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.
2025 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:
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Royal Ascot tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners? 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 2018 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 146%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Royal Hunt Cup, 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 2025 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
- New Seeker (1:37.54) in 2005
- Zhui Feng (1:37.82) in 2017
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 2 winners. Backing all 20 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -4.12. Ahead of the 2025 Royal Hunt Cup, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 (170k) 1:38.20 | Wild Tiger (GB) 5yo 9-0 (20 of 29) 11/2F | Oisin Murphy Saeed bin Suroor (GB) |
| 2023 (170k) 1:39.48 | Jimi Hendrix (IRE) 4yo 9-5 (7 of 30) 22/1 | Rossa Ryan Ralph Beckett (GB) |
| 2022 (170k) 1:39.13 | Dark Shift (GB) 4yo 9-1 (15 of 29) 13/2 | James McDonald Charles Hills (GB) |
| 2021 (120k) 1:38.04 | Real World (IRE) 4yo 8-6 (4 of 30) 18/1 | Marco Ghiani (3lbs) Saeed bin Suroor (GB) |
| 2020 (75k) 1:38.32 | Dark Vision (IRE) 4yo 9-1 (11 of 23) 15/2 | William Buick Mark Johnston (GB) |
| 2019 (170k) 1:42.36 | Afaak (GB) 5yo 9-3 (21 of 28) 20/1 | Jim Crowley Charles Hills (GB) |
| 2018 (170k) 1:39.42 | Settle For Bay (FR) 4yo 9-1 (22 of 30) 16/1 | W J Lee David Marnane (IRE) |
| 2017 (170k) 1:37.82 | Zhui Feng (IRE) 4yo 9-0 (26 of 29) 25/1 | Martin Dwyer Amanda Perrett (GB) |
| 2016 (170k) 1:43.01 | Portage (IRE) 4yo 9-5 (4 of 28) 10/1 | James Doyle M Halford (IRE) |
| 2015 (170k) 1:40.30 | Gm Hopkins (GB) 4yo 9-3 (11 of 30) 8/1 | Ryan Moore John Gosden (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 526 runners
- IRE: 2 winners with an additional 0 placings from 29 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 3 runners
- NOR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- USA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- SAF: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
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. Andrew Balding (0-20), David O'Meara (0-19), Richard Hannon (0-17), Richard Fahey (0-15), Roger Varian (0-12), William Haggas (0-10), David Simcock (0-10) and Sir Michael Stoute (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 | 13-3-4 | +41.50 | +25.19 |
| John Gosden | 17-2-5 | +2.00 | +9.88 |
| Charles Hills | 9-2-4 | +19.50 | +14.94 |
| Jamie Osborne | 13-1-4 | +8.00 | +12.50 |
| George Baker | 9-1-1 | +25.00 | +12.63 |
| Clive Cox | 8-1-1 | +4.00 | -0.12 |
| Ralph Beckett | 6-1-3 | +17.00 | +13.94 |
| James Fanshawe | 6-1-3 | +9.00 | +7.25 |
| Tom Tate | 4-1-1 | +13.00 | +7.00 |
| David Marnane | 4-1-1 | +13.00 | +7.00 |
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). Multiple jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Royal Hunt Cup, Silvestre De Sousa (0-13), Pat Dobbs (0-11) and Daniel Tudhope (0-11) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple rides to 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 | 12-2-4 | +33.00 | +24.01 |
| Jamie Spencer | 19-1-4 | -4.00 | +4.50 |
| Ryan Moore | 19-1-8 | -10.00 | +1.39 |
| William Buick | 17-1-2 | -8.50 | -9.87 |
| Frankie Dettori | 15-1-2 | +14.00 | +6.50 |
| Jim Crowley | 12-1-2 | +9.00 | +3.25 |
| Adam Kirby | 10-1-1 | +11.00 | +3.50 |
| Oisin Murphy | 9-1-1 | -2.50 | -4.56 |
| James McDonald | 5-1-1 | +2.50 | +0.06 |
| W J Lee | 3-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.00 |
2025 Royal Hunt Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): (2, 12), 13, 13, 5, 1, 21, 2, 8, (12, 18, 22), 8, 9, 22, 15, 8, (5, 19), 11, 2, 20, 10, (1, 17)
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 (70%) - No bigger than 33/1
- 20 / 20 (73%) - Ran in 2 - 20 races (Hcps)
- 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 (82%) - Carried no more than 131lbs
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Had 1 - 6 placings (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Fewer than 6 placings (Class)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Placed within last 5 starts
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved a TS of 49+ (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (77%) - Achieved an RPR of 99+ (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (86%) - Held an OR of 94+
- 18 / 20 (68%) - No older than a 5yo
- 18 / 20 (68%) - No more than +1yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 17 / 20 (65%) - No bigger than 40/1 (Career)
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 worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a biggest odds run of 33/1, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-79.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 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]
- 2020: Winner in 11 (5,23,12) [23 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 race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 548 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 12 runners)
- Medicean (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Dansili (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- New Approach (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 2 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2025 Royal Hunt Cup, head over to see which other runners today are being backed by the best 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2015 - Gm Hopkins Newbury - 2nd of 14 (5/2) | Planteur Handicap |
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 | Charyn (IRE) 4yo - 100/30 | Roger Varian Silvestre De Sousa |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Coventry Stakes | Rashabar (IRE) 2yo - 80/1 | Brian Meehan Billy Loughnane |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot King Charles III Stakes | Asfoora (AUS) 5yo - 5/1 | Henry Dwyer Oisin Murphy |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot St James's Palace Stakes | Rosallion (IRE) 3yo - 5/2 | Richard Hannon Sean Levey |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Ascot Stakes | Pledgeofallegiance (IRE) 4yo - 20/1 | Sir Mark Prescott Bt Luke Morris |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Wolferton Stakes | Israr (GB) 5yo - 11/4 | John & Thady Gosden Jim Crowley |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Copper Horse Stakes | Belloccio (FR) 6yo - 4/1 | W P Mullins William Buick |
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 | Leovanni (IRE) 2yo - 22/1 | K R Burke James Doyle |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Queen's Vase | Illinois (IRE) 3yo - 7/4 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Duke of Cambridge Stakes | Running Lion (GB) 4yo - 6/1 | John & Thady Gosden Oisin Murphy |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's Stakes | Auguste Rodin (IRE) 4yo - 13/8 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Royal Hunt Cup | Wild Tiger (GB) 5yo - 11/2 | Saeed bin Suroor Oisin Murphy |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Kensington Palace Stakes | Doha (GB) 4yo - 10/1 | Ralph Beckett Hector Crouch |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Windsor Castle Stakes | Aint Nobody (IRE) 2yo - 5/1 | Kevin Ryan Jamie Spencer |
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 | Shareholder (USA) 2yo - 12/1 | K R Burke James Doyle |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot King George V Stakes | Going The Distance (IRE) 3yo - 9/1 | Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Ribblesdale Stakes | Port Fairy (IRE) 3yo - 12/1 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Ascot Gold Cup | Kyprios (IRE) 6yo - 11/10 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Britannia Stakes | Mickley (IRE) 3yo - 15/2 | Edward Bethell Callum Rodriguez |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Hampton Court Stakes | Jayarebe (FR) 3yo - 7/1 | Brian Meehan Sean Levey |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Buckingham Palace Stakes | English Oak (GB) 4yo - 100/30 | Ed Walker James Doyle |
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 | Fairy Godmother (IRE) 2yo - 15/8 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Commonwealth Cup | Inisherin (GB) 3yo - 9/4 | Kevin Ryan Tom Eaves |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Duke of Edinburgh Stakes | Crystal Black (IRE) 6yo - 11/1 | Gerard Keane Colin Keane |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes | Porta Fortuna (IRE) 3yo - 7/2 | Donnacha Aidan O'Brien Tom Marquand |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Sandringham Stakes | Soprano (IRE) 3yo - 14/1 | George Boughey Billy Loughnane |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot King Edward VII Stakes | Calandagan (IRE) 3yo - 11/2 | F-H Graffard Stephane Pasquier |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes | Pilgrim (GB) 3yo - 18/1 | David & Nicola Barron Joe Fanning |
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 | Bedtime Story (IRE) 2yo - 11/8 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 15:05 Royal Ascot Hardwicke Stakes | Isle Of Jura (GB) 4yo - 16/1 | George Scott Callum Shepherd |
| 15:40 Royal Ascot Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes | Khaadem (IRE) 8yo - 14/1 | Charles Hills Oisin Murphy |
| 16:20 Royal Ascot Jersey Stakes | Haatem (IRE) 3yo - 7/2 | Richard Hannon James Doyle |
| 17:00 Royal Ascot Wokingham Stakes | Unequal Love (GB) 4yo - 12/1 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
| 17:35 Royal Ascot Golden Gates Stakes | Hand Of God (GB) 3yo - 9/4 | Harry Charlton William Buick |
| 18:10 Royal Ascot Queen Alexandra Stakes | Uxmal (IRE) 5yo - 2/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Dylan Browne McMonagle |
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
