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 Melling Chase Preview
The Grade 1 Melling Chase is scheduled to take place in April of each year at the Aintree racecourse, the race is open to runners who are aged five or older.
Run during the Grand National meeting, the race is run over two miles and four furlongs where there are sixteen fences to be jumped.
Melling Chase Information:
We also have a dedicated Aintree tips page that will cover this race as well as all of the other races on the day of the race, see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards. We cover every race at the Aintree Grand National Meeting and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Thursday, Friday & Saturday.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Melling Chase market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2025 when the race had an over-round of 107%. The race in 2015 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 119%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Melling Chase, the over-round has been 114%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £114 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Melling Chase 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 Melling Chase Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Melling Chase over the last 20 renewals:
- Don Cossack (4:53.10) in 2015
- Jonbon (4:53.73) in 2025
- Albertas Run (4:54.60) in 2010
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 Melling Chase next time out then you would have backed a total of 9 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +14.49. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Melling Chase see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 4:53.10 was set by Don Cossack in 2015, which is the quickest time over that period, the runner was trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by A P McCoy. The slowest winning time was set in 2018 when Politologue won in a time of 5:18.50, booked to ride was Sam Twiston-Davies by the trainer Paul Nicholls.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Melling Chase Past Winners
Here are the Melling Chase 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 Melling Chase are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 4:53.73 | Jonbon (FR) 9yo 11-10 4/6F | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2024 5:12.29 | Jonbon (FR) 8yo 11-10 11/10F | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2023 5:02.41 | Pic DOrhy (FR) 8yo 11-10 4/1 | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2022 4:57.48 | Fakir Doudairies (FR) 7yo 11-7 10/11F | Mark Walsh Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2021 5:03.75 | Fakir Doudairies (FR) 6yo 11-7 2/1F | Mark Walsh Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2019 5:02.70 | Min (FR) 8yo 11-7 2/1F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2018 5:18.50 | Politologue (FR) 7yo 11-7 11/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2017 4:58.00 | Fox Norton (FR) 7yo 11-7 4/1 | Robbie Power Colin Tizzard (GB) |
| 2016 5:08.20 | Gods Own (IRE) 8yo 11-10 10/1 | Paddy Brennan Tom George (GB) |
| 2015 4:53.10 | Don Cossack (GER) 8yo 11-10 3/1F | A P McCoy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Melling Chase have been based:
- GB: 13 winners with an additional 20 placings from 113 runners
- IRE: 7 winners with an additional 8 placings from 40 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 3 runners
Melling Chase Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Melling Chase over the last 20 renewals is Nicky Henderson who has won the race four times with those four winners coming from Finians Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013) and Jonbon (2024 & 2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Melling Chase are Paul Nicholls (3 wins), W P Mullins (2 wins), Alan King (2 wins) and Joseph Patrick O'Brien (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Melling Chase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicky Henderson | 16-4-4 | -8.27 | -10.12 |
| Paul Nicholls | 24-3-9 | -0.50 | -1.07 |
| W P Mullins | 8-2-3 | +1.00 | -0.11 |
| Alan King | 6-2-3 | +2.38 | +2.26 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 3-2-3 | +1.91 | +1.53 |
| Tom George | 6-1-2 | +5.00 | +2.15 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 4-1-4 | +5.00 | +5.44 |
| Gordon Elliott | 4-1-2 | +0.00 | +0.80 |
| Nicky Richards | 3-1-2 | +2.00 | +1.75 |
| Michael Hourigan | 2-1-1 | +13.00 | +7.40 |
Melling Chase Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the Melling Chase over the last 20 renewals with both Mark Walsh and Nico de Boinville who have both won the race two times. Mark Walsh winners have been with Fakir Doudairies (2021 & 2022). Nico de Boinville winners have been with Jonbon (2024 & 2025).
Here are some of the top Melling Chase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Walsh | 3-2-3 | +1.91 | +1.53 |
| Nico de Boinville | 3-2-2 | +0.77 | -0.31 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 5-1-1 | +7.00 | +2.88 |
| Harry Cobden | 5-1-2 | +0.00 | -0.69 |
| Paul Townend | 4-1-2 | +2.00 | +1.64 |
| Brian Hughes | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
| Harry Skelton | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -1.56 |
| Lorcan Williams | 3-0-1 | -3.00 | -1.40 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Nick Scholfield | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +0.10 |
2026 Melling Chase Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, PU, 3, 2, 1, (2, F), 2, 1, 1, 7, (1, 4), F, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 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 (61%) - Achieved a TS of 145+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (72%) - No bigger than 14/1
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Had 8 - 30 placings (Non-Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Achieved an RPR of 149+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Ran in 3 - 18 races (Class)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Highest Placed is G1
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Achieved an RPR of 157+ (Class)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Ran in 2 - 13 races (Going)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 20/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Highest Won is not G3/LST/Cl2-3
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Ran over 1m4f - 2m2f (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - No bigger than 50/1 (Career)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Not in a G3/LST/Cl3-4 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Ran in 3 - 7 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Ran in a Non Handicap (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Aintree racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Melling Chase. 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 Melling Chase by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Melling Chase Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +35.94 is when runners had 3 places in the past 180 days.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 career places in the class, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-38.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Melling Chase is Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 17 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 154 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 2 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Melling Chase:
- Walk In The Park (3 Wins)
- Kapgarde (2 Wins)
- Villez (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 Melling Chase, that stallion is Flemensfirth 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 Hi Cloy in 2006, winning for Michael Hourigan at odds of 14/1 under the guidance of Andrew J McNamara. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 10 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Melling Chase why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Melling Chase
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Melling Chase, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Jonbon Cheltenham - 2nd of 8 (5/6) | Queen Mother Champion Chase |
| 2024 - Jonbon Cheltenham - 2nd of 5 (1/4) | Clarence House Chase |
| 2023 - Pic DOrhy Ascot - 2nd of 6 (3/1) | Ascot Chase |
| 2022 - Fakir Doudairies Ascot - 1st of 8 (9/4) | Ascot Chase |
| 2021 - Fakir Doudairies Cheltenham - 2nd of 11 (11/2) | Ryanair Chase |
| 2019 - Min Cheltenham - 4th of 9 (7/2) | Queen Mother Champion Chase |
| 2018 - Politologue Cheltenham - 4th of 9 (12/1) | Queen Mother Champion Chase |
| 2017 - Fox Norton Cheltenham - 2nd of 10 (7/1) | Queen Mother Champion Chase |
| 2016 - Gods Own Cheltenham - 4th of 10 (20/1) | Queen Mother Champion Chase |
| 2015 - Don Cossack Cheltenham - 3rd of 14 (5/2) | Ryanair Chase |
Schedule for Thursday at the Aintree Grand National Meeting
The three-day Grand National meeting kicks off on Thursday with four Grade 1 events on the seven-race card which features both the Aintree Hurdle and the Bowl Chase.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:45 Aintree Manifesto Novices Chase | Impaire Et Passe (FR) 7yo - 9/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:20 Aintree Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle | Murcia (FR) 4yo - 11/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:55 Aintree Bowl Chase | Gaelic Warrior (GER) 7yo - 11/4 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
| 15:30 Aintree Aintree Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo - 5/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:05 Aintree Foxhunters Chase | Gracchus De Balme (FR) 9yo - 22/1 | J J O'Shea Mr Huw Edwards |
| 16:40 Aintree Red Rum Handicap Chase | Sans Bruit (FR) 7yo - 5/1 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 17:15 Aintree Nickel Coin Mares Bumper | Seo Linn (IRE) 5yo - 15/8 | P Twomey W J Lee |
Schedule for Friday at the Aintree Grand National Meeting
Day 2 of the Grand National meeting is Ladies Day or Fabulous Friday, the highlights on the track being the Melling Chase plus there is the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:45 Aintree Mildmay Novices Chase | Caldwell Potter (FR) 7yo - 11/4 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 14:20 Aintree National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle | Wellington Arch (GB) 6yo - 14/1 | Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:55 Aintree Top Novices Hurdle | Salvator Mundi (FR) 5yo - 7/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 15:30 Aintree Melling Chase | Jonbon (FR) 9yo - 4/6 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 16:05 Aintree Topham Chase | Gentleman De Mee (FR) 9yo - 14/1 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 16:40 Aintree Sefton Novices Hurdle | Julius Des Pictons (FR) 6yo - 14/1 | Jamie Snowden Gavin Sheehan |
| 17:15 Aintree National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle | Shes A Saint (IRE) 8yo - 25/1 | Dan Skelton Tristan Durrell |
Schedule for Saturday at the Aintree Grand National Meeting
The Grand National is obviously the showpiece of the Aintree meeting and day 3 also includes three Grade 1 events, the feature of those being the Liverpool Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Aintree National Meeting 3m Handicap Hurdle | Deep Cave (IRE) 7yo - 28/1 | Christian Williams Jack Tudor |
| 13:55 Aintree Mersey Novices Hurdle | Honesty Policy (IRE) 5yo - 5/1 | Gordon Elliott Mark Walsh |
| 14:30 Aintree Freebooter Handicap Chase | Cruz Control (FR) 8yo - 10/1 | Tom Lacey Stan Sheppard |
| 15:05 Aintree Liverpool Hurdle | Hiddenvalley Lake (IRE) 8yo - 12/1 | Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe |
| 16:00 Aintree Grand National | Nick Rockett (IRE) 8yo - 33/1 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
| 17:00 Aintree Maghull Novices Chase | Kalif Du Berlais (FR) 5yo - 15/8 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 17:35 Aintree Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race | Green Splendour (GB) 5yo - 100/30 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Melling Chase Preview are at hand, Andy and James. 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.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
