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2025 Melrose Heritage Handicap Preview
The Melrose Stakes is a heritage handicap that features on the final day of the York Ebor Festival, which is run in August of each year. The race features on the same day as the Ebor Handicap.
This Class 2 race is open to three-year-old runners only and is run over one mile, five furlongs and one hundred and eighty-eight yards.
Melrose Heritage Handicap Information:
- Melrose Heritage Handicap Past Winners
- Melrose Heritage Handicap Trainer Statistics
- Melrose Heritage Handicap Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated York 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 York Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Melrose Heritage Handicap market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 19 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2006 when the race had an over-round of 114%. The race in 2017 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 133%, whilst on average over the last 19 renewals of the Melrose Heritage Handicap, the over-round has been 125%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £125 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2025 Melrose Heritage Handicap 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 Melrose Heritage Handicap Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Melrose Heritage Handicap races over the last 19 renewals:
- Tawqeet (2:53.82) in 2005
- Ghostwatch (2:53.87) in 2018
- Soulcombe (2:55.85) in 2022
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 19 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Melrose Heritage Handicap next time out, then you would have backed a total of 5 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -3.62. Ahead of the 2025 Melrose Heritage Handicap, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
Over the last 19 renewals, it was Tawqeet, trained by John Dunlop and ridden by Richard Hills, who set the fastest winning time in the Melrose Heritage Handicap. That runner won the race in a time of 2:53.82 in 2005. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer James Given and jockey Jamie Mackay with Trick Or Treat who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 3:03.88 in the 2006 renewal.
Melrose Heritage Handicap Past Winners
Here are the Melrose Heritage Handicap 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. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Melrose Heritage Handicap are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 2:57.85 | Tabletalk (IRE) 3yo 9-3 (4 of 16) 12/1 | Rossa Ryan Tom Clover (GB) |
| 2023 2:56.63 | Middle Earth (GB) 3yo 9-3 (9 of 13) 9/2F | Oisin Murphy John & Thady Gosden (GB) |
| 2022 2:55.85 | Soulcombe (GB) 3yo 8-4 (11 of 13) 3/1F | Hollie Doyle William Haggas (GB) |
| 2021 2:56.50 | Valley Forge (GB) 3yo 8-8 (16 of 22) 10/1 | David Probert Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2020 3:02.77 | Coltrane (IRE) 3yo 8-8 (8 of 14) 12/1 | Oisin Murphy Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2019 2:56.08 | Hamish (GB) 3yo 9-3 (6 of 12) 7/1 | James Doyle William Haggas (GB) |
| 2018 2:53.87 | Ghostwatch (IRE) 3yo 8-13 (1 of 16) 10/1 | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2017 2:57.27 | Secret Advisor (FR) 3yo 9-2 (13 of 19) 5/1F | James Doyle Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2016 2:56.94 | Wall Of Fire (IRE) 3yo 9-6 (4 of 13) 16/1 | William Buick Hugo Palmer (GB) |
| 2015 3:01.84 | Polarisation (GB) 3yo 8-7 (19 of 18) 28/1 | Liam Jones Mark Johnston (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Melrose Heritage Handicap have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 41 placings from 265 runners
- IRE: 1 winner with an additional 6 placings from 17 runners
- HK: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
Melrose Heritage Handicap Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Melrose Heritage Handicap over the last 19 renewals is William Haggas, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Guarantee (2012), Hamish (2019) and Soulcombe (2022). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Melrose Heritage Handicap are Andrew Balding (2 wins) and Charlie Appleby (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 19 renewals in the Melrose Heritage Handicap. Michael Bell (0-13), Sir Michael Stoute (0-13) and Ralph Beckett (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Melrose Heritage Handicap trainer statistics over the last 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Haggas | 13-3-4 | +9.00 | +2.95 |
| Andrew Balding | 19-2-6 | +5.00 | +5.00 |
| Charlie Appleby | 5-2-2 | +12.00 | +6.38 |
| Hughie Morrison | 8-1-2 | +9.00 | +4.13 |
| Hugo Palmer | 4-1-2 | +13.00 | +8.63 |
| John & Thady Gosden | 4-1-1 | +1.50 | -0.19 |
| Tom Clover | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.50 |
| A J Martin | 1-1-1 | +8.00 | +4.80 |
| Michael Bell | 13-0-3 | -13.00 | -3.37 |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 13-0-4 | -13.00 | -8.22 |
Melrose Heritage Handicap Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the Melrose Heritage Handicap over the last 19 renewals, with William Buick, Oisin Murphy, and James Doyle having all won the race two times. William Buick winners have been with Wall Of Fire (2016) and Ghostwatch (2018). Oisin Murphy's winners have been with Coltrane (2020) and Middle Earth (2023). James Doyle winners have been with Secret Advisor (2017) and Hamish (2019). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Melrose Heritage Handicap; Silvestre De Sousa has ridden 10 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Melrose Heritage Handicap jockey statistics over the last 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Buick | 8-2-5 | +20.00 | +17.63 |
| Oisin Murphy | 5-2-3 | +13.50 | +8.56 |
| James Doyle | 5-2-2 | +9.00 | +4.51 |
| David Probert | 8-1-3 | +3.00 | +3.25 |
| Jamie Spencer | 7-1-5 | -2.00 | +3.38 |
| Frankie Dettori | 6-1-2 | +4.00 | +1.50 |
| Hollie Doyle | 4-1-1 | +0.00 | -1.12 |
| Richard Kingscote | 3-1-2 | +14.00 | +11.00 |
| Liam Jones | 2-1-1 | +27.00 | +16.50 |
| Franny Norton | 2-1-2 | +7.00 | +5.50 |
2025 Melrose Heritage Handicap Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 3, 2, 1, (4, 6), (1, 4, 10, 14), 9, 3, 3, 3, 3, 5, 1, 4, 2, 11, 4, 1, (1, 4), 12
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.
- 19 / 19 (80%) - Break of 7 - 73 days (Last Place)
- 19 / 19 (81%) - Break of 7 - 118 days (Last Win)
- 19 / 19 (81%) - Carried 121 - 134lbs (Last Win)
- 19 / 19 (82%) - Furthest ran 1m2f - 1m6f
- 19 / 19 (82%) - Off a break of 7 - 44 days
- 19 / 19 (84%) - No bigger than 20/1 (Career Place)
- 19 / 19 (86%) - No bigger than 28/1
- 19 / 19 (86%) - Had 1 - 6 placings (90 Days)
- 19 / 19 (88%) - In a field of 5 - 16 (LTO)
- 19 / 19 (88%) - Ran in 2 - 9 races (90 Days)
- 19 / 19 (88%) - Had 1 - 4 wins (Season)
- 19 / 19 (89%) - Furthest Won 1m - 1m6f
- 18 / 19 (82%) - Held an OR of 83+
- 18 / 19 (85%) - Placed within last 2 starts
- 18 / 19 (86%) - No more than +18lbs (Vs Min Weight)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the York racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Melrose Heritage Handicap. 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 Melrose Heritage Handicap by adding a tip on the race here.
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Melrose Heritage Handicap Trend Analysis
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 2 career starts in the class, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-48.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2024: Winner in 4 (12,2,13) [16 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 9 (7,4) [13 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 11 (13,8) [13 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 16 (17,14,10) [22 Runners]
- 2020: Winner in 8 (15,1) [14 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Melrose Heritage Handicap is Goodwood; there have been a total of 6 winners of this race who ran at Goodwood last time out. The next best courses, which have produced the second most winners, are Ascot and Newmarket (July); there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 17 winners from a total of 263 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 21 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Melrose Heritage Handicap:
- Dubawi (2 Wins)
- Montjeu (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Melrose Heritage Handicap despite multiple attempts:
- Galileo (0 Wins from 18 runners)
- Sea The Stars (0 Wins from 10 runners)
- Golden Horn (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Hernando (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Australia (0 Wins from 6 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 19 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Polarisation in 2015, winning for Mark Johnston at odds of 28/1 under the guidance of Liam Jones. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 19 renewals, there have been 5 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2025 Melrose Heritage Handicap, head over to see which other runners today are being backed by the best racing tipsters.
Route to the Melrose Heritage Handicap
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Melrose Heritage Handicap. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2024 - Tabletalk Ascot - 3rd of 8 (8/1) | John Guest Racing Handicap |
| 2023 - Middle Earth Newmarket (July) - 1st of 7 (3/1) | British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes |
| 2022 - Soulcombe Goodwood - 4th of 13 (9/2) | Coral Beaten-By-A-Length Free Bet Handicap |
| 2021 - Valley Forge Ffos Las - 1st of 5 (4/11) | vickers.bet Bet 10Get20 Promo Code Ffos Las Maiden Stakes |
| 2020 - Coltrane Newmarket (July) - DSQ of 6 (8/15) | Read Andrew Balding On Betway Insider Handicap |
| 2019 - Hamish Newbury - 3rd of 11 (4/7) | Kennet Centre Novice Stakes |
| 2018 - Ghostwatch Sandown - 2nd of 5 (10/11) | Sri Lanka The Wonder Of Asia Handicap |
| 2017 - Secret Advisor Goodwood - 5th of 14 (5/1) | Better Odds With Matchbook Betting Exchange Handicap |
| 2016 - Wall Of Fire Goodwood - 10th of 12 (20/1) | Qatar Handicap |
| 2015 - Polarisation Ascot - 8th of 10 (4/1) | Shergar Cup Classic |
Other Principal races during the York Ebor Festival
Remember to head over to the York predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters support in the Melrose Heritage Handicap. Below are the other principal races that we cover during the Ebor Festival, with links to each race blog and information for last year's winners.
Wednesday at the Ebor Festival
The highlight of the opening day of the Ebor Festival is the Juddmonte International, a Group 1 race with a purse of £1.25 million, which is part of the British Champion Series.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:50 York Symphony Group Handicap | Jm Jungle (IRE) 4yo - 10/1 | John & Sean Quinn Jason Hart |
| 14:25 York Acomb Stakes | The Lion In Winter (IRE) 2yo - 2/1 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:00 York Great Voltigeur Stakes | Los Angeles (IRE) 3yo - 5/4 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:35 York Juddmonte International Stakes | City Of Troy (USA) 3yo - 5/4 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 16:10 York Ebor Festival Stayers Heritage Handicap | Extensio (IRE) 7yo - 14/1 | P F O'Donnell J M Sheridan |
Thursday at the Ebor Festival
The fillies and mares take centre stage on Thursday at the festival in the Yorkshire Oaks, another Group 1 which is part of the British Champion Series.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:50 York Lowther Stakes | Celandine (GB) 2yo - 13/2 | Ed Walker Tom Marquand |
| 14:25 York Premier Yearling Stakes | Diligently (GB) 2yo - 22/1 | Clive Cox Rossa Ryan |
| 15:00 York Clipper Handicap | Thunder Run (IRE) 3yo - 6/1 | K R Burke David Egan |
| 15:35 York Yorkshire Oaks | Content (IRE) 3yo - 3/1 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 16:10 York Galtres Stakes | Scenic (FR) 4yo - 8/1 | Ed Walker Oisin Murphy |
| 17:20 York Ebor Festival Fillies Heritage Handicap | Alfa Kellenic (GB) 3yo - 17/2 | Craig Lidster Tom Eaves |
Friday at the Ebor Festival
The British Champion Series race for Friday at the Ebor Festival is the 500k Nunthrope over the sprint distance of five furlongs. The Lonsdale Cup is also part of the British Champion Series on Friday.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:50 York Ebor Festival Sky Bet Heritage Handicap | Shadow Dance (GB) 4yo - 6/1 | Roger Varian James Doyle |
| 14:25 York Lonsdale Cup | Vauban (FR) 6yo - 11/2 | W P Mullins William Buick |
| 15:00 York Gimcrack Stakes | Cool Hoof Luke (GB) 2yo - 8/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| 15:35 York Nunthorpe Stakes | Bradsell (GB) 4yo - 3/1 | Archie Watson Hollie Doyle |
| 17:20 York Ebor Festival 3yo Heritage Handicap | Treasure Time (GB) 3yo - 13/2 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
Saturday at the Ebor Festival
The highlight on the final day of the Ebor Festival is the Ebor Handicap itself, a stamina-testing class two handicap which carries a purse of 500k.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:50 York Strensall Stakes | See The Fire (GB) 3yo - 3/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| 14:25 York Melrose Heritage Handicap | Tabletalk (IRE) 3yo - 12/1 | Tom Clover Rossa Ryan |
| 15:00 York City of York Stakes | Breege (GB) 4yo - 33/1 | John & Sean Quinn Colin Keane |
| 15:35 York Ebor Handicap | Magical Zoe (IRE) 6yo - 11/2 | Henry De Bromhead W J Lee |
| 16:45 York Roses Stakes | Tropical Storm (GB) 2yo - 5/2 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| 17:20 York Ebor Festival Finale Heritage Handicap | Sir Busker (IRE) 8yo - 14/1 | William Knight Brandon Wilkie |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Melrose Heritage Handicap 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 Flat Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
