Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 20 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Royal Hunt Cup Preview
The Royal Hunt Cup carries class 2 status and is scheduled to be run on Wednesday, the second day of the Royal Meeting. The handicap race is run over a straight one mile and is open to runners who are three years old or older.
One of the most competitive handicap races of the season, with 20+ runners spread across the track over Ascot's straight mile, it's no surprise that the draw can be a key factor.
Where the likely pacesetters are drawn is equally important in deciphering where the race is likely to unfold, and we will take a look at the pace angle in greater detail when we have the final declarations and confirmed draw on Monday of Royal Ascot week.
There is quite often a notable gamble on a runner which takes place on race day in the Royal Hunt Cup, so keeping an eye on the betting market moves in the build-up may pinpoint this before it gathers pace, they don't always win though!
Royal Hunt Cup Information:
Our dedicated Royal Ascot tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Royal Hunt Cup, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Royal Ascot throughout the season, so be sure to head over there. We cover every race at Royal Ascot, and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday. In addition to those, we also cover numerous races at Ascot during the flat season; you can find links to those here.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Royal Hunt Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2009 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 147%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Royal Hunt Cup, the over-round has been 138%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £138 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Royal Hunt 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 Royal Hunt Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Royal Hunt Cup races over the last 20 renewals:
- Invisible Man (1:37.16) in 2010
- Zhui Feng (1:37.82) in 2017
- Field Of Dream (1:37.88) in 2014
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 Royal Hunt Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -16.12. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Royal Hunt 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 2016 renewal when Portage from M Halford under the guidance of James Doyle, won in a time of 1:43.01, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Invisible Man, trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori set the quickest time of 1:37.16 in the 2010 renewal.
Royal Hunt Cup Past Winners
Here are the Royal Hunt 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. 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 Royal Hunt Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:38.10 | My Cloud (IRE) 4yo 9-1 (32 of 30) 3/1F | Silvestre De Sousa Roger Varian (GB) |
| 2024 1:38.20 | Wild Tiger (GB) 5yo 9-0 (20 of 29) 11/2F | Oisin Murphy Saeed bin Suroor (GB) |
| 2023 1:39.48 | Jimi Hendrix (IRE) 4yo 9-5 (7 of 30) 22/1 | Rossa Ryan Ralph Beckett (GB) |
| 2022 1:39.13 | Dark Shift (GB) 4yo 9-1 (15 of 29) 13/2 | James McDonald Charles Hills (GB) |
| 2021 1:38.04 | Real World (IRE) 4yo 8-6 (4 of 30) 18/1 | Marco Ghiani (3lbs) Saeed bin Suroor (GB) |
| 2020 1:38.32 | Dark Vision (IRE) 4yo 9-1 (11 of 23) 15/2 | William Buick Mark Johnston (GB) |
| 2019 1:42.36 | Afaak (GB) 5yo 9-3 (21 of 28) 20/1 | Jim Crowley Charles Hills (GB) |
| 2018 1:39.42 | Settle For Bay (FR) 4yo 9-1 (22 of 30) 16/1 | W J Lee David Marnane (IRE) |
| 2017 1:37.82 | Zhui Feng (IRE) 4yo 9-0 (26 of 29) 25/1 | Martin Dwyer Amanda Perrett (GB) |
| 2016 1:43.01 | Portage (IRE) 4yo 9-5 (4 of 28) 10/1 | James Doyle M Halford (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Royal Hunt Cup have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 59 placings from 531 runners
- IRE: 2 winners with an additional 0 placings from 31 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 3 runners
- QA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- SAF: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- NOR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- USA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 Royal Hunt Cup Replay
Royal Hunt Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Royal Hunt Cup over the last 20 renewals is Saeed bin Suroor, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Invisible Man (2010), Real World (2021) and Wild Tiger (2024). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Royal Hunt Cup are John Gosden (2 wins) and Charles Hills (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Royal Hunt Cup. David O'Meara (0-20), Andrew Balding (0-20), Richard Hannon (0-18), Richard Fahey (0-14), David Simcock (0-10) and William Haggas (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Royal Hunt 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):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saeed bin Suroor | 12-3-4 | +42.50 | +26.19 |
| John Gosden | 16-2-5 | +3.00 | +10.88 |
| Charles Hills | 11-2-4 | +17.50 | +12.94 |
| Jamie Osborne | 15-1-4 | +6.00 | +10.50 |
| Roger Varian | 13-1-2 | -9.00 | -6.49 |
| George Baker | 9-1-1 | +25.00 | +12.63 |
| Ralph Beckett | 7-1-3 | +16.00 | +12.94 |
| David Marnane | 5-1-1 | +12.00 | +6.00 |
| Tom Tate | 4-1-1 | +13.00 | +7.00 |
| James Fanshawe | 4-1-1 | +11.00 | +5.75 |
Royal Hunt Cup Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Royal Hunt Cup over the last 20 renewals is James Doyle, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from Belgian Bill (2013) and Portage (2016). Two jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Royal Hunt Cup. Daniel Tudhope has ridden 12 runners in the race without recording any wins, whilst Pat Dobbs has ridden 11 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Royal Hunt 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):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Doyle | 13-2-4 | +32.00 | +23.01 |
| Jamie Spencer | 19-1-4 | -4.00 | +4.50 |
| Ryan Moore | 19-1-7 | -10.00 | -0.61 |
| William Buick | 18-1-2 | -9.50 | -10.87 |
| Frankie Dettori | 15-1-2 | +14.00 | +6.50 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 14-1-3 | -10.00 | -2.86 |
| Jim Crowley | 12-1-2 | +9.00 | +3.25 |
| Adam Kirby | 10-1-1 | +11.00 | +3.50 |
| Oisin Murphy | 10-1-1 | -3.50 | -5.56 |
| James McDonald | 6-1-1 | +1.50 | -0.94 |
2026 Royal Hunt Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 13, 13, 5, 1, 21, 2, 8, (12, 18, 22), 8, 9, 22, 15, 8, (5, 19), 11, 2, 20, 10, (1, 17), 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 (69%) - Fewer than 5 placings (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (69%) - No bigger than 33/1
- 20 / 20 (73%) - Ran in 2 - 20 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Had 3 - 11 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Fewer than 13 races (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 20/1 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Had 1 - 10 placings (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Carried no more than 131lbs
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Highest Run is not G3
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Highest Placed is not G1/G3/Cl4-5
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Had 1 - 6 placings (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Fewer than 3 wins (Class)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - In a field of 5 - 15 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Placed within last 5 starts
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved a TS of 49+ (Last Win)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Royal Ascot racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Royal Hunt Cup. 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 Royal Hunt Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Royal Hunt Cup Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +71.00, is when runners were Colts.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a highest class run of Class 1 (G3), when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-84.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 32 (2,1,30) [30 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 20 (19,17,10) [29 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 7 (22,29,21) [30 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 15 (4,16,9) [29 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 4 (27,30,33) [30 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Royal Hunt Cup is Newmarket (Rowley); there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Newmarket (Rowley) last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Newbury; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Newbury 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 556 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 13 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Royal Hunt Cup:
- Dark Angel (2 Wins)
- Oasis Dream (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Royal Hunt Cup despite multiple attempts:
- Pivotal (0 Wins from 17 runners)
- Kingman (0 Wins from 16 runners)
- Medicean (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Dansili (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Kodiac (0 Wins from 7 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Belgian Bill in 2013, winning for George Baker at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of James Doyle. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 3 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 Royal Hunt Cup
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Royal Hunt Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - My Cloud Newbury - 1st of 11 (5/6) | Boylesports Home Of The Early Payout Handicap |
| 2024 - Wild Tiger Goodwood - 1st of 12 (7/4) | William Hill Epic Boost Handicap |
| 2023 - Jimi Hendrix Newmarket (Rowley) - 8th of 17 (4/1) | Suffolk Stakes |
| 2022 - Dark Shift Nottingham - 1st of 6 (3/1) | racingtv.com Handicap |
| 2021 - Real World Meydan - 4th of 15 (13/2) | Riviera By Azizi |
| 2020 - Dark Vision Newcastle (AW) - 2nd of 11 (5/2) | Betway Handicap |
| 2019 - Afaak Newmarket (Rowley) - 25th of 33 (25/1) | Cambridgeshire Handicap |
| 2018 - Settle For Bay Leopardstown - 4th of 16 (16/1) | John R Fitzpatrick Agricultural Contractor Handicap |
| 2017 - Zhui Feng Ascot - 3rd of 24 (25/1) | Victoria Cup |
| 2016 - Portage Curragh - 1st of 6 (7/4) | TRI Equestrian Silver Stakes |
Schedule for Tuesday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
The five-day Royal Ascot meeting kicks off on Tuesday with three Group 1 events on the seven-race card, with the Queen Anne Stakes, King Charles II Stakes and St James's Palace Stakes all part of the British Champions Series.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Queen Anne Stakes | Docklands (GB) 5yo - 14/1 | Harry Eustace Mark Zahra |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Coventry Stakes | Gstaad (GB) 2yo - 7/2 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot King Charles III Stakes | American Affair (GB) 5yo - 11/1 | Jim Goldie Paul Mulrennan |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot St James's Palace Stakes | Field Of Gold (IRE) 3yo - 8/11 | John & Thady Gosden Colin Keane |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Ascot Stakes | Ascending (IRE) 6yo - 20/1 | Henry De Bromhead W J Lee |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Wolferton Stakes | Haatem (IRE) 4yo - 8/1 | Richard Hannon James Doyle |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Copper Horse Stakes | French Master (IRE) 4yo - 5/2 | John & Thady Gosden James Doyle |
Schedule for Wednesday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
The feature race on the second day of Royal Ascot is the Prince of Wales's Stakes, a race which carries a prize fund of £1m and is part of the British Champions Series.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Queen Mary Stakes | True Love (IRE) 2yo - 9/4 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Queen's Vase | Carmers (IRE) 3yo - 9/2 | P Twomey W J Lee |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Duke of Cambridge Stakes | Crimson Advocate (USA) 4yo - 13/2 | John & Thady Gosden James McDonald |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's Stakes | Ombudsman (IRE) 4yo - 7/1 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Royal Hunt Cup | My Cloud (IRE) 4yo - 3/1 | Roger Varian Silvestre De Sousa |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Kensington Palace Stakes | Miss Information (IRE) 4yo - 11/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Windsor Castle Stakes | Havana Hurricane (GB) 2yo - 7/1 | Eve Johnson Houghton Charles Bishop |
Schedule for Thursday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
There are a couple of decent handicaps on the third day of Royal Ascot, the highlight of the day, though, is the Ascot Gold Cup, a Group 1 marathon for the flat runners.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Norfolk Stakes | Charles Darwin (IRE) 2yo - 8/13 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot King George V Stakes | Merchant (IRE) 3yo - 3/1 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Ribblesdale Stakes | Garden Of Eden (IRE) 3yo - 7/1 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Ascot Gold Cup | Trawlerman (IRE) 7yo - 85/40 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Britannia Stakes | Arabian Story (IRE) 3yo - 15/2 | Saeed bin Suroor Oisin Murphy |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Hampton Court Stakes | Trinity College (IRE) 3yo - 5/2 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Buckingham Palace Stakes | Never So Brave (IRE) 4yo - 4/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
Schedule for Friday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
A couple of British Champions Series races on the Friday at Royal Ascot, the Commonwealth Cup over six furlongs and then the Coronation Stakes over just shy of a mile.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Albany Stakes | Venetian Sun (IRE) 2yo - 7/1 | K R Burke Clifford Lee |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Commonwealth Cup | Time For Sandals (IRE) 3yo - 25/1 | Harry Eustace Richard Kingscote |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Duke of Edinburgh Stakes | Ethical Diamond (IRE) 5yo - 3/1 | W P Mullins Ryan Moore |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes | Cercene (IRE) 3yo - 33/1 | Joseph G Murphy Gary Carroll |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Sandringham Stakes | Never Let Go (GB) 3yo - 22/1 | Ed Walker Kieran Shoemark |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot King Edward VII Stakes | Amiloc (GB) 3yo - 11/8 | Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes | Adrestia (GB) 3yo - 10/1 | Simon & Ed Crisford Oisin Murphy |
Schedule for Saturday at the Royal Ascot Meeting
The final day of Royal Ascot is all about the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, a Group 1 race run over six furlongs which is part of the British Champions Series and carries a prize fund of £1m.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Chesham Stakes | Humidity (GB) 2yo - 4/1 | Andrew Balding James Doyle |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Hardwicke Stakes | Rebels Romance (IRE) 7yo - 6/4 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes | Lazzat (FR) 4yo - 9/2 | J Reynier James Doyle |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Jersey Stakes | Noble Champion (IRE) 3yo - 25/1 | Ed Walker Kieran Shoemark |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Wokingham Stakes | Get It (GB) 7yo - 28/1 | George Baker Seamie Heffernan |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Golden Gates Stakes | Quai De Bethune (FR) 3yo - 12/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Queen Alexandra Stakes | Sober (FR) 6yo - 4/5 | W P Mullins Ryan Moore |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Royal Hunt 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 Flat Racing.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
