National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Cheltenham Festival)

Explore the rich history of this 3ยพ-mile chase for amateur riders. Analyze trends of past winners, examine key statistics, and gain insights into one of the Festival's oldest races that reward stamina and jumping ability.
National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Cheltenham Festival)
Andy Powell
Andy Powell Content Editor

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 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Preview

Previously staged over 4 miles with 25 fences to be negotiated, the National Hunt Chase underwent a few tweaks for the 2020 renewal after changes were announced in August 2019 by the British Horse Racing Authority on the grounds of welfare standards. The race distance was reduced to just short of 3 miles and 6 furlongs moving forward and the number of fences jumped decreased from 25 to 23.

Dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll won this in 2017, Native River was runner-up in 2016 before going on to Gold Cup glory in 2018 and he chased home Minella Rocco who finished runner in the 2017 Gold Cup. So this extreme distance for fairly unexposed fledgeling chasers is a race worth keeping in those trackers for possible future Grand National tips and Gold Cup pointers.

Gain an edge on the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup by examining our detailed insights into previous race trends and trainer statistics, then check out our list of free bets for Cheltenham.

National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Information:

Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Cheltenham tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? We cover every race at the Cheltenham Festival and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.

Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
ALSO READ

Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025

How competitive is the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2022 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 131%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, the over-round has been 121%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £121 which is bet.

Below you will find the 2026 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup 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 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Trend Analysis.

These are the top three quickest-run National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup over the last 20 renewals:

  1. Stattler (7:37.80) in 2022
  2. Haiti Couleurs (7:54.62) in 2025
  3. Galvin (7:57.84) in 2021

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 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup next time out then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -2.00. Whilst we wait for the 2026 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.

The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2018 renewal when Rathvinden from W P Mullins under the guidance of Mr P W Mullins, won in a time of 8:50.30, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Stattler, trained by W P Mullins and ridden by Mr P W Mullins set the quickest time of 7:37.80 in the 2022 renewal.

What the expert says...
Lots of the winners tend to go on to run in some sort of National next time out, the 2007 winner Butlers Cabin went on to win the Irish Grand National next time out and there have been others going on to place, Another Rum (2005 - 3rd in Scottish National), Old Benny (2008 - 4th in Scottish National) and Gaillard Du Mesnil (2023 - 3rd in Grand National) so winners are worth keeping an eye out for next time out if entered in a national.

Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com

National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Past Winners

Here are the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup 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 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.

YearHorseInfo
2025
7:54.62
Haiti Couleurs (FR)
8yo 11-4 7/2F
Ben Jones
Rebecca Curtis (GB)
2024
8:25.80
Corbetts Cross (IRE)
7yo 11-7 15/8
Mr Derek O'Connor
Emmet Mullins (IRE)
2023
7:59.62
Gaillard Du Mesnil (FR)
7yo 11-7 10/11F
Mr P W Mullins
W P Mullins (IRE)
2022
7:37.80
Stattler (IRE)
7yo 11-6 2/1
Mr P W Mullins
W P Mullins (IRE)
2021
7:57.84
Galvin (IRE)
7yo 11-6 7/2
Jack Kennedy
I R Ferguson (IRE)
2020
8:25.16
Ravenhill (IRE)
10yo 11-6 12/1
Mr J J Codd
Gordon Elliott (IRE)
2019
8:42.32
Le Breuil (FR)
7yo 11-6 14/1
Mr J J Codd
Ben Pauling (GB)
2018
8:50.30
Rathvinden (IRE)
10yo 11-6 9/2
Mr P W Mullins
W P Mullins (IRE)
2017
8:22.50
Tiger Roll (IRE)
7yo 11-6 16/1
Ms L O'Neill
Gordon Elliott (IRE)
2016
8:14.00
Minella Rocco (IRE)
6yo 11-6 8/1
Mr Derek O'Connor
Jonjo O'Neill (GB)

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup have been based:

  • IRE: 10 winners with an additional 18 placings from 100 runners
  • GB: 8 winners with an additional 20 placings from 215 runners
  • FR: 2 winners with an additional 1 placing from 5 runners

National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Trainer Statistics

There are two leading trainers in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup over the last 20 renewals with both W P Mullins and Gordon Elliott who have both won the race four times. W P Mullins winners have been with Back In Focus (2013), Rathvinden (2018), Stattler (2022) and Gaillard Du Mesnil (2023). Gordon Elliott winners have been with Chicago Grey (2011), Cause Of Causes (2015), Tiger Roll (2017) and Ravenhill (2020). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup are Jonjo O'Neill (2 wins), Alan King (2 wins) and Rebecca Curtis (2 wins). Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, David Pipe has sent a total of 13 runners to the race without recording any wins whilst Paul Nicholls has sent out 10 without a winner.

Here are some of the top National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup 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):

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
W P Mullins24-4-8-10.34-11.70
Gordon Elliott18-4-7+27.00+11.73
Jonjo O'Neill12-2-2+31.00+10.50
Alan King10-2-3+9.00+1.80
Rebecca Curtis8-2-2+2.50-1.31
Nigel Twiston-Davies11-1-1+1.00-4.50
Ben Pauling5-1-1+10.00+3.00
Emmet Mullins1-1-1+1.88+1.18
David Pipe13-0-2-13.00-12.00
Paul Nicholls10-0-2-10.00-8.70

National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Jockey Statistics

The leading jockey in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup over the last 20 renewals is Mr P W Mullins who has won the race four times with those four winners coming from Back In Focus (2013), Rathvinden (2018), Stattler (2022) and Gaillard Du Mesnil (2023). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup is Mr Derek O'Connor (3 wins). Two jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, Mr B O'Neill has ridden 13 runners to the race without recording any wins whilst Mr William Biddick has ridden 12 without a winner.

Here are some of the top National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup 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):

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Mr P W Mullins14-4-7-0.34-2.20
Mr Derek O'Connor16-3-8+1.88-1.37
Mr Joshua Newman6-1-1+3.00-0.20
Ms L O'Neill4-1-1+13.00+5.00
Jack Kennedy2-1-2+2.50+3.10
Ben Jones1-1-1+3.50+2.19
Mr B O'Neill13-0-2-13.00-12.00
Mr William Biddick12-0-4-12.00-6.70
Mr D G Lavery4-0-1-4.00-3.50
Mr M J O'Connor3-0-1-3.00-2.50

National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Trend Analysis

✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +14.29 is when runners were aged 7.

❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a furthest trip run of 3m, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-69.

The course which has produced the most winners of the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup is Leopardstown, there has been a total number of 4 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 3 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 304 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 16 runners.

Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, that stallion Oscar has produced 2 winners (2012,2009).

These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup despite multiple attempts:

  • Presenting (0 Wins from 21 runners)
  • Flemensfirth (0 Wins from 15 runners)
  • Beneficial (0 Wins from 9 runners)
  • Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 9 runners)
  • Milan (0 Wins from 8 runners)

Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Hot Weld in 2006, winning for Ferdy Murphy at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of Mr R O Harding. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 5 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 2026 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup.

Route to the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup

Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:

InfoLast Race
2025 - Haiti Couleurs
Newbury - 3rd of 12 (4/1)
William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle
2024 - Corbetts Cross
Fairyhouse - F of 4 (1/4)
Fairyhouse Easter Festival 30th March To 1st April Rated Chase
2023 - Gaillard Du Mesnil
Leopardstown - 3rd of 6 (7/2)
Ladbrokes Novice Chase
2022 - Stattler
Naas - 1st of 7 (11/10)
Naas Racecourse Business Club Novice Chase
2021 - Galvin
Cheltenham - 1st of 6 (2/1)
Matchbook Better Way To Bet Novices Chase
2020 - Ravenhill
Navan - F of 23 (9/1)
Troytown Handicap Chase
2019 - Le Breuil
Haydock - 4th of 5 (3/1)
Patrick Coyne Memorial Altcar Novices Chase
2018 - Rathvinden
Leopardstown - UR of 11 (12/1)
Ladbrokes Novice Chase
2017 - Tiger Roll
Wexford - 3rd of 7 (5/2)
Michael Hickey Memorial Chase
2016 - Minella Rocco
Ascot - 2nd of 6 (12/1)
Sodexo Reynoldstown Novices Chase

Schedule for Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival

Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle, the feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:20 Cheltenham
Supreme Novices Hurdle
Kopek Des Bordes (FR)
5yo - 4/6
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
14:00 Cheltenham
Arkle Challenge Trophy
Jango Baie (FR)
6yo - 5/1
Nicky Henderson
Nico de Boinville
14:40 Cheltenham
Ultima Handicap Chase
Myretown (IRE)
8yo - 13/2
Lucinda Russell
Patrick Wadge
15:20 Cheltenham
Close Brothers Mares Hurdle
Lossiemouth (FR)
6yo - 4/6
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
16:00 Cheltenham
Champion Hurdle
Golden Ace (GB)
7yo - 25/1
Jeremy Scott
Lorcan Williams
16:40 Cheltenham
Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Puturhandstogether (IRE)
4yo - 17/2
Joseph Patrick O'Brien
Mark Walsh
17:20 Cheltenham
National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup
Haiti Couleurs (FR)
8yo - 7/2
Rebecca Curtis
Ben Jones

Schedule for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival

The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it and some don't!

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:20 Cheltenham
Turners Novices Hurdle
The New Lion (GB)
6yo - 3/1
Dan Skelton
Harry Skelton
14:00 Cheltenham
Brown Advisory Novices Chase
Lecky Watson (IRE)
7yo - 20/1
W P Mullins
Sean O'Keeffe
14:40 Cheltenham
Coral Cup
Jimmy Du Seuil (FR)
6yo - 16/1
W P Mullins
Danny Mullins
15:20 Cheltenham
Cross Country Chase
Stumptown (IRE)
8yo - 5/2
Gavin Cromwell
Keith Donoghue
16:00 Cheltenham
Queen Mother Champion Chase
Marine Nationale (IRE)
8yo - 5/1
Barry Connell
Sean Flanagan
16:40 Cheltenham
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual
Jazzy Matty (FR)
6yo - 15/2
Cian Collins
Danny Gilligan
17:20 Cheltenham
Champion Bumper
Bambino Fever (IRE)
5yo - 4/1
W P Mullins
Miss J Townend

Schedule for Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival

Halfway through the festival and onto day three where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last best up the Cheltenham hill.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:20 Cheltenham
Mares Novices Hurdle
Air Of Entitlement (IRE)
6yo - 16/1
Henry De Bromhead
Rachael Blackmore
14:00 Cheltenham
Novices Limited Handicap Chase
Caldwell Potter (FR)
7yo - 7/1
Paul Nicholls
Harry Cobden
14:40 Cheltenham
Pertemps Network Final
Doddiethegreat (IRE)
9yo - 25/1
Nicky Henderson
Brian Hughes
15:20 Cheltenham
Ryanair Chase
Fact To File (FR)
8yo - 6/4
W P Mullins
Mark Walsh
16:00 Cheltenham
Stayers Hurdle
Bob Olinger (IRE)
10yo - 8/1
Henry De Bromhead
Rachael Blackmore
16:40 Cheltenham
Festival Plate
Jagwar (FR)
6yo - 3/1
Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero
Jonjo O'Neill Jr
17:20 Cheltenham
Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
Daily Present (IRE)
8yo - 12/1
Paul Nolan
Mr B T Stone

Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival

The final day of the festival and feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:20 Cheltenham
Triumph Hurdle
Poniros (GB)
4yo - 100/1
W P Mullins
Jonjo O'Neill Jr
14:00 Cheltenham
County Handicap Hurdle
Kargese (FR)
5yo - 3/1
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
14:40 Cheltenham
Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase
Dinoblue (FR)
8yo - 6/4
W P Mullins
Mark Walsh
15:20 Cheltenham
Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle
Jasmin De Vaux (FR)
6yo - 6/1
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
16:00 Cheltenham
Cheltenham Gold Cup
Inothewayurthinkin (IRE)
7yo - 15/2
Gavin Cromwell
Mark Walsh
16:40 Cheltenham
Festival Hunters Chase
Wonderwall (IRE)
9yo - 28/1
S Curling
Mr R James
17:20 Cheltenham
Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
Wodhooh (FR)
5yo - 9/2
Gordon Elliott
Danny Gilligan

Article Contributor Information

We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup 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

James Banting

Tipster Competition Assistant

James Banting, a passionate horse racing enthusiast and aficionado, brings a wealth of experience to OLBG, having attended numerous race meetings over the years. His background working with the Jockey Club provides him with a unique insider's perspective on the industry.
Andy Powell

Andy Powell

Content Editor

Andy, a seasoned horse racing expert with over 15 years of experience, possesses a comprehensive understanding of the sport, from delving into complex statistical data for jump racing in the UK and Ireland to crafting insightful national hunt racing blogs for OLBG.

No Comments

There are no comments here. Be the first to comment...

Please login or register to reply to this news article
KEEP READING
Burradon Stakes Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (AWC Finals Day)

Burradon Stakes Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (AWC Finals Day)

Dive into the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle Racecourse, a Listed mile race for three-year-olds. Explore past winners, trends, and insights into top-performing trainers and jockeys in this exciting event on the all-weather racing calendar.
Continue Reading
All-Weather Sprint Championships Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (AWC Finals Day)

All-Weather Sprint Championships Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (AWC Finals Day)

Analyze the speed, tactics, and trends behind past All-Weather Sprint Championships winners. Discover which strategies have repeatedly led to victory in one of Newcastleโ€™s fastest and most thrilling races.
Continue Reading
All-Weather Mile Championships Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (AWC Finals Day)

All-Weather Mile Championships Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (AWC Finals Day)

Take a deep dive into the key stats and historical winners of the All-Weather Mile Championships. Learn which traits consistently shine through and how trends have shaped this testing race over the years.
Continue Reading