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 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Preview
First run in 1834, it actually predates the Festival itself. It is a handicap chase over two miles, one hundred and ten yards, with fourteen fences to negotiate on the new course at Cheltenham. The Grand Annual Chase is the oldest race at the festival and in 2021 moved to a new Wednesday slot, having been moved from the Friday to make way for the Mares Chase.
Since 1946, only two runners have recorded dual wins in the race: Top Twenty, who won in 1958 & 1959 and then Dulwich in 1974 & 1976.
For sponsorship purposes, the 2026 renewal of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual will hold the title of 'Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase'.
Gain an edge on the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual by examining our detailed insights into previous race trends and trainer statistics, then check out our list of free bets for Cheltenham.
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Information:
- Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Past Winners
- Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Trainer Statistics
- Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Jockey Statistics
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Cheltenham tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners? We cover every race at the Cheltenham Festival, and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2021, when the race had an over-round of 126%. The race in 2017 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 136%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual, the over-round has been 132%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £132 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual 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 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Trend Analysis. With the field now finalised, we have the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Trend Shortlist, which is created using the listed trends.
These are the top three quickest-run Johnny Henderson Grand Annual races over the last 20 renewals:
- Oiseau De Nuit (3:52.80) in 2011
- Sky Pirate (3:55.44) in 2021
- Greenhope (3:55.90) in 2006
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 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual 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 -12.00. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Oiseau De Nuit, trained by Colin Tizzard and ridden by Mr S Clements, who set the fastest winning time in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual. That runner won the race in a time of 3:52.80 in 2011. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Barry Geraghty with Le Prezien who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 4:21.80 in the 2018 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Past Winners
Here are the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse that won, and the horse's age & weight. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:59.51 | Jazzy Matty (FR) 6yo 10-7 15/2 | Danny Gilligan Cian Collins (IRE) |
| 2024 4:12.76 | Unexpected Party (FR) 9yo 10-10 12/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2023 4:03.00 | Maskada (FR) 7yo 11-1 22/1 | Darragh O'Keeffe Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2022 4:12.98 | Global Citizen (IRE) 10yo 10-6 28/1 | Kielan Woods Ben Pauling (GB) |
| 2021 3:55.44 | Sky Pirate (GB) 8yo 11-6 14/1 | Nick Scholfield Jonjo O'Neill (GB) |
| 2020 4:07.90 | Chosen Mate (IRE) 7yo 11-4 7/2F | Davy Russell Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2019 4:05.29 | Croco Bay (IRE) 12yo 10-12 66/1 | Kielan Woods Ben Case (GB) |
| 2018 4:21.80 | Le Prezien (FR) 7yo 11-8 15/2 | Barry Geraghty Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2017 4:01.40 | Rock The World (IRE) 9yo 11-5 10/1 | Robbie Power Mrs John Harrington (IRE) |
| 2016 3:59.20 | Solar Impulse (FR) 6yo 11-0 28/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies Paul Nicholls (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual have been based:
- GB: 13 winners with an additional 42 placings from 304 runners
- IRE: 7 winners with an additional 17 placings from 97 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 6 runners
2025 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Replay
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual over the last 20 renewals is Paul Nicholls, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Andreas (2007), Solar Impulse (2016) and Le Prezien (2018). One trainer has not had the best of times in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual; Venetia Williams has sent a total of 19 runners to the race without recording a win.
Here are the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals for trainers who have entries in the 2026 renewal; those not listed have not had a runner. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Nicholls | 31-3-6 | +19.50 | +6.07 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 15-1-1 | +8.00 | -0.25 |
| Dan Skelton | 15-1-4 | -2.00 | -0.18 |
| Gordon Elliott | 10-1-4 | -5.50 | -3.58 |
| Ben Pauling | 4-1-2 | +25.00 | +16.50 |
| Cian Collins | 1-1-1 | +7.50 | +4.69 |
| Venetia Williams | 19-0-4 | -19.00 | -10.12 |
| W P Mullins | 8-0-1 | -8.00 | -7.06 |
| Gavin Cromwell | 6-0-3 | -6.00 | +0.69 |
| Paul Nolan | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Fergal O'Brien | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Henry Daly | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
| L J Morgan | 1-0-0 | -1.00 | -1.00 |
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual over the last 20 renewals is Kielan Woods, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from Croco Bay (2019) and Global Citizen (2022).
Here are the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals for jockeys who have rides in the 2026 renewal; those not listed have not had a runner. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kielan Woods (Personal Ambition) | 7-2-3 | +89.00 | +56.00 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies (Jour dEvasion) | 10-1-1 | +19.00 | +8.50 |
| Harry Skelton (Be Aware) | 9-1-3 | +4.00 | +2.19 |
| Darragh O'Keeffe (Jasko Des Dames) | 5-1-1 | +18.00 | +9.75 |
| Danny Gilligan (Jazzy Matty) | 1-1-1 | +7.50 | +4.69 |
| Harry Cobden (Rubaud) | 8-0-2 | -8.00 | -5.62 |
| Mark Walsh (Inthepocket) | 8-0-2 | -8.00 | -5.70 |
| Charlie Deutsch (Martator) | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | -1.12 |
| Brian Hughes (The Other Mozzie) | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| Keith Donoghue (Addragoole) | 3-0-2 | -3.00 | +0.06 |
| Jonathan Burke (Ryans Rocket) | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Jordan Gainford (Golden Joy) | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Sean Flanagan (Release The Beast) | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +1.63 |
| Jack Kennedy (Relieved Of Duties) | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | -1.00 |
| Brian Hayes (Western Diego) | 1-0-0 | -1.00 | -1.00 |
| Sam Ewing (Break My Soul) | 1-0-0 | -1.00 | -1.00 |
| Ben Jones (Vanderpoel) | 1-0-0 | -1.00 | -1.00 |
2026 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): F, 6, 2, 8, PU, 7, 12, 1, (2, 3), (4, PU), 3, 8, F, 10, 1, F, 2, 2, 4, 2
The percentage shown is the proportion 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 (77%) - Had 3 - 7 wins (Career)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Carried 153 - 166lbs (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Ran in 1 - 8 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Ran in 2 - 25 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - No bigger than 8/1 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Fewer than 4 placings (Season)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Fewer than 5 races (Class)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Highest Run is not LST/Cl2-3
- 19 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 41/1 (Debut)
- 19 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 25/1 (Career Place)
- 18 / 20 (71%) - No bigger than 28/1
- 18 / 20 (76%) - Won by at least 1½l (Last Win)
- 17 / 20 (64%) - Within the first 12 of the market
- 17 / 20 (78%) - No bigger than 14/1 (LTO)
- 17 / 20 (80%) - Achieved an RPR of 140+ (Last 5)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Cheltenham racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual. 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 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Trend Shortlist
Cheltenham will host the 2026 renewal of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual, which will be run at 4:40 pm on Wednesday, 11th March 2026, and these are the runners who perform best based on the trends, along with the trainer, jockey and their record in the race (Runs-Wins-Places Win LSP / EW LSP):
- 15/15 Personal Ambition (14/1)
- Ben Pauling (4-1-2 +25.00 / +16.50)
- Kielan Woods (7-2-3 +89.00 / +56.00)
- 15/15 Vanderpoel (7/1)
- Ben Pauling (4-1-2 +25.00 / +16.50)
- Ben Jones (1-0-0 -1.00 / -1.00)
Others: Break My Soul (14/15), Inthepocket (14/15), Jazzy Matty (14/15), Western Diego (14/15), Be Aware (14/15), Relieved Of Duties (14/15), Jasko Des Dames (13/15), The Other Mozzie (13/15), Touch Me Not (13/15), Calico (12/15), Jour dEvasion (11/15), Martator (11/15), Rubaud (11/15), Ballysax Hank (11/15), Ryans Rocket (11/15), Boothill (10/15), Release The Beast (10/15), Special Cadeau (10/15), Addragoole (10/15) and Golden Joy (8/15).
*Trainer & Jockey numbers are Runs-Wins-Places Win LSP / EW LSP, Runners, Odds and Trends Passed/Failed correct at the time of posting (2:12 pm Monday 9th March 2026), if no odds were available at the time of posting, then forecasted odds are used.
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +156.00, is when runners had 0 wins in the past year.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a furthest trip placed of 2m4f, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-78.
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual are Newbury and Cheltenham; 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 19 winners from a total of 400 runners, while female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 7 runners.
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual despite multiple attempts:
- Beneficial (0 Wins from 16 runners)
- Presenting (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Doyen (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Kapgarde (0 Wins from 6 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Croco Bay in 2019, winning for Ben Case at odds of 66/1 under the guidance of Kielan Woods. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 2 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Jazzy Matty Thurles - 2nd of 9 (11/1) | Horse & Jockey Handicap Hurdle |
| 2024 - Unexpected Party Cheltenham - 9th of 12 (25/1) | Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase |
| 2023 - Maskada Leopardstown - 11th of 23 (5/1) | Dublin Racing Festival Handicap Chase |
| 2022 - Global Citizen Sandown - 3rd of 5 (14/1) | Virgin Bet Contenders Hurdle |
| 2021 - Sky Pirate Warwick - 2nd of 4 (3/1) | Agetur UK Kingmaker Novices Chase |
| 2020 - Chosen Mate Gowran Park - 1st of 9 (6/1) | Daly Farrell Chartered Accountants Beginners Chase |
| 2019 - Croco Bay Worcester - 2nd of 5 (14/1) | Pershore Plum Festival Land OPlums Handicap Chase |
| 2018 - Le Prezien Cheltenham - 8th of 10 (9/2) | December Gold Cup |
| 2017 - Rock The World Cheltenham - 11th of 14 (8/1) | Cheltenham Showcase Meeting Handicap Chase |
| 2016 - Solar Impulse Exeter - PU of 4 (5/1) | 188Bet Graduation Chase |
Schedule for Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival
Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day, when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle. The feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle | Kopek Des Bordes (FR) 5yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Arkle Challenge Trophy | Jango Baie (FR) 6yo - 5/1 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Puturhandstogether (IRE) 4yo - 17/2 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Ultima Handicap Chase | Myretown (IRE) 8yo - 13/2 | Lucinda Russell Patrick Wadge |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle | Golden Ace (GB) 7yo - 25/1 | Jeremy Scott Lorcan Williams |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Plate | Jagwar (FR) 6yo - 3/1 | Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 17:20 Cheltenham National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup | Haiti Couleurs (FR) 8yo - 7/2 | Rebecca Curtis Ben Jones |
Schedule for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival
The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it, and some don't!
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Turners Novices Hurdle | The New Lion (GB) 6yo - 3/1 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Brown Advisory Novices Chase | Lecky Watson (IRE) 7yo - 20/1 | W P Mullins Sean O'Keeffe |
| 14:40 Cheltenham BetMGM Cup | Jimmy Du Seuil (FR) 6yo - 16/1 | W P Mullins Danny Mullins |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Cross Country Chase | Stumptown (IRE) 8yo - 5/2 | Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase | Marine Nationale (IRE) 8yo - 5/1 | Barry Connell Sean Flanagan |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Johnny Henderson Grand Annual | Jazzy Matty (FR) 6yo - 15/2 | Cian Collins Danny Gilligan |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Champion Bumper | Bambino Fever (IRE) 5yo - 4/1 | W P Mullins Miss J Townend |
Schedule for Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival
Halfway through the festival and onto day three, where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last up the Cheltenham hill.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Mares Novices Hurdle | Air Of Entitlement (IRE) 6yo - 16/1 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Novices Limited Handicap Chase | Caldwell Potter (FR) 7yo - 7/1 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Close Brothers Mares Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Stayers Hurdle | Bob Olinger (IRE) 10yo - 8/1 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Ryanair Chase | Fact To File (FR) 8yo - 6/4 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Pertemps Network Final | Doddiethegreat (IRE) 9yo - 25/1 | Nicky Henderson Brian Hughes |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup | Daily Present (IRE) 8yo - 12/1 | Paul Nolan Mr B T Stone |
Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival
The final day of the festival and the feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle | Poniros (GB) 4yo - 100/1 | W P Mullins Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:00 Cheltenham County Handicap Hurdle | Kargese (FR) 5yo - 3/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase | Dinoblue (FR) 8yo - 6/4 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle | Jasmin De Vaux (FR) 6yo - 6/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Cheltenham Gold Cup | Inothewayurthinkin (IRE) 7yo - 15/2 | Gavin Cromwell Mark Walsh |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Hunters Chase | Wonderwall (IRE) 9yo - 28/1 | S Curling Mr R James |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle | Wodhooh (FR) 5yo - 9/2 | Gordon Elliott Danny Gilligan |
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 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual 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
Other Principal Races at the Cheltenham Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Cheltenham racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in January
Races in January (Festival Trials Day)
- Cheltenham Trophy Handicap Chase
- Classic Novices' Hurdle
- Cleeve Hurdle
- Cotswold Chase
- International Hurdle
- JCB Triumph Juvenile Hurdle Trial
- Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase
Races in April
Races in October (Showcase Meeting)
Races in November (November Meeting)
- Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase
- Hyde Novices' Hurdle
- Shloer Chase
- Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices' Chase
- JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle
- Paddy Power Gold Cup
- Greatwood Hurdle
- November Meeting Handicap Chase
