You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2027 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, but they don't always win, though!
Royal Hunt Cup Information:
We also have a dedicated Royal Ascot tips page that will cover this race, as well as all the other races on the day. See which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards. 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 2026
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 2027 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. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2027 Royal Hunt Cup.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Invisible Man, trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori, who set the fastest winning time in the Royal Hunt Cup. That runner won the race in a time of 1:37.16 in 2010. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer M Halford and jockey James Doyle with Portage who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 1:43.01 in the 2016 renewal.
Royal Hunt Cup Past Winners
Here are the Royal Hunt Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the race year, the winning horse, and the horse's age & weight. Also detailed is the stall from which the horse came 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 1:39.24 | Rogue Diplomat (IRE) 4yo 9-0 (33 of 28) 28/1 | Harry Davies James Owen (GB) |
| 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) |
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 527 runners
- IRE: 2 winners with an additional 0 placings from 32 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 3 runners
- NOR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- SAF: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- USA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- QA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2026 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 (0-21), Andrew Balding (0-20), Richard Hannon (0-20), Richard Fahey (0-14), William Haggas (0-11) and David Simcock (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 | 15-2-4 | +4.00 | +9.63 |
| Charles Hills | 11-2-4 | +17.50 | +12.94 |
| Jamie Osborne | 16-1-4 | +5.00 | +9.50 |
| Roger Varian | 14-1-3 | -10.00 | -5.86 |
| 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 |
| M Halford | 4-1-1 | +7.00 | +3.25 |
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 twice, with those two winners coming from Belgian Bill (2013) and Portage (2016). Multiple jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Royal Hunt Cup; Jamie Spencer (0-18), Daniel Tudhope (0-13) and Pat Dobbs (0-12) have all failed to produce a single winner despite having multiple rides in the race.
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 | 14-2-4 | +31.00 | +22.01 |
| Ryan Moore | 19-1-7 | -10.00 | -0.61 |
| William Buick | 19-1-2 | -10.50 | -11.87 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 15-1-3 | -11.00 | -3.86 |
| Jim Crowley | 12-1-2 | +9.00 | +3.25 |
| Oisin Murphy | 11-1-1 | -4.50 | -6.56 |
| Adam Kirby | 9-1-1 | +12.00 | +4.50 |
| James McDonald | 6-1-1 | +1.50 | -0.94 |
| Harry Davies | 3-1-2 | +26.00 | +21.00 |
| Rossa Ryan | 3-1-2 | +20.00 | +13.31 |
2027 Royal Hunt Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 13, 5, 1, 21, 2, 8, (12, 18, 22), 8, 9, 22, 15, 8, (5, 19), 11, 2, 20, 10, (1, 17), 1, 20
The percentage shown is the proportion 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 (70%) - Fewer than 5 placings (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (70%) - No bigger than 33/1
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Ran in 2 - 20 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Within the first 20 of the market
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Had 3 - 11 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 20/1 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Fewer than 13 races (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Had 1 - 10 placings (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Carried no more than 131lbs
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Not on HY/GS/FM/SLW/STD-SLW/STD-FS/FS (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Fewer than 4 placings (Going)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Highest Placed is not G1/G3/Cl4-5
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Highest Run is not G3
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Fewer than 3 wins (Class)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Carried 123 - 137lbs (LTO)
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
2027 Royal Hunt Cup Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2027 renewal of the Royal Hunt Cup will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually 48 hours before the race.
Royal Hunt Cup Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +103.00, 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 0-82.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2026: Winner in 33 (23,8,32) [28 Runners]
- 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]
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 male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 554 runners, while 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:
- Kingman (0 Wins from 18 runners)
- Pivotal (0 Wins from 16 runners)
- Medicean (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Kodiac (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Siyouni (0 Wins from 8 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 use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2027 Royal Hunt Cup.
Route to the Royal Hunt Cup
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Royal Hunt Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Rogue Diplomat Longchamp - 7th of 8 (77/10) | Prix de Montretout |
| 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 |
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 III 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 | Ten Bob Tony (IRE) 5yo - 50/1 | Ed Walker Kieran Shoemark |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Coventry Stakes | Great Barrier Reef (IRE) 2yo - 6/1 | A P O'Brien Wayne Lordan |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot King Charles III Stakes | Mission Central (IRE) 3yo - 14/1 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot St James's Palace Stakes | Bow Echo (IRE) 3yo - 5/6 | George Boughey Billy Loughnane |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Ascot Stakes | Kizlyar (IRE) 4yo - 25/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien J M Sheridan |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Wolferton Stakes | Map Of Stars (GB) 5yo - 13/2 | F-H Graffard James McDonald |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Copper Horse Stakes | Daiquiri Bay (GB) 4yo - 6/1 | Alan King Rossa Ryan |
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 | Victorious (IRE) 2yo - 100/30 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Queen's Vase | Limestone (IRE) 3yo - 100/30 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Dylan Browne McMonagle |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Duke of Cambridge Stakes | Blue Bolt (IRE) 4yo - 5/2 | Andrew Balding Colin Keane |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's Stakes | Ombudsman (IRE) 5yo - 11/10 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Royal Hunt Cup | Rogue Diplomat (IRE) 4yo - 28/1 | James Owen Harry Davies |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Kensington Palace Stakes | Alobayyah (GB) 4yo - 11/4 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Windsor Castle Stakes | King Of Cloughan (IRE) 2yo - 33/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Billy Loughnane |
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 Chesham Stakes | Nola Soul (USA) 2yo - 11/2 | J A Stack Seamie Heffernan |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot King George V Stakes | Enceladus (IRE) 3yo - 7/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Ribblesdale Stakes | Earth Shot (IRE) 3yo - 4/1 | William Haggas James Doyle |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Ascot Gold Cup | Scandinavia (USA) 4yo - 11/8 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Britannia Stakes | Moonfall (IRE) 3yo - 13/2 | George Boughey Zac Lloyd |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Hampton Court Stakes | Generic (IRE) 3yo - 18/1 | Andrew Balding James Doyle |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Buckingham Palace Stakes | Mezcala (GB) 4yo - 9/2 | Jack Channon Tom Marquand |
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 | Libertango (IRE) 2yo - 6/1 | George Boughey Billy Loughnane |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Commonwealth Cup | Venetian Sun (IRE) 3yo - 11/8 | K R Burke Clifford Lee |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Duke of Edinburgh Stakes | Opportunity (GB) 4yo - 6/1 | William Haggas James McDonald |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes | Precise (IRE) 3yo - 8/13 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Sandringham Stakes | Green Carrera (GB) 3yo - 8/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Mickael Barzalona |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot King Edward VII Stakes | Causeway (IRE) 3yo - 1/1 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes | Bacio (USA) 3yo - 3/1 | Wesley A Ward Juan J Hernandez |
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 £1 million.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 Royal Ascot Norfolk Stakes | Orthodox (GB) 2yo - 9/2 | Clive Cox Rossa Ryan |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Hardwicke Stakes | Giavellotto (IRE) 7yo - 9/1 | Marco Botti Oisin Murphy |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes | Almeraq (GB) 4yo - 25/1 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Jersey Stakes | Thesecretadversary (IRE) 3yo - 20/1 | J A Stack Seamie Heffernan |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Wokingham Stakes | Double Rush (IRE) 4yo - 5/1 | Andrew Balding Shane Foley |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Golden Gates Stakes | Lost Boys (IRE) 3yo - 2/1 | David Menuisier James McDonald |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Queen Alexandra Stakes | Illinois (IRE) 5yo - 7/4 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Royal Hunt Cup Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for Flat racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal Races at Ascot Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Ascot racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in January
Races in February
Races in May
Races in July
- Ascot Heritage Handicap Sprint
- International Stakes Heritage Handicap
- King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
- Summer Mile Stakes
Races in August (Shergar Cup)
- Shergar Cup Challenge
- Shergar Cup Classic
- Shergar Cup Dash
- Shergar Cup Mile
- Shergar Cup Sprint
- Shergar Cup Stayers
Races in September
Races in October (Champions Day)
- Balmoral Handicap
- British Champion Stakes
- British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes
- British Champions Long Distance Cup
- British Champions Sprint Stakes
- Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
