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 London National Preview
Established in 2003, the London National is scheduled to take place in December of each year at the Sandown racecourse, run over a stamina-testing trip of three miles and five furlongs. The race is open to runners who are aged five or older.
Being scheduled in December, this race can sometimes be run on testing ground, which can make it a very stamina-demanding race, so keep that in mind.
London National Information:
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Sandown tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Sandown Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the London National market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2020 when the race had an over-round of 110%. The race in 2015 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 131%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the London National, the over-round has been 118%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ118 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 London 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 London National Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run London National races over the last 20 renewals:
- Theres No Panic (7:30.80) in 2013
- Rocky Creek (7:34.50) in 2016
- Caroles Destrier (7:35.90) in 2015
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 London National 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 -1.00. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 London National.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 7:30.80 was set by Theres No Panic in 2013, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Daryl Jacob, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2023 when Truckers Lodge won in a time of 8:22.17 for trainer Paul Nicholls, who booked Freddie Gingell in the saddle.
London National Past Winners
Here are the London National 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 London National are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: The 2019 renewal was declared void after jockeys failed to acknowledge the yellow flag.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 7:57.82 | OConnell (IRE) 9yo 11-6 5/2 | Gavin Sheehan Joel Parkinson & Sue Smith (GB) |
| 2024 8:05.27 | Mr Vango (IRE) 8yo 11-6 3/1 | Nico de Boinville Mrs Sara V Bradstock (GB) |
| 2023 8:22.17 | Truckers Lodge (IRE) 11yo 11-6 11/2 | Freddie Gingell (5lbs) Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2022 7:49.00 | Quick Wave (FR) 9yo 11-12 11/2 | Charlie Deutsch Venetia Williams (GB) |
| 2021 7:55.00 | Highland Hunter (IRE) 8yo 11-12 9/1 | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2020 7:58.90 | Doing Fine (IRE) 12yo 10-4 15/2 | Millie Wonnacott (7lbs) Neil Mulholland (GB) |
| 2018 8:09.70 | Morney Wing (IRE) 9yo 9-7 12/1 | Rex Dingle (7lbs) Charlie Mann (GB) |
| 2017 7:39.20 | Benbens (IRE) 12yo 10-8 14/1 | Mr Zac Baker (5lbs) Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
| 2016 7:34.50 | Rocky Creek (IRE) 10yo 11-9 10/1 | Jack Sherwood (3lbs) Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2015 7:35.90 | Caroles Destrier (GB) 7yo 11-10 5/1 | Noel Fehily Neil Mulholland (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the London National have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 34 placings from 178 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 6 runners
London National Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the London National over the last 20 renewals is Paul Nicholls, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Theres No Panic (2013), Rocky Creek (2016), Highland Hunter (2021) and Truckers Lodge (2023). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the London National are Tom George (3 wins) and Neil Mulholland (2 wins).
Here are some of the top London 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Nicholls | 16-4-5 | +21.50 | +9.66 |
| Tom George | 6-3-4 | +15.00 | +9.05 |
| Neil Mulholland | 6-2-5 | +8.50 | +7.51 |
| Venetia Williams | 11-1-2 | -4.50 | -2.07 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 10-1-3 | +5.00 | +1.14 |
| Philip Hobbs | 7-1-2 | -2.50 | -2.98 |
| Emma Lavelle | 5-1-3 | +3.50 | +2.63 |
| Evan Williams | 4-1-1 | +7.00 | +3.00 |
| Phil Middleton | 3-1-2 | +5.00 | +4.48 |
| Charlie Mann | 2-1-2 | +11.00 | +8.20 |
London National Jockey Statistics
Here are some of the top London 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Cobden | 6-1-2 | +4.00 | +1.50 |
| Charlie Deutsch | 6-1-2 | +0.50 | +2.93 |
| Rex Dingle | 2-1-1 | +11.00 | +6.20 |
| Nico de Boinville | 2-1-2 | +2.00 | +1.60 |
| Mr Zac Baker | 1-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.40 |
| Millie Wonnacott | 1-1-1 | +7.50 | +4.69 |
| Freddie Gingell | 1-1-1 | +5.50 | +3.44 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 1-1-1 | +2.50 | +1.56 |
| Brendan Powell | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -4.75 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -3.06 |
2026 London National Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 4, F, F, 3, PU, PU, 2, 1, 7, (4, 6), (8, 10), 2, 2, 4, 4, 2, 4, UR, 5, 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.
- 20 / 20 (73%) - No bigger than 14/1
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 14/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - No bigger than 66/1 (Career)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Within the first 8 of the market
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Carried 149 - 167lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 33/1 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Fewer than 3 wins (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Had 1 - 10 placings (Going)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Furthest ran 3m1f - 4m2½f
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Held an OR of 123+ (Career)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved an RPR of 111+ (Going)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved a TS of 66+ (Going)
- 19 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 28/1 (Career Place)
- 19 / 20 (83%) - No more than 2 falls (Career)
- 18 / 20 (77%) - No more than -3yrs (Vs Max Age)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Sandown racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the London 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 London National by adding a tip on the race here.
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London National Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +19.00, is when runners wore no equipment.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in a race worth ÂŁ3,000 on debut, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-37.
The course which has produced the most winners of the London National is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Wincanton; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Wincanton last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 179 runners, while female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 5 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the London National:
- Presenting (3 Wins)
- Sure Blade (2 Wins)
- Westerner (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the London National despite multiple attempts:
- Midnight Legend (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Supreme Leader (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Benbens in 2017, winning for Nigel Twiston-Davies at odds of 14/1 under the guidance of Mr Zac Baker. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 1 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 2026 London National.
Route to the London National
Many trainers target races as preparation for the London National. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - OConnell Carlisle - 3rd of 9 (19/2) | PricedUp Cumberland Handicap Chase |
| 2024 - Mr Vango Ayr - PU of 26 (4/1) | Scottish Grand National |
| 2023 - Truckers Lodge Cheltenham - BD of 13 (18/1) | November Meeting Handicap Chase |
| 2022 - Quick Wave Ludlow - 1st of 7 (10/1) | Plyvine Caterers Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Highland Hunter Uttoxeter - 5th of 20 (14/1) | Midlands Grand National |
| 2020 - Doing Fine Fontwell - 3rd of 7 (5/1) | Paddy Power Southern National Handicap Chase |
| 2018 - Morney Wing Fontwell - 2nd of 8 (5/2) | Sun Racing Southern National Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Benbens Cheltenham - 4th of 8 (16/1) | November Meeting Handicap Chase |
| 2016 - Rocky Creek Sandown - 4th of 5 (11/4) | Racing UK HD On Sky432 Veterans Handicap Chase |
| 2015 - Caroles Destrier Wincanton - 5th of 12 (8/1) | Badger Ales Trophy |
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 London National 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
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
