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 Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Preview
Scheduled to take place in either late May or early June of each year at Cartmel is the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase, which is a Class 3 race which is one of the season's highlights at Cartmel.
The race is open to veterans who are aged ten or older, with those runners running over a testing trip of three miles, five and a half furlongs at this left-handed track.
Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Information:
- Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Past Winners
- Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Trainer Statistics
- Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Cartmel tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet?
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How competitive is the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2024 when the race had an over-round of 108%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 126%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase, the over-round has been 116%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £116 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Grand Veterans Handicap Chase 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 Veterans Handicap Chase Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Grand Veterans Handicap Chase races over the last 20 renewals:
- Chabrimal Minster (7:12.00) in 2007
- Thomas Wild (7:28.90) in 2016
- Dawson City (7:29.30) in 2021
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 Veterans Handicap Chase next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 15 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +24.00. Ahead of the 2026 Grand Veterans Handicap Chase, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Chabrimal Minster, trained by Richard Ford and ridden by Graham Lee, who set the fastest winning time in the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase. That runner won the race in a time of 7:12.00 in 2007. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Richard Ford and jockey Graham Lee with Chabrimal Minster who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 8:13.10 in the 2009 renewal.
Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Past Winners
Here are the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase 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 Veterans Handicap Chase are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (15k) 7:37.61 | Ilikedwayurthinkin (IRE) 11yo 12-0 7/4F | Richie McLernon Ben Haslam (GB) |
| 2024 (15k) 7:43.44 | Mill Green (GB) 12yo 12-2 15/8F | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2023 (15k) 7:36.60 | Dee Star (IRE) 10yo 10-2 85/40F | Sean Bowen Gary Hanmer (GB) |
| 2022 (15k) 7:43.43 | Jerrysback (IRE) 10yo 11-7 14/1 | Richie McLernon Ben Haslam (GB) |
| 2021 (10k) 7:29.30 | Dawson City (GB) 12yo 11-5 10/1 | Rex Dingle Polly Gundry (GB) |
| 2019 (15k) 7:40.50 | Al Co (FR) 14yo 10-11 25/1 | Henry Brooke Oliver Greenall (GB) |
| 2018 (15k) 7:34.60 | Buachaill Alainn (IRE) 11yo 11-3 9/1 | Sean Bowen Peter Bowen (GB) |
| 2017 (15k) 7:36.10 | Silver Man (GB) 10yo 11-6 3/1F | Richard Johnson Jo Hughes (FR) |
| 2016 (15k) 7:28.90 | Thomas Wild (GB) 11yo 11-12 5/2F | Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs (GB) |
| 2015 (15k) 7:34.70 | Tullamore Dew (IRE) 13yo 10-13 6/1 | Joe Colliver (3lbs) Micky Hammond (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 31 placings from 161 runners
- IRE: 1 winner with an additional 1 placing from 9 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase over the last 20 renewals is Ben Haslam, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from Jerrysback (2022) and Ilikedwayurthinkin (2025).
Here are some of the top Grand Veterans Handicap Chase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Haslam | 2-2-2 | +15.75 | +9.84 |
| Peter Bowen | 9-1-5 | +1.00 | +2.64 |
| Sue Smith | 7-1-3 | -1.50 | -1.49 |
| Sue Gardner | 4-1-2 | +4.00 | +2.90 |
| Micky Hammond | 4-1-2 | +3.00 | +2.30 |
| Philip Hobbs | 3-1-1 | +0.50 | -0.44 |
| Gary Hanmer | 2-1-1 | +1.13 | +0.33 |
| Oliver Greenall | 1-1-1 | +25.00 | +15.00 |
| Peter Niven | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.50 |
| Polly Gundry | 1-1-1 | +10.00 | +6.00 |
Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase over the last 20 renewals, with both Sean Bowen and Richie McLernon, who have both won the race two times. Sean Bowen winners have been with Buachaill Alainn (2018) and Dee Star (2023). Richie McLernon winners have been with Jerrysback (2022) and Ilikedwayurthinkin (2025).
Here are some of the top Grand Veterans Handicap Chase 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 | 7-2-4 | +6.13 | +5.21 |
| Richie McLernon | 3-2-2 | +14.75 | +8.84 |
| Henry Brooke | 3-1-1 | +23.00 | +13.00 |
| Matt Griffiths | 3-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.20 |
| Jamie Hamilton | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.50 |
| Rex Dingle | 1-1-1 | +10.00 | +6.00 |
| Joe Colliver | 1-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.60 |
| Nico de Boinville | 1-1-1 | +1.88 | +0.00 |
| Brian Hughes | 7-0-0 | -7.00 | -7.00 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 5-0-2 | -5.00 | -2.85 |
2026 Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 4, 1, 1, 8, 1, 7, PU, PU, 2, 5, 1, 1, 7, 4, PU, 2, (1, 4), (1, 4), 1
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%) - In a field of 6 - 15 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Achieved a TS of 102+ (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Achieved a TS of 55+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Held an OR of 107+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Had 6 - 18 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Carried 143 - 166lbs (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 104+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Not in AUS/SCO/WAL (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Held an OR of 97+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved a TS of 69+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran over 1m5½f - 3m1f (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - No bigger than 50/1 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Fewer than 11 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Furthest Placed 3m½f - 4m½f
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran in 15 - 55 races (Career)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Cartmel racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase. 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 Grand Veterans Handicap Chase by adding a tip on the race here.
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Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +30.38, is when runners wore no equipment.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in a race worth £4k last time out, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-22.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase is Perth; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Perth last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 164 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 8 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase:
- Minster Son (3 Wins)
- Arctic Lord (2 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Al Co in 2019, winning for Oliver Greenall at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of Henry Brooke. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 9 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.
Route to the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Grand Veterans Handicap Chase, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Ilikedwayurthinkin Newcastle - PU of 17 (8/1) | Eider Chase |
| 2024 - Mill Green Cheltenham - 15th of 22 (41/1) | Pertemps Network Final |
| 2023 - Dee Star Southwell - 5th of 6 (15/2) | Join Southwell Golf Club Handicap Chase |
| 2022 - Jerrysback Market Rasen - 6th of 7 (14/1) | Unibet Horserace Betting Operator Of The Year Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Dawson City Ffos Las - 6th of 14 (23/1) | Potters Canter Carpet West Wales National Handicap Chase |
| 2019 - Al Co Bangor - PU of 10 (12/1) | Sportingbet Handicap Chase |
| 2018 - Buachaill Alainn Haydock - PU of 8 (20/1) | Betfair Each Way Edge Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Silver Man Uttoxeter - 6th of 10 (5/1) | bet365 Staffordshire Plate |
| 2016 - Thomas Wild Stratford - 1st of 8 (7/2) | Allan Atkinson Memorial Handicap Chase |
| 2015 - Tullamore Dew Lingfield - PU of 4 (6/4) | Weatherbys Private Banking Veterans Handicap Chase |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Grand Veterans Handicap Chase Preview are at hand, Andy and James. 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 National Hunt Racing.
James Banting
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Andy Powell
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