Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Preview
Scheduled to take place in May of each year at the Haydock racecourse is the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle.
The race is over a distance of three miles and half a furlong, during which the runners face a total of twelve hurdles. It is open to runners aged four or older, with it currently holding a class two status.
Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Information:
- Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
- Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
Our dedicated Haydock tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Haydock throughout the season, so be sure to head over there. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Haydock Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2005 when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2013 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 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle, the over-round has been 123%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £123 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Long Distance Handicap 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 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Long Distance Handicap Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Whataknight (5:28.90) in 2016
- Elzahann (5:29.70) in 2009
- Picture This (5:31.70) in 2010
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 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle 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 -3.67. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Whataknight, trained by Harry Fry and ridden by Aidan Coleman, who set the fastest winning time in the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle. That runner won the race in a time of 5:28.90 in 2016. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Sue Smith and jockey Thomas Willmott with Romeo Brown who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 6:08.36 in the 2022 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Long Distance Handicap 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 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (40k) 5:57.46 | Harbour Lake (IRE) 9yo 12-0 8/1 | Tom Cannon Alan King (GB) |
| 2024 (40k) 6:03.23 | Zain Nights (GB) 5yo 10-10 4/1F | Gavin Sheehan Lucy Wadham (GB) |
| 2023 (50k) 6:03.60 | Willaston (IRE) 7yo 10-13 14/1 | Jamie Hamilton Mark Walford (GB) |
| 2022 (50k) 6:08.36 | Romeo Brown (GB) 8yo 10-1 20/1 | Thomas Willmott (3lbs) Sue Smith (GB) |
| 2021 (25k) 6:07.30 | Dell Arca (IRE) 12yo 10-5 11/1 | Fergus Gillard (5lbs) David Pipe (GB) |
| 2019 (40k) 5:32.30 | Canyon City (GB) 6yo 10-0 15/2 | Bryony Frost Neil King (GB) |
| 2018 (40k) 5:40.10 | Monbeg Theatre (IRE) 9yo 10-9 11/1 | Page Fuller (5lbs) Jamie Snowden (GB) |
| 2017 (30k) 5:35.80 | Mias Storm (IRE) 7yo 10-2 10/1 | Wayne Hutchinson Alan King (GB) |
| 2016 (30k) 5:28.90 | Whataknight (GB) 7yo 11-0 12/1 | Aidan Coleman Harry Fry (GB) |
| 2015 (30k) 5:45.10 | No Planning (GB) 8yo 11-8 8/1 | Sean Quinlan Sue Smith (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 19 winners with an additional 48 placings from 290 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 3 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 3 placings from 10 runners
Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is David Pipe, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Abragante (2007), Broadway Buffalo (2014) and Dell Arca (2021). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle are Philip Hobbs (2 wins), Alan King (2 wins) and Sue Smith (2 wins). Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle. Nicky Henderson has sent a total of 19 runners to the race without recording any wins, whilst Nigel Twiston-Davies has sent out 12 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Long Distance Handicap 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Pipe | 23-3-8 | +3.00 | +4.12 |
| Philip Hobbs | 16-2-8 | +8.00 | +10.50 |
| Alan King | 10-2-4 | +10.00 | +7.38 |
| Sue Smith | 4-2-2 | +26.00 | +15.30 |
| Paul Nicholls | 13-1-2 | -6.00 | -6.25 |
| Harry Fry | 5-1-1 | +8.00 | +3.50 |
| Lucy Wadham | 5-1-2 | +0.00 | -0.50 |
| Neil King | 3-1-1 | +5.50 | +2.50 |
| Jamie Snowden | 2-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.88 |
| Mark Walford | 1-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.75 |
Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle, Sam Twiston-Davies has ridden 10 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Long Distance Handicap 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Skelton | 6-1-2 | +1.00 | +0.50 |
| Sean Quinlan | 3-1-2 | +6.00 | +7.43 |
| Bryony Frost | 3-1-2 | +5.50 | +3.50 |
| Brendan Powell | 3-1-2 | +4.50 | +3.56 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 3-1-1 | +2.00 | +0.50 |
| Fergus Gillard | 2-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.60 |
| Tom Cannon | 2-1-2 | +7.00 | +5.63 |
| Thomas Willmott | 1-1-1 | +20.00 | +12.50 |
| Jamie Hamilton | 1-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.75 |
| Page Fuller | 1-1-1 | +11.00 | +6.88 |
2026 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, (PU, 3), 4, 6, 2, 4, 2, 5, 2, 1, 2, 8, PU, (7, F), 5, 7, 4, 5, 1, 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 (75%) - Within the first 11 of the market
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Not in a G1-2/Cl3/Cl5-6 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - In a field of 8 - 23 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Achieved an RPR of 106+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Dam is not FR/ITY bred
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 124+ (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved a TS of 98+ (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Not in FRA/IRL/WAL (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not in DEU/ITA/SCO/WAL (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not on HY/GF (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (76%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 19 / 20 (86%) - Achieved a TS of 59+ (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (88%) - Won by at least ½l (Last Win)
- 18 / 20 (77%) - Beaten no more -19l (LTO)
- 17 / 20 (82%) - Placed within last 4 starts
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Haydock racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Long Distance Handicap 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 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +68.50, is when runners ran in a Class 2 last time out.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had recorded 1 career fall in over Jumps (Hurdle), when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-56.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 11 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Aintree; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Aintree last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 18 winners from a total of 278 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 25 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle:
- Lomitas (2 Wins)
- Saddlers Hall (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Milan (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Malinas (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Fame And Glory (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Flemensfirth (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Sadlers Wells (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Mr Cool in 2005, winning for M C Pipe at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of Jamie Moore. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 2 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Harbour Lake Cheltenham - 2nd of 9 (19/2) | Safran Landing Systems Handicap Hurdle |
| 2024 - Zain Nights Cheltenham - 1st of 14 (9/2) | Safran Landing Systems Handicap Hurdle |
| 2023 - Willaston Cheltenham - 1st of 13 (33/1) | Kingston Stud Handicap Hurdle |
| 2022 - Romeo Brown Cheltenham - 3rd of 9 (15/2) | Kingston Stud Handicap Hurdle |
| 2021 - Dell Arca Newbury - 8th of 16 (20/1) | Betfair Weighed-In Podcast Weekly Handicap Hurdle |
| 2019 - Canyon City Aintree - 6th of 21 (50/1) | National Meeting 3m Handicap Hurdle |
| 2018 - Monbeg Theatre Cheltenham - 1st of 23 (20/1) | Safran Landing Systems Handicap Hurdle |
| 2017 - Mias Storm Doncaster - 1st of 16 (11/1) | grandnational2017.com Handicap Hurdle |
| 2016 - Whataknight Cheltenham - 4th of 8 (5/1) | Citipost Novices Hurdle |
| 2015 - No Planning Haydock - 4th of 12 (9/1) | 888sport.com Handicap Chase |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team 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
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
