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2026 Northfields Handicap Preview
Scheduled to take place in September of each year at the Curragh Racecourse is the Northfields Handicap. This Premier Handicap takes place during the Irish Champions Festival, where runners aged three or older contest over a distance of one mile and two furlongs.
Northfields Handicap Information:
- Northfields Handicap Past Winners
- Northfields Handicap Trainer Statistics
- Northfields Handicap Jockey Statistics
We also have a dedicated Curragh 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. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Races Covered during the Irish Champions Festival section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Northfields Handicap market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 12 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2024 when the race had an over-round of 126%. The race in 2016 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 159%, whilst on average over the last 12 renewals of the Northfields Handicap, the over-round has been 137%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £137 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Northfields 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 Northfields Handicap Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Northfields Handicap races over the last 12 renewals:
- Shaool (2:04.28) in 2025
- This Songisforyou (2:06.27) in 2024
- Crystal Black (2:07.39) in 2023
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 12 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Northfields Handicap next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 11 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -1.60. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Northfields Handicap, see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
When looking over the past 12 renewals, a time of 2:04.28 was set by Shaool in 2025, which is the quickest time over that period. The runner was trained by J P Murtagh and ridden by Ben Coen. The slowest winning time was set in 2014 when Assign won in a time of 2:33.85, booked to ride was Colm O'Donoghue by trainer A P O'Brien.
Northfields Handicap Past Winners
Here are the Northfields 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 Northfields Handicap are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 2:04.28 | Shaool (IRE) 4yo 9-0 (15 of 21) 11/2 | Ben Coen J P Murtagh (IRE) |
| 2024 2:06.27 | This Songisforyou (USA) 6yo 9-3 (4 of 14) 9/1 | Colin Keane Emmet Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 2:07.39 | Crystal Black (IRE) 5yo 8-13 (22 of 22) 5/1F | Colin Keane Gerard Keane (IRE) |
| 2022 2:10.16 | Kerkiyra (IRE) 3yo 8-3 (26 of 22) 11/1 | Jamie Powell (7lbs) J P Murtagh (IRE) |
| 2021 2:10.38 | Max Mayhem (GB) 3yo 8-8 (15 of 23) 17/2F | Mikey Sheehy (5lbs) Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2020 2:09.82 | Sonnyboyliston (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (5 of 22) 4/1 | W J Lee J P Murtagh (IRE) |
| 2019 2:09.15 | One Cool Poet (IRE) 7yo 9-3 (13 of 16) 12/1 | W J Lee Matthew J Smith (IRE) |
| 2018 2:10.49 | Hamley (FR) 5yo 8-7 (1 of 19) 12/1 | Ben Coen (7lbs) Peter Fahey (IRE) |
| 2017 2:13.70 | Panstarr (GB) 3yo 8-4 (10 of 13) 8/1 | Rory Cleary J S Bolger (IRE) |
| 2016 2:10.89 | Maudlin Magdalen (IRE) 6yo 8-0 (15 of 25) 25/1 | Sean Davis (7lbs) Donal Kinsella (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Northfields Handicap have been based:
- IRE: 12 winners with an additional 30 placings from 223 runners
- GB: 0 winners with an additional 3 placings from 10 runners
Northfields Handicap Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Northfields Handicap over the last 12 renewals is J P Murtagh, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Sonnyboyliston (2020), Kerkiyra (2022) and Shaool (2025). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 12 renewals in the Northfields Handicap. M Halford (0-16), D K Weld (0-16), Mrs John Harrington (0-13), Adrian McGuinness (0-12) and G M Lyons (0-12) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Northfields Handicap trainer statistics over the last 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| J P Murtagh | 15-3-6 | +8.50 | +7.07 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 15-1-3 | -5.50 | -6.56 |
| J S Bolger | 12-1-2 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| A P O'Brien | 11-1-1 | -4.50 | -6.56 |
| Peter Fahey | 5-1-1 | +8.00 | +3.50 |
| Donal Kinsella | 4-1-2 | +22.00 | +16.26 |
| Matthew J Smith | 4-1-1 | +9.00 | +4.50 |
| Emmet Mullins | 2-1-1 | +8.00 | +4.63 |
| Gerard Keane | 2-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.13 |
| D K Weld | 16-0-3 | -16.00 | -7.74 |
Northfields Handicap Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the Northfields Handicap over the last 12 renewals, with Colin Keane, W J Lee, and Ben Coen having all won the race twice. Colin Keane winners have been with Crystal Black (2023) and This Songisforyou (2024). W J Lee winners have been with One Cool Poet (2019) and Sonnyboyliston (2020). Ben Coen winners have been with Hamley (2018) and Shaool (2025).
Here are some of the top Northfields Handicap jockey statistics over the last 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Keane | 10-2-5 | +6.00 | +5.26 |
| W J Lee | 8-2-2 | +10.00 | +4.00 |
| Ben Coen | 6-2-3 | +13.50 | +9.44 |
| Wayne Lordan | 7-1-2 | +6.00 | +3.75 |
| Rory Cleary | 6-1-1 | +3.00 | +0.00 |
| Sean Davis | 5-1-3 | +21.00 | +15.13 |
| Jamie Powell | 4-1-2 | +8.00 | +5.88 |
| Mikey Sheehy | 2-1-1 | +7.50 | +4.31 |
| Chris Hayes | 9-0-3 | -9.00 | +0.26 |
| Ronan Whelan | 9-0-2 | -9.00 | -5.74 |
2026 Northfields Handicap Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, (11, 17), 18, 2, 9, (2, 4), 13, 1, 9, (1, 5), 10, 3
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.
- 12 / 12 (66%) - No more than +17lbs (Vs Min Weight)
- 12 / 12 (69%) - Carried no more than 129lbs
- 12 / 12 (70%) - Highest Run is not G1-3/Cl4
- 12 / 12 (71%) - No bigger than 7/1 (Last Win)
- 12 / 12 (74%) - Furthest Placed 1m2f - 1m5f
- 12 / 12 (74%) - Highest Placed is not G1-3/LST/Cl4-5
- 12 / 12 (76%) - No bigger than 25/1
- 12 / 12 (76%) - Fewer than 1 races (Class)
- 12 / 12 (77%) - Not in a G1/G3/LST/Cl4-5 (LTO)
- 12 / 12 (77%) - Carried 122 - 138lbs (Last Win)
- 12 / 12 (78%) - No bigger than 14/1 (Career Win)
- 12 / 12 (78%) - Not in a LST/Cl2/Cl5-6 (Debut)
- 12 / 12 (80%) - Achieved an RPR of 87+ (Season)
- 12 / 12 (83%) - Ran in Ireland (Debut)
- 12 / 12 (86%) - Ran in 2 - 8 races (Season)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Curragh racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Northfields 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 Northfields Handicap by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Northfields Handicap Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 6+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +6.50, is when runners had 1 career win at the track.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 4 season starts, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-50.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 15 (2,5,7) [21 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 4 (11,1) [14 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 22 (23,15,12) [22 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 26 (7,1,20) [22 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 15 (14,29,6) [23 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Northfields Handicap is Curragh; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Curragh last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 7 winners from a total of 194 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 5 winners from a total of 39 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Northfields Handicap; that stallion, Fastnet Rock, has produced 2 winners (2018,2015).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Northfields Handicap despite multiple attempts:
- Galileo (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Kodiac (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Camelot (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Dawn Approach (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Holy Roman Emperor (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 12 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Maudlin Magdalen in 2016, winning for Donal Kinsella at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of Sean Davis. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 12 renewals, there have been 2 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Northfields Handicap, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Northfields Handicap
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Northfields Handicap. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Shaool Curragh - 2nd of 9 (5/2) | Neville OByrne Memorial Irish EBF Fillies & Mares Handicap |
| 2024 - This Songisforyou Galway - 3rd of 18 (16/1) | COLM QUINN BMW Mile Handicap |
| 2023 - Crystal Black Curragh - 3rd of 22 (10/3) | Irish Cambridgeshire |
| 2022 - Kerkiyra Curragh - 3rd of 6 (2/1) | Neville OByrne Memorial Irish EBF Fillies & Mares Handicap |
| 2021 - Max Mayhem Naas - 2nd of 7 (10/1) | Donate To The Coast To Curragh Charity Cycle In Honour Of Pat Smullen Race |
| 2020 - Sonnyboyliston Curragh - 1st of 11 (13/8) | Sentinel Ireland Equine Products Handicap |
| 2019 - One Cool Poet Leopardstown - 10th of 17 (12/1) | Petingo Handicap |
| 2018 - Hamley Roscommon - 1st of 13 (7/1) | Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap |
| 2017 - Panstarr Gowran Park - 1st of 10 (7/1) | Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap |
| 2016 - Maudlin Magdalen Dundalk (AW) - 13th of 14 (20/1) | Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund "Red God" Handicap |
Other Principal races during the Irish Champions Festival
Saturday at the Irish Champions Festival
Leopardstown hosts the opening day of the Irish Champions Festival, the highlight of the day being the Irish Champions Stakes, a race dominated by Aidan O'Brien in recent years, with him winning six of the last seven renewals and having won the race a total of thirteen times.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Champions Juvenile Stakes | Benvenuto Cellini (IRE) 2yo - 1/2 | A P O'Brien Christophe Soumillon |
| Solonaway Stakes | Alakazi (FR) 3yo - 7/2 | J P Murtagh Ben Coen |
| Matron Stakes | Fallen Angel (GB) 4yo - 9/4 | K R Burke James Doyle |
| Irish Champion Stakes | Delacroix (IRE) 3yo - 2/1 | A P O'Brien Christophe Soumillon |
| Petingo Handicap | Happy Pharoah (IRE) 3yo - 9/1 | Donnacha Aidan O'Brien Paddy Harnett |
| Sovereign Path Handicap | Rahmi (IRE) 6yo - 14/1 | J P Murtagh Rory Mulligan |
Sunday at the Irish Champions Festival
The Sunday of the Irish Champions Festival is hosted at the Curragh with four Group 1 races, the highlight being the Irish St Leger. Aidan has not been as dominant in this, with just seven wins, two behind both Vincent O'Brien and Dermot Weld.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Bold Lad Sprint Handicap | Tango Flare (IRE) 6yo - 50/1 | Patrick T Foley Luke McAteer |
| Blandford Stakes | Barnavara (IRE) 3yo - 6/1 | Mrs John Harrington Shane Foley |
| Moyglare Stud Stakes | Precise (IRE) 2yo - 11/2 | A P O'Brien Ronan Whelan |
| Flying Five Stakes | Arizona Blaze (GB) 3yo - 11/2 | Adrian Murray David Egan |
| National Stakes | Zavateri (IRE) 2yo - 15/2 | Eve Johnson Houghton Charles Bishop |
| Irish St Leger | Al Riffa (FR) 5yo - 3/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Dylan Browne McMonagle |
| Northfields Handicap | Shaool (IRE) 4yo - 11/2 | J P Murtagh Ben Coen |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Northfields Handicap Preview are Andy and James. 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 Flat Racing.
James Banting
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