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.
2025 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
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Haydock 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 Haydock Racecourse section for links to these.
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.
Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Trends:
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 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 to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -3.67. Ahead of the 2025 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 5:28.90 was set by Whataknight in 2016, which is the quickest time over that period, the runner was trained by Harry Fry and ridden by Aidan Coleman. The slowest winning time was set in 2022 when Romeo Brown won in a time of 6:08.36, booked to ride was Thomas Willmott by the trainer Sue Smith.
These are the top three quickest-run Long Distance Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals:
- Whataknight (5:28.90) in 2016
- Elzahann (5:29.70) in 2009
- Picture This (5:31.70) in 2010
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 trainer of the horse at the time of winning the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle as well as the jockey is also displayed along with the starting price the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 6:03.23 | Zain Nights (GB) 5yo 10-10 4/1F | Gavin Sheehan Lucy Wadham (GB) |
| 2023 6:03.60 | Willaston (IRE) 7yo 10-13 14/1 | Jamie Hamilton Mark Walford (GB) |
| 2022 6:08.36 | Romeo Brown (GB) 8yo 10-1 20/1 | Thomas Willmott (3lbs) Sue Smith (GB) |
| 2021 6:07.30 | Dell Arca (IRE) 12yo 10-5 11/1 | Fergus Gillard (5lbs) David Pipe (GB) |
| 2019 5:32.30 | Canyon City (GB) 6yo 10-0 15/2 | Bryony Frost Neil King (GB) |
| 2018 5:40.10 | Monbeg Theatre (IRE) 9yo 10-9 11/1 | Page Fuller (5lbs) Jamie Snowden (GB) |
| 2017 5:35.80 | Mias Storm (IRE) 7yo 10-2 10/1 | Wayne Hutchinson Alan King (GB) |
| 2016 5:28.90 | Whataknight (GB) 7yo 11-0 12/1 | Aidan Coleman Harry Fry (GB) |
| 2015 5:45.10 | No Planning (GB) 8yo 11-8 8/1 | Sean Quinlan Sue Smith (GB) |
| 2014 5:48.10 | Broadway Buffalo (IRE) 6yo 10-12 5/1F | Tom Scudamore David Pipe (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 49 placings from 296 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 3 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 3 placings from 9 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) 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 13 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 |
| Sue Smith | 6-2-2 | +24.00 | +13.30 |
| Paul Nicholls | 13-1-2 | -6.00 | -6.25 |
| Alan King | 10-1-3 | +1.00 | +1.38 |
| Harry Fry | 5-1-1 | +8.00 | +3.50 |
| Lucy Wadham | 4-1-2 | +1.00 | +0.50 |
| Neil King | 3-1-1 | +5.50 | +2.50 |
| Jamie Snowden | 2-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.88 |
| Alistair Whillans | 2-1-1 | +9.00 | +5.25 |
Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
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 |
| Graham Lee | 6-1-2 | +0.50 | +0.19 |
| 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 |
| Fergus Gillard | 2-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.60 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 2-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.50 |
| 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 |
2025 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): PU, 2, (PU, 3), 4, 6, 2, 4, 2, 5, 2, 1, 2, 8, PU, (7, F), 5, 7, 4, 5, 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 (74%) - Within the first 11 of the market
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Not in a G1-2/Cl3/Cl5-6 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Achieved an RPR of 106+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - In a field of 8 - 23 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - 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 (87%) - Not in FRA/IRL/WAL (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not in DEU/ITA/NOR/SCO/WAL (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Ran over 2m3½f - 3m1f (LTO)
- 19 / 20 (74%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 19 / 20 (85%) - Achieved a TS of 59+ (Last Win)
- 18 / 20 (77%) - Beaten no more -19l (LTO)
- 18 / 20 (84%) - Held an OR of 114+ (Going)
- 17 / 20 (81%) - 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. If there is anything that you do not understand in this blog, please leave a comment or head over to the Horse Racing Terms and Abbreviations article which is available in the OLBG Betting School section.
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.
Long Distance Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis
The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +70.50 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 0-57.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle is Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 10 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 has been a total number 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 283 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:
- Shantou (0 Wins from 10 runners)
- Milan (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Fame And Glory (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Malinas (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Flemensfirth (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. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find you a bet on the 2025 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle.
Other Principal races at Haydock Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Haydock racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in January
Races in February
Races in May
Races in June
Races in July
Races in September
Races in November
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
