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2026 Long Distance Hurdle Preview
A race that usually features runners who compete in the Stayers Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, scheduled to take place in November of each year at the Newbury racecourse, is the Long Distance Hurdle. The runner will have a distance of three miles and a total of twelve hurdles between them and success in this race.
There has been no lack of back-to-back winners in the race, Deano's Beeno won it in both 1999 & 2000 for Pipe & McCoy, and the French raider Baracouda won it in 2003 & 2004 before Inglis Drever went one better with wins in 2005, 2006 & 2007.
The legend that is Big Buck is the most successful horse in the race, having won it four years on the bounce between 2009 & 2012; however, no runner has won back-to-back since. Unowhatimeanharry did win it twice, but not consecutive years.
Long Distance Hurdle Information:
- Long Distance Hurdle Past Winners
- Long Distance Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Long Distance Hurdle Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Newbury 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 Newbury Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Long Distance Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2012 when the race had an over-round of 106%. The race in 2011 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 120%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Long Distance Hurdle, the over-round has been 113%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ113 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Long Distance 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 Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Long Distance Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Celestial Halo (5:48.35) in 2013
- Champ (5:53.70) in 2022
- Unowhatimeanharry (5:55.00) in 2018
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 Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 7 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -5.80. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Celestial Halo, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Daryl Jacob, who set the fastest winning time in the Long Distance Hurdle. That runner won the race in a time of 5:48.35 in 2013. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Howard Johnson and jockey Tony Dobbin with Inglis Drever who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 6:38.50 in the 2006 renewal.
Long Distance Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Long Distance 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 Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 6:21.34 | Impose Toi (FR) 7yo 11-2 6/5F | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2024 6:10.60 | Strong Leader (GB) 7yo 11-8 4/7F | Sean Bowen Olly Murphy (GB) |
| 2023 6:02.47 | Dashel Drasher (GB) 10yo 11-2 2/1 | Rex Dingle Jeremy Scott (GB) |
| 2022 5:53.70 | Champ (IRE) 10yo 11-8 11/8F | Jonjo O'Neill Jr Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2021 5:56.20 | Thomas Darby (IRE) 8yo 11-0 7/1 | Sean Bowen Olly Murphy (GB) |
| 2020 5:58.62 | Thyme Hill (GB) 6yo 11-3 7/2 | Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs (GB) |
| 2019 6:02.15 | Paisley Park (IRE) 7yo 11-6 8/15F | Aidan Coleman Emma Lavelle (GB) |
| 2018 5:55.00 | Unowhatimeanharry (GB) 10yo 11-0 11/4F | Barry Geraghty Harry Fry (GB) |
| 2017 6:02.90 | Beer Goggles (IRE) 6yo 11-0 40/1 | Richard Johnson Richard Woollacott (GB) |
| 2016 5:56.70 | Unowhatimeanharry (GB) 8yo 11-4 7/2 | Barry Geraghty Harry Fry (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Long Distance Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 21 placings from 118 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
2025 Long Distance Hurdle Replay
Long Distance Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Long Distance Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Paul Nicholls, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Big Bucks (2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012) and Celestial Halo (2013). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Long Distance Hurdle are Nicky Henderson (3 wins), Harry Fry (2 wins) and Olly Murphy (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Long Distance 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Nicholls | 11-5-8 | -1.60 | +4.42 |
| Nicky Henderson | 9-3-5 | +5.58 | +4.20 |
| Harry Fry | 5-2-3 | +3.25 | +1.54 |
| Olly Murphy | 4-2-3 | +5.57 | +3.19 |
| Emma Lavelle | 8-1-4 | -6.47 | -2.65 |
| Alan King | 6-1-2 | +3.00 | +1.44 |
| Philip Hobbs | 3-1-2 | +1.50 | +1.30 |
| Jeremy Scott | 1-1-1 | +2.00 | +1.25 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 7-0-2 | -7.00 | -5.35 |
| Rebecca Curtis | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
Long Distance Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Long Distance Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Sean Bowen, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from Thomas Darby (2021) and Strong Leader (2024).
Here are some of the top Long Distance 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Bowen | 5-2-3 | +4.57 | +2.19 |
| Nico de Boinville | 3-1-1 | -0.80 | -1.25 |
| Rex Dingle | 1-1-1 | +2.00 | +1.25 |
| Jonjo O'Neill Jr | 1-1-1 | +1.38 | +0.86 |
| Harry Skelton | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -3.00 |
| Harry Cobden | 3-0-1 | -3.00 | -1.31 |
| Adam Wedge | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +0.25 |
| James Bowen | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | -0.12 |
| Chris Ward | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -1.00 |
| Dougie Costello | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -1.00 |
2026 Long Distance Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 1, PU, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 3, 5, 2, 5, 1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 4, 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 (67%) - Highest Won is not G2/LST/Cl3-4
- 20 / 20 (68%) - Achieved an RPR of 149+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Achieved a TS of 127+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Achieved an RPR of 138+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Not in IRL/SCO/WAL (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - No bigger than 11/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Achieved a TS of 133+ (Career)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Not in a LST/Cl3-5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Achieved an RPR of 143+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Beaten no more -17l (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Not in a G3/LST/Cl3-5 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Off a break of 17 - 333 days
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran over 2m3½f - 3m2½f (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Highest Run is not G2
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Carried 150 - 168lbs (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Newbury racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Long Distance 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 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 Long Distance Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Long Distance Hurdle Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +30.68, is when runners ran at Aintree last time out.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a highest class won of Class 1 (G2), when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-28.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Long Distance Hurdle is Aintree; there have been a total of 10 winners of this race who ran at Aintree last time out. The next best courses, which have produced the second most winners, are Wetherby and Cheltenham; there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 116 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 9 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Long Distance Hurdle:
- Cadoudal (4 Wins)
- In The Wings (2 Wins)
- Kayf Tara (2 Wins)
- Oscar (2 Wins)
- Passing Glance (2 Wins)
- Sir Harry Lewis (2 Wins)
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Long Distance Hurdle; that stallion is Milan, who has failed to produce a winner from 5 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Beer Goggles in 2017, winning for Richard Woollacott at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Richard Johnson. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 11 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.
Route to the Long Distance Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Long Distance Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Impose Toi Aintree - 1st of 7 (5/2) | Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle |
| 2024 - Strong Leader Aintree - 1st of 10 (8/1) | Liverpool Hurdle |
| 2023 - Dashel Drasher Wetherby - 3rd of 6 (7/4) | West Yorkshire Hurdle |
| 2022 - Champ Aintree - 3rd of 8 (3/1) | Liverpool Hurdle |
| 2021 - Thomas Darby Wetherby - 4th of 8 (4/1) | West Yorkshire Hurdle |
| 2020 - Thyme Hill Cheltenham - 4th of 19 (4/1) | Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle |
| 2019 - Paisley Park Cheltenham - 1st of 18 (11/8) | Stayers Hurdle |
| 2018 - Unowhatimeanharry Aintree - 3rd of 5 (2/1) | British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre Hurdle |
| 2017 - Beer Goggles Aintree - 3rd of 10 (9/1) | Pertemps Network |
| 2016 - Unowhatimeanharry Cheltenham - 1st of 19 (11/1) | Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle |
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 Long Distance 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
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
