark Walsh has ridden 11 runners in the race without recording any wins, whilst Danny Mullins has ridden 10 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Galway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr P W Mullins | 3-3-3 | +37.00 | +23.13 |
| Paul Townend | 18-2-4 | -4.50 | -4.18 |
| J J Slevin | 8-1-3 | -0.50 | +1.75 |
| Jack Kennedy | 8-1-2 | -0.50 | -1.19 |
| Liam McKenna | 2-1-1 | +21.00 | +12.75 |
| Mark Walsh | 11-0-2 | -11.00 | -6.50 |
| Danny Mullins | 10-0-1 | -10.00 | -6.37 |
| Jody McGarvey | 8-0-1 | -8.00 | -2.50 |
| Sean Flanagan | 7-0-3 | -7.00 | +2.76 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 7-0-1 | -7.00 | -4.50 |
2026 Galway Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 1, 3, 2, 3, 4, F, 8, 1, 13, 1, 9, 7, (3, 7), F, 3, 13, PU, 19, 10
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 (66%) - No bigger than 22/1
- 20 / 20 (70%) - Break of 11 - 138 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (70%) - Within the first 13 of the market
- 20 / 20 (71%) - Placed within last 2 starts
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Highest Placed is not LST/Cl2-3/Cl5
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Beaten no more -12l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Had 1 - 6 placings (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Achieved an RPR of 129+ (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Held an OR of 110+ (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Had 3 - 10 placings (Hurdle)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - No bigger than 25/1 (Career Place)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Fewer than 3 wins (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - In a field of 5 - 20 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved an RPR of 124+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved a TS of 89+ (Trip)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Galway racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Galway 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 Galway Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Galway Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +21.50, is when runners had 1 season placing.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 places in the past 180 days, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-83.
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Galway Hurdle are Tipperary and Leopardstown; there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 352 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 41 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Galway Hurdle; that stallion, Yeats, has produced 2 winners (2022,2019).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Galway Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Jeremy (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Beneficial (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Definite Article (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Oscar (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Dr Massini (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Tudor City in 2022, winning for A J Martin at odds of 22/1 under the guidance of Liam McKenna. 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 Galway Hurdle, 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 Galway racecourse, then why not read our blog for the Galway Plate?
Route to the Galway Hurdle
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Galway Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Ndaawi Cheltenham - 2nd of 16 (25/1) | County Handicap Hurdle |
| 2024 - Nurburgring Leopardstown - 6th of 10 (15/2) | Dublin To Bahrain Handicap |
| 2023 - Zarak The Brave Auteuil - 3rd of 10 (7/2) | Prix Alain du Breil - Course de Haies de Printemps |
| 2022 - Tudor City Curragh - 3rd of 18 (11/2) | DNG Apprentice Derby |
| 2021 - Saldier Ascot - 5th of 15 (15/8) | Copper Horse Stakes |
| 2020 - Aramon Tipperary - 1st of 14 (9/2) | Kevin McManus Bookmaker Grimes Hurdle |
| 2019 - Tudor City Leopardstown - 5th of 9 (11/2) | Irish Stallion Farms EBF "Nasrullah" Handicap |
| 2018 - Sharjah Tipperary - 3rd of 11 (3/1) | Kevin McManus Bookmaker Grimes Hurdle |
| 2017 - Tigris River Bellewstown - 1st of 5 (8/11) | Bellewstown Golf Course Hurdle |
| 2016 - Clondaw Warrior Ascot - 3rd of 18 (7/2) | Queen Alexandra Stakes |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Galway Hurdle Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for International racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
