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.
2027 January Cup Preview
Scheduled to take place in January of each year at the Happy Valley racecourse in Hong Kong is the January Cup. This Group 3 is the highlight of the flat season at Happy Valley. The race is run on the turf over a distance of 1,800m (1m1f) with the race being open to runners aged three or older and rated 90 or higher.
January Cup Information:
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Happy Valley tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners?
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How competitive is the January Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 15 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2013 when the race had an over-round of 122%. The race in 2017 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 125%, whilst on average over the last 15 renewals of the January Cup, 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 2027 January Cup 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 January Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run January Cup races over the last 15 renewals:
- Money Catcher (1:47.94) in 2023
- Speed Dragon (1:48.00) in 2026
- Doctor Geoff (1:48.10) in 2020
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 15 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the January Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 14 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -9.65. Whilst we wait for the 2027 January Cup, 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 15 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2018 renewal when Eagle Way from John Moore under the guidance of Zac Purton, won in a time of 1:50.14, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Money Catcher, trained by F C Lor and ridden by Silvestre De Sousa set the quickest time of 1:47.94 in the 2023 renewal.
January Cup Past Winners
Here are the January Cup 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. Also detailed is the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the January Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 1:48.00 | Speed Dragon (NZ) 6yo 8-5 (7 of 12) 54/10 | Lyle Hewitson K W Lui (HK) |
| 2025 1:49.19 | Helene Feeling (IRE) 5yo 8-5 (9 of 12) 39/10 | Harry Bentley C S Shum (HK) |
| 2024 1:48.29 | Happy Together (IRE) 5yo 8-3 (3 of 12) 63/20 | Alexis Badel F C Lor (HK) |
| 2023 1:47.94 | Money Catcher (NZ) 5yo 9-1 (1 of 11) 31/20F | Silvestre De Sousa F C Lor (HK) |
| 2022 1:48.25 | Zebrowski (NZ) 5yo 8-3 (3 of 9) 13/20F | Joao Moreira C Fownes (HK) |
| 2021 1:48.68 | Savvy Nine (FR) 5yo 8-8 (2 of 10) 59/20 | Christophe Soumillon Douglas Whyte (HK) |
| 2020 1:48.10 | Doctor Geoff (IRE) 6yo 8-3 (3 of 9) 33/10 | C Y Ho K W Lui (HK) |
| 2019 1:48.83 | Simply Brilliant (GB) 5yo 8-2 (8 of 10) 42/10 | Alexis Badel F C Lor (HK) |
| 2018 1:50.14 | Eagle Way (AUS) 5yo 9-7 (9 of 11) 41/5 | Zac Purton John Moore (HK) |
| 2017 1:49.83 | Harbour Master (USA) 7yo 8-11 (11 of 11) 105/10 | Zac Purton John Moore (HK) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the January Cup have been based:
- HK: 15 winners with an additional 29 placings from 157 runners
- MAC: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 1 runner
- AUS: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- SAF: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2026 January Cup Replay
January Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the January Cup over the last 15 renewals is John Moore, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Military Attack (2013), Same World (2014), Harbour Master (2017) and Eagle Way (2018). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the January Cup are F C Lor (3 wins) and K W Lui (2 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the January Cup; J Size has sent a total of 12 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top January Cup trainer statistics over the last 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Moore | 21-4-7 | +9.30 | +2.43 |
| F C Lor | 14-3-4 | -2.10 | -4.20 |
| K W Lui | 8-2-4 | +2.70 | +1.86 |
| A S Cruz | 26-1-6 | -22.50 | -13.94 |
| C Fownes | 16-1-4 | -14.35 | -11.05 |
| C S Shum | 12-1-6 | -7.10 | -3.32 |
| L Ho | 4-1-2 | +15.50 | +10.56 |
| K L Man | 3-1-1 | +7.40 | +3.64 |
| Douglas Whyte | 2-1-2 | +1.95 | +2.17 |
| J Size | 12-0-3 | -12.00 | -8.35 |
January Cup Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the January Cup over the last 15 renewals, with Alexis Badel, Zac Purton, and Joao Moreira having all won the race two times. Alexis Badel's winners have been with Simply Brilliant (2019) and Happy Together (2024). Zac Purton's winners have been with Harbour Master (2017) and Eagle Way (2018). Joao Moreira's winners have been with Same World (2014) and Zebrowski (2022). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the January Cup; Matthew Chadwick has ridden 12 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top January Cup jockey statistics over the last 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexis Badel | 10-2-8 | -0.65 | +4.55 |
| Zac Purton | 9-2-5 | +11.70 | +7.71 |
| Joao Moreira | 8-2-5 | -0.90 | -0.45 |
| K C Leung | 10-1-1 | +9.50 | +2.56 |
| C Y Ho | 10-1-4 | -5.70 | -2.49 |
| Harry Bentley | 4-1-1 | +0.90 | -0.56 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 4-1-1 | -1.45 | -2.07 |
| Douglas Whyte | 3-1-1 | +7.40 | +3.64 |
| Gerald Mosse | 3-1-1 | +0.50 | -0.44 |
| Lyle Hewitson | 2-1-1 | +4.40 | +2.38 |
2027 January Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 2, 2, 3, 10, (3, 4, 9), 4, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 3, 5, (2, 3)
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. The trend information is based on the available information on the Racing Post in terms of previous runs, etc.
- 15 / 15 (66%) - Ran in 6 - 26 races (Career)
- 15 / 15 (68%) - No bigger than 37/2
- 15 / 15 (71%) - Not in a G1-2/LST/Cl3-6 (Last Win)
- 15 / 15 (75%) - Ran in 2 - 20 races (Hcps)
- 15 / 15 (75%) - No bigger than 189/10 (Career Win)
- 15 / 15 (75%) - Off a break of 18 - 59 days
- 15 / 15 (76%) - Within the first 8 of the market
- 15 / 15 (80%) - No bigger than 15/1 (Last Win)
- 15 / 15 (80%) - Had 1 - 6 wins (Career)
- 15 / 15 (81%) - No bigger than 40/1 (Debut)
- 15 / 15 (81%) - Carried 122 - 133lbs (LTO)
- 15 / 15 (83%) - Achieved an RPR of 91+ (LTO)
- 15 / 15 (85%) - Had 1 - 14 placings (Career)
- 15 / 15 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 94+ (Last 3)
- 15 / 15 (89%) - Not BB/CG/GR in colour
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Happy Valley racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the January Cup. 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 January Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
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January Cup Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 8+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +6.20, is when runners had a furthest trip won of 1m1f.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners carried 113lbs, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-31.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2026: Winner in 7 (4,12) [12 Runners]
- 2025: Winner in 9 (10,11) [12 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 3 (1,9) [12 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 1 (7,6) [11 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 3 (5,9) [9 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the January Cup is Sha Tin; there have been a total of 11 winners of this race who ran at Sha Tin last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Happy Valley; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Happy Valley last time out.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the January Cup; that stallion, Savabeel, has produced 2 winners (2022,2016).
Looking at the winning odds over the last 15 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Flame Hero in 2016, winning for L Ho at odds of 185/10 under the guidance of K C Leung. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 15 renewals, there have been 3 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 2027 January Cup. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs, are based on the information that is available on the Racing Post.
Route to the January Cup
Many trainers target races as preparation for the January Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Speed Dragon Happy Valley - 4th of 12 (97/10) | Wong Nai Chung Handicap |
| 2025 - Helene Feeling Sha Tin - 6th of 14 (35/1) | Chevalier Cup |
| 2024 - Happy Together Happy Valley - 1st of 8 (42/5) | Saturn Handicap |
| 2023 - Money Catcher Sha Tin - 3rd of 12 (44/1) | Hong Kong Cup |
| 2022 - Zebrowski Happy Valley - 4th of 12 (5/1) | United Kingdom Handicap |
| 2021 - Savvy Nine Happy Valley - 3rd of 12 (47/10) | United Kingdom Handicap |
| 2020 - Doctor Geoff Sha Tin - 10th of 14 (18/1) | Chevalier Cup |
| 2019 - Simply Brilliant Sha Tin - 1st of 12 (87/20) | Chevalier Cup |
| 2018 - Eagle Way Sha Tin - 8th of 12 (13/1) | Hong Kong Vase |
| 2017 - Harbour Master Sha Tin - 5th of 9 (31/10) | Lukfook Jewellery Hugging Family Collection Handicap |
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 January Cup Preview are Andy and James. 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 International racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
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