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 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
Our dedicated Perth tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Highland National, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Perth throughout the season, so be sure to head over there.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
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 122%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ122 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 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 4 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -2.46. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Highland National, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2010 renewal when Omix DOr from James Evans under the guidance of David Dennis, won in a time of 8:35.90, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Laertes, trained by Chris Grant and ridden by Mr O Greenall set the quickest time of 7:43.70 in the 2009 renewal.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| 2015 7:56.90 | Bally Braes (IRE) 7yo 10-1 9/2 | Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies (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 239 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 7 placings from 20 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 6 runners
2025 Highland National Replay
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 two times. 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 | 14-2-5 | -1.00 | +0.64 |
| 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 |
| Callum Bewley | 3-1-2 | +16.00 | +10.40 |
| Sean Bowen | 3-1-1 | +0.75 | -0.28 |
| 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 |
2026 Highland National Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 4, PU, PU, 3, PU, UR, 3, BD, (3, PU), PU, 2, 4, (4, 11), 8, UR, 5, PU, (3, PU), (2, PU), 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 (80%) - Break of 19 - 398 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - No more than +21lbs (Vs Min Weight)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Not CH in colour
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Achieved an RPR of 96+ (Going)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved an RPR of 104+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Had 1 - 7 wins (Chase)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Within the first 12 of the market
- 18 / 20 (87%) - Held an OR of 97+ (LTO)
- 18 / 20 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 110+ (Hcps)
- 17 / 20 (69%) - Carried no more than 159lbs
- 17 / 20 (70%) - Held an OR of 106+ (Going)
- 17 / 20 (81%) - Held an OR of 105+ (Season)
- 17 / 20 (82%) - No older than a 10yo
- 17 / 20 (87%) - Held an OR of 106+ (Hcps)
- 16 / 20 (64%) - Won by at least 1žl (Last Win)
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 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 Highland National by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Highland National Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +46.75, is when runners had recorded 0 career falls.
â 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 courses that have produced the most winners of the Highland National are Carlisle, Wetherby, Warwick, Newbury and Hereford; there have been a total of 2 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 244 runners, while female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 21 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:
- Roselier (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Flemensfirth (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Presenting (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Sir Harry Lewis (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Zaffaran (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 1 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Highland National, 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 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2015 - Bally Braes Warwick - 2nd of 7 (3/1) | Local Parking Security Ltd Novices 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
