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2026 Grand Sefton Preview
The Grand Sefton is run over the Grand National fences at Aintree and was switched to be run in November instead of December in 2021. The race is a Class 2 Handicap Chase run over two miles and five furlongs and is open to runners aged six years old or older.
First run back in 1865, the race saw 100 renewals before ending in 1965. However, in 2003 the race was revived and has been run every year since.
Grand Sefton Information:
In April, the only thing racing fans are interested in is the Grand National tips from the OLBG expert racing tipsters, which of the forty runners are they predicting to win the showcase race at Aintree? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Aintree Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Grand Sefton market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2012 when the race had an over-round of 115%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 132%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Grand Sefton, the over-round has been 123%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ123 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Grand Sefton 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 Grand Sefton Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Grand Sefton races over the last 20 renewals:
- Colonel Harry (5:18.94) in 2025
- King Turgeon (5:23.52) in 2024
- Al Dancer (5:27.00) in 2022
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 Grand Sefton 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 -10.25. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Grand Sefton.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 5:18.94 was set by Colonel Harry in 2025, trained by Jamie Snowden and ridden by Gavin Sheehan, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2008 when Endless Power won in a time of 6:09.20 for trainer Jim Goldie, who booked James Reveley in the saddle.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Grand Sefton Past Winners
Here are the Grand Sefton 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 Grand Sefton are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 5:18.94 | Colonel Harry (IRE) 8yo 11-12 6/1 | Gavin Sheehan Jamie Snowden (GB) |
| 2024 5:23.52 | King Turgeon (FR) 6yo 10-2 9/2 | Jack Tudor David Pipe (GB) |
| 2023 5:46.19 | Gesskille (FR) 7yo 11-7 100/30F | Henry Brooke Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero (GB) |
| 2022 5:27.00 | Al Dancer (FR) 9yo 10-13 5/1 | Charlie Deutsch Sam Thomas (GB) |
| 2021 5:33.75 | Mac Tottie (GB) 8yo 11-1 20/1 | James Bowen Peter Bowen (GB) |
| 2020 5:53.75 | Beau Bay (FR) 9yo 10-2 20/1 | Charlie Hammond (3lbs) Dr Richard Newland (GB) |
| 2019 5:42:10 | Hogans Height (IRE) 8yo 10-8 16/1 | Tom Cannon Jamie Snowden (GB) |
| 2018 5:41.40 | Warriors Tale (GB) 9yo 11-12 15/2 | Sean Bowen Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2017 6:05.70 | Gas Line Boy (IRE) 11yo 11-10 9/2F | Robert Dunne Ian Williams (GB) |
| 2016 5:37.50 | As De Mee (FR) 6yo 11-0 4/1F | Sean Bowen Paul Nicholls (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Grand Sefton have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 44 placings from 264 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 4 placings from 22 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
2025 Grand Sefton Replay
Grand Sefton Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Grand Sefton over the last 20 renewals is Paul Nicholls, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Rebel Rebellion (2013), As De Mee (2016) and Warriors Tale (2018). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Grand Sefton are David Pipe (2 wins), Jim Goldie (2 wins) and Jamie Snowden (2 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Grand Sefton; Donald McCain has sent a total of 12 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Grand Sefton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Nicholls | 18-3-6 | +12.50 | +5.94 |
| David Pipe | 10-2-2 | +21.50 | +10.44 |
| Jim Goldie | 8-2-3 | +71.00 | +43.13 |
| Jamie Snowden | 4-2-2 | +20.00 | +11.75 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 19-1-3 | -14.50 | -10.90 |
| Peter Bowen | 12-1-2 | +9.00 | +3.38 |
| Venetia Williams | 11-1-3 | -2.00 | -2.45 |
| Dr Richard Newland | 9-1-3 | +12.00 | +11.50 |
| Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero | 5-1-4 | -0.67 | +3.75 |
| Bob Buckler | 4-1-1 | +9.00 | +4.50 |
Grand Sefton Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Grand Sefton over the last 20 renewals is Sean Bowen, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from As De Mee (2016) and Warriors Tale (2018).
Here are some of the top Grand Sefton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Bowen | 7-2-3 | +6.50 | +3.00 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 11-1-1 | -6.50 | -7.90 |
| Brian Hughes | 9-1-1 | +2.00 | -1.75 |
| Henry Brooke | 8-1-4 | -3.67 | +3.50 |
| Charlie Deutsch | 6-1-2 | +0.00 | -0.82 |
| James Reveley | 4-1-1 | +8.00 | +3.88 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 4-1-3 | +3.00 | +4.25 |
| Robert Dunne | 3-1-2 | +2.50 | +3.45 |
| James Bowen | 2-1-1 | +19.00 | +11.50 |
| Tom Cannon | 2-1-1 | +15.00 | +9.00 |
2026 Grand Sefton Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): (F, 2), PU, PU, UR, (3, F), 2, 1, PU, 8, 5, 1, 1, (3, 8, F), 4, 8, 5, 4, 1, 8, 7
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 (73%) - Ran in 8 - 24 races (Chase)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Ran in 3 - 24 races (Going)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Achieved an RPR of 109+ (Going)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Highest Run is not LST/Cl3
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran in 14 - 54 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - In a field of 6 - 18 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Carried 144 - 166lbs (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Had 6 - 23 placings (Career)
- 18 / 20 (73%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 18 / 20 (77%) - No older than a 9yo
- 18 / 20 (80%) - Achieved an RPR of 123+ (Last 3)
- 18 / 20 (80%) - No more than +3yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 17 / 20 (58%) - Achieved an RPR of 137+ (Hcps)
- 17 / 20 (83%) - Achieved a TS of 112+ (Career)
- 16 / 20 (67%) - Achieved a TS of 109+ (Last 5)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Aintree racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Grand Sefton. 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 Grand Sefton by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Grand Sefton Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +96.50, is when runners had the Same jockey as 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 0-43.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Grand Sefton is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Aintree; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Aintree last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 284 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 4 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Grand Sefton; that stallion, Midnight Legend, has produced 2 winners (2021,2018).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Grand Sefton despite multiple attempts:
- Presenting (0 Wins from 12 runners)
- Dr Massini (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Yeats (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Lampion Du Bost in 2007, winning for Jim Goldie at odds of 66/1 under the guidance of Phil Kinsella. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 4 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 2026 Grand Sefton.
Route to the Grand Sefton
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Grand Sefton. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Colonel Harry Cheltenham - F of 8 (5/1) | Cheltenham New Year's Day Handicap Chase |
| 2024 - King Turgeon Chepstow - 1st of 14 (8/1) | Colourfence Newport Fencing Guaranteed For 25Yrs Handicap Chase |
| 2023 - Gesskille Auteuil - 1st of 9 (113/10) | Prix Richard et Robert Hennessy |
| 2022 - Al Dancer Newbury - 2nd of 5 (313/100) | Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Mac Tottie Fontwell - 4th of 4 (3/1) | Cazoo Handicap Chase |
| 2020 - Beau Bay Wetherby - 5th of 9 (18/1) | Watch Racing TV Anywhere Handicap Chase |
| 2019 - Hogans Height Aintree - 7th of 11 (12/1) | Premier League Betting At Virgin Bet Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle |
| 2018 - Warriors Tale Aintree - 4th of 11 (16/1) | Rewards4Racing Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Gas Line Boy Aintree - F of 16 (6/1) | In Play Betting At 188Bet Veterans Handicap Chase |
| 2016 - As De Mee Cheltenham - 8th of 17 (7/1) | Paddy Power Gold Cup |
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 Grand Sefton 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
