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 Highland National Preview
Scheduled to take place in late April of each year at the Perth racecourse is the Highland National, a race that is open to runners aged five or older and which is run over a marathon trip of three miles, six and a half furlongs, during which the runners will face twenty-three fences.
The race is a Class 3 handicap chase in which the runners compete for the Julian Llewellen Palmer Memorial Trophy and is run on the final day of the three-day Perth racing festival.
Highland National Information:
- Highland National Past Winners
- Highland National Trainer Statistics
- Highland National Jockey Statistics
If you are interested in other predictions at Perth, then head over to the Perth tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below.
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How competitive is the Highland National 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 115%. The race in 2008 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 134%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Highland National, the over-round has been 121%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £121 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2027 Highland National 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 Highland National Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Highland National races over the last 20 renewals:
- Laertes (7:43.70) in 2009
- Cyclop (7:47.84) in 2021
- Double Whammy (7:49.20) in 2016
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 Highland National next time out, then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 17 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -4.71. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 7:43.70 was set by Laertes in 2009, trained by Chris Grant and ridden by Mr O Greenall, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2010 when Omix DOr won in a time of 8:35.90 for trainer James Evans, who booked David Dennis in the saddle.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Highland National Past Winners
Here are the Highland National past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the race year, the winning horse, and the horse's age & weight. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Highland National are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 8:09.80 | El Granjero (IRE) 7yo 11-13 100/30F | James Bowen Clive Boultbee-Brooks (GB) |
| 2025 8:09.00 | Fairlawn Flyer (GB) 9yo 10-9 11/4F | Sean Bowen Peter & Michael Bowen (GB) |
| 2024 8:23.98 | Bretney (IRE) 9yo 11-8 11/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies Henry Daly (GB) |
| 2023 8:07.50 | If Not For Dylan (IRE) 8yo 10-11 22/1 | Alan Doyle (5lbs) Andrew Hamilton (GB) |
| 2022 7:58.20 | Slipway (IRE) 7yo 11-2 10/1 | Luca Morgan (3lbs) Ben Pauling (GB) |
| 2021 7:47.84 | Cyclop (IRE) 10yo 11-11 12/1 | Brian Hughes Matt Sheppard (GB) |
| 2019 8:08.00 | Weststreet (IRE) 9yo 11-4 11/2 | Leighton Aspell Oliver Sherwood (GB) |
| 2018 8:23.60 | Chic Name (FR) 6yo 11-0 17/2 | Mr Tom Broughton (10lbs) Richard Hobson (GB) |
| 2017 7:57.30 | Boric (GB) 9yo 10-7 18/1 | Callum Bewley (3lbs) Simon Waugh (GB) |
| 2016 7:49.20 | Double Whammy (GB) 10yo 11-5 9/2 | Shane Shortall (5lbs) Iain Jardine (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Highland National have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 36 placings from 234 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 7 placings from 22 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners
Highland National Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Highland National over the last 20 renewals, with both Nigel Twiston-Davies and Chris Grant, who have both won the race twice. Nigel Twiston-Davies winners have been with Petite Margot (2011) and Bally Braes (2015). Chris Grant winners have been with Laertes (2008 & 2009). Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Highland National. Lucinda Russell has sent a total of 17 runners to the race without recording any wins, whilst Sandy Thomson has sent out 10 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Highland National 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 13-2-4 | +0.00 | -0.24 |
| Chris Grant | 5-2-2 | +19.00 | +10.75 |
| N W Alexander | 8-1-1 | +0.50 | -2.31 |
| Neil King | 5-1-2 | +29.00 | +24.55 |
| Henry Daly | 4-1-1 | +8.00 | +3.60 |
| Andrew Hamilton | 2-1-1 | +21.00 | +12.75 |
| Simon Waugh | 2-1-1 | +17.00 | +10.25 |
| Sue Gardner | 2-1-1 | +11.00 | +6.50 |
| Ben Pauling | 2-1-1 | +9.00 | +5.25 |
| Iain Jardine | 2-1-1 | +3.50 | +1.70 |
Highland National Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Highland National over the last 20 renewals is Sam Twiston-Davies, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Petite Margot (2011), Bally Braes (2015) and Bretney (2024).
Here are some of the top Highland National 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 7-3-3 | +18.00 | +9.36 |
| Brian Hughes | 12-1-4 | +1.00 | +0.93 |
| Lucy Alexander | 7-1-1 | +1.50 | -1.31 |
| Sean Bowen | 4-1-2 | -0.25 | -0.23 |
| Callum Bewley | 3-1-2 | +16.00 | +10.40 |
| Trevor Whelan | 2-1-1 | +32.00 | +18.80 |
| Alan Doyle | 2-1-2 | +21.00 | +13.94 |
| Lucy Gardner | 2-1-1 | +11.00 | +6.50 |
| Luca Morgan | 1-1-1 | +10.00 | +6.25 |
| Mr Tom Broughton | 1-1-1 | +8.50 | +5.31 |
2027 Highland National Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): PU, PU, 3, PU, UR, 3, BD, (3, PU), PU, 2, 4, (4, 11), 8, UR, 5, PU, (3, PU), (2, PU), 1, 1
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 (79%) - Break of 19 - 398 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Not CH in colour
- 20 / 20 (84%) - No more than +21lbs (Vs Min Weight)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Ran over 1m2f - 2m6½f (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Achieved an RPR of 104+ (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (80%) - No bigger than 16/1 (Career Win)
- 19 / 20 (89%) - Placed within last 5 starts
- 18 / 20 (83%) - No older than a 10yo
- 18 / 20 (88%) - Achieved an RPR of 110+ (Hcps)
- 17 / 20 (57%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 17 / 20 (65%) - Won by at least 1¾l (Last Win)
- 17 / 20 (75%) - Achieved a TS of 99+ (Career)
- 17 / 20 (83%) - Held an OR of 105+ (Season)
- 17 / 20 (87%) - Held an OR of 98+ (LTO)
- 17 / 20 (89%) - Held an OR of 106+ (Hcps)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Perth racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Highland National. 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 Highland National by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Highland National Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +46.08, is when runners had recorded 0 career falls.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners were Chestnut in colour, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-46.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Highland National is Warwick; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Warwick last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 242 runners, while female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 19 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Highland National:
- Milan (2 Wins)
- Theatrical Charmer (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Highland National despite multiple attempts:
- Flemensfirth (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Presenting (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Roselier (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Sir Harry Lewis (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Cerium in 2012, winning for Neil King at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of Trevor Whelan. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 2 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2027 Highland National, head over to see which runners the best racing tipsters are tipping today. If you are interested in other races at the Perth racecourse, then why not read our blog for the Gold Castle Novices' Hurdle?
Route to the Highland National
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Highland National. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - El Granjero Warwick - 2nd of 8 (11/2) | Best Cheltenham Odds With Oddschecker Volcano Handicap Chase |
| 2025 - Fairlawn Flyer Huntingdon - 1st of 12 (9/2) | Barry Girling Memorial Handicap Chase |
| 2024 - Bretney Cheltenham - PU of 16 (16/1) | Gloucester Brewery Holman Handicap Chase |
| 2023 - If Not For Dylan Carlisle - 7th of 9 (6/1) | Go North Monets Garden Series Final Handicap Chase |
| 2022 - Slipway Newbury - 5th of 11 (10/1) | Get A Run For Your Money At BetVictor Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Cyclop Newbury - 6th of 12 (13/2) | BetVictor Conditional Jockeys Veterans Handicap Chase |
| 2019 - Weststreet Hexham - 1st of 12 (9/2) | Visit Our New Website www.hexham-racecourse.co.uk Handicap Chase |
| 2018 - Chic Name Kelso - PU of 10 (5/1) | Liz Adam Memorial Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Boric Wetherby - 8th of 10 (8/1) | Bulloughs Cleaning Services Handicap Chase |
| 2016 - Double Whammy Wetherby - 1st of 6 (7/2) | High Definition Racing UK Handicap Chase |
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 Highland National 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
