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2026 Istabraq Hurdle Preview
Scheduled to take place in October of each year at the Tipperary racecourse is the Istabraq Hurdle, a Grade 3 hurdle that is open to runners aged four or older and a total of nine hurdles face the runners over the two-mile trip. The race has been known as the Horse & Jockey Hotel Hurdle since 2018 due to sponsorship purposes.
Istabraq Hurdle Information:
If you are interested in other predictions at Tipperary, then head over to the Tipperary 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 Istabraq Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2022 when the race had an over-round of 108%. The race in 2012 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 124%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Istabraq Hurdle, the over-round has been 113%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £113 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Istabraq Hurdle 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 Istabraq Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Istabraq Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Daddy Long Legs (3:44.09) in 2024
- Rebel Fitz (3:44.40) in 2014
- Salford City (3:44.60) in 2007
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 Istabraq Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -2.31. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Istabraq Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Daddy Long Legs, trained by W P Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, who set the fastest winning time in the Istabraq Hurdle. That runner won the race in a time of 3:44.09 in 2024. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer C A Murphy and jockey Davy Russell with Megans Joy who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 4:11.00 in the 2008 renewal.
Istabraq Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Istabraq Hurdle 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 Istabraq Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:56.00 | Gaucher (GB) 6yo 11-10 13/8F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2024 3:44.09 | Daddy Long Legs (FR) 5yo 11-5 1/1F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 4:03.60 | Fils Doudairies (FR) 8yo 11-8 9/2 | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2022 3:49.20 | Jesse Evans (IRE) 6yo 11-3 7/4F | B J Cooper Noel Meade (IRE) |
| 2021 3:57.60 | Saldier (FR) 7yo 11-3 4/7F | Danny Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2020 3:53.60 | Saint Roi (FR) 5yo 11-2 4/7F | Mark Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2019 3:52.50 | Davids Charm (IRE) 8yo 11-0 6/4F | Phillip Enright John J Walsh (IRE) |
| 2018 3:51.60 | Bedrock (GB) 5yo 11-7 12/1 | Rachael Blackmore Iain Jardine (GB) |
| 2017 4:07.40 | Jezki (IRE) 9yo 11-0 6/1 | Mark Walsh Mrs John Harrington (IRE) |
| 2016 3:55.30 | Ivan Grozny (FR) 6yo 11-7 2/5F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Istabraq Hurdle have been based:
- IRE: 19 winners with an additional 19 placings from 113 runners
- GB: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 3 runners
Istabraq Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Istabraq Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Ivan Grozny (2016), Saint Roi (2020), Saldier (2021), Daddy Long Legs (2024) and Gaucher (2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Istabraq Hurdle are Noel Meade (3 wins), Gordon Elliott (2 wins) and Edward P Harty (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Istabraq Hurdle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 14-5-7 | -4.83 | -3.57 |
| Noel Meade | 8-3-6 | -1.43 | +0.57 |
| Gordon Elliott | 7-2-2 | +11.50 | +2.50 |
| Edward P Harty | 2-2-2 | +10.88 | +6.58 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 5-1-1 | +2.00 | -0.25 |
| A P O'Brien | 2-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.75 |
| Michael Winters | 2-1-2 | -0.70 | -0.24 |
| Iain Jardine | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.50 |
| C A Murphy | 1-1-1 | +8.00 | +5.00 |
| E J O'Grady | 1-1-1 | +2.75 | +1.72 |
Istabraq Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Istabraq Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Mark Walsh, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Captain Cee Bee (2012 & 2013), Plinth (2015), Jezki (2017) and Saint Roi (2020). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Istabraq Hurdle is Paul Townend (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Istabraq Hurdle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Walsh | 9-5-7 | +19.45 | +14.50 |
| Paul Townend | 8-2-2 | -3.37 | -3.35 |
| Danny Mullins | 4-1-2 | -2.43 | -1.01 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 3-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.50 |
| Jack Kennedy | 3-1-1 | +2.50 | -2.00 |
| Phillip Enright | 2-1-1 | +0.50 | -0.06 |
| Jody McGarvey | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +4.75 |
| J J Slevin | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +3.50 |
| Cian Quirke | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +0.00 |
| Martin Burke | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
2026 Istabraq Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 4, 2, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 3, 1, 4, 3, 1, 1, 1, (1, 4), PU, 1, 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%) - No bigger than 12/1
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Ran in 5 - 33 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Achieved an RPR of 128+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Achieved an RPR of 95+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Beaten no more -17½l (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Ran over 1m2f - 2m4f (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Carried 131 - 164lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Dam is not GER/USA bred
- 19 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 18/1 (Career Win)
- 18 / 20 (69%) - Within the first 4 of the market
- 18 / 20 (81%) - Achieved a TS of 110+ (Trip)
- 18 / 20 (81%) - Achieved an RPR of 131+ (Non-Hcps)
- 18 / 20 (84%) - No more than 1 fall (Career)
- 17 / 20 (74%) - Won within last 5 starts
- 16 / 20 (75%) - Placed within last 3 starts
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Tipperary racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Istabraq Hurdle. 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 Istabraq Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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Istabraq Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +27.97, is when runners had 0 career places in the class.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 4 career wins in Non-Handicap races, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-17.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Istabraq Hurdle is Galway; there have been a total of 6 winners of this race who ran at Galway last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Listowel; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Listowel 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 104 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 12 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Istabraq Hurdle:
- Germany (2 Wins)
- Milan (2 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Scarthy Lad in 2006, winning for Thomas Gerard O'Leary at odds of 12/1 under the guidance of Barry Geraghty. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 12 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Istabraq Hurdle, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Istabraq Hurdle
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Istabraq Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Gaucher Galway - 5th of 19 (29/1) | Galway Hurdle |
| 2024 - Daddy Long Legs Galway - 19th of 19 (5/1) | Galway Hurdle |
| 2023 - Fils Doudairies Listowel - 11th of 17 (16/1) | Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle |
| 2022 - Jesse Evans Leopardstown - 3rd of 23 (12/1) | Petingo Handicap |
| 2021 - Saldier Galway - 1st of 20 (18/1) | Galway Hurdle |
| 2020 - Saint Roi Cheltenham - 1st of 24 (11/2) | County Handicap Hurdle |
| 2019 - Davids Charm Listowel - 1st of 14 (6/1) | Ladbrokes Ireland Listowel Handicap Hurdle |
| 2018 - Bedrock Haydock - 8th of 8 (3/1) | Old Borough Cup |
| 2017 - Jezki Fairyhouse - 5th of 5 (6/5) | Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Hurdle |
| 2016 - Ivan Grozny Galway - 1st of 7 (8/11) | Guinness Race |
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 Istabraq Hurdle 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
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Andy Powell
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