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2027 Scottish Champion Hurdle Preview
Scheduled to take place in April of each year at the Ayr racecourse is the Scottish Champion Hurdle, a race that takes place on the same day as the Scottish Grand National. This is a Grade 2, a limited-handicap race open to runners aged 4 or older, run over two miles, during which the runners will face up to a total of nine hurdles.
Scottish Champion Hurdle Information:
- Scottish Champion Hurdle Past Winners
- Scottish Champion Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Scottish Champion Hurdle Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Ayr tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Ayr Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Scottish Champion Hurdle 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 113%. The race in 2008 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 130%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Scottish Champion Hurdle, the over-round has been 120%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £120 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2027 Scottish Champion Hurdle 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 Scottish Champion Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Scottish Champion Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Border Castle (3:34.40) in 2008
- Cheltenian (3:35.30) in 2015
- Noble Alan (3:36.80) in 2009
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 Scottish Champion Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -2.43. Whilst we wait for the 2027 Scottish Champion Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 3:34.40 was set by Border Castle in 2008, trained by Andrew Haynes and ridden by Nick Scholfield, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2026 when Dedicated Hero won in a time of 4:02.53 for trainer Sandy Thomson, who booked Danny McMenamin in the saddle.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Scottish Champion Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Scottish Champion Hurdle past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the race year, the winning horse, and the horse's age & weight. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Scottish Champion Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 4:02.53 | Dedicated Hero (IRE) 7yo 10-6 12/1 | Danny McMenamin Sandy Thomson (GB) |
| 2025 3:51.72 | Cracking Rhapsody (IRE) 6yo 11-5 10/1 | Craig Nichol Ewan Whillans (GB) |
| 2024 3:54.38 | Favour And Fortune (IRE) 6yo 11-2 5/1 | Tom Cannon Alan King (GB) |
| 2023 3:43.04 | Rubaud (FR) 5yo 10-11 7/2F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2022 3:47.07 | Anna Bunina (FR) 6yo 10-4 6/1 | Sean Bowen John C McConnell (IRE) |
| 2021 3:43.80 | Milkwood (IRE) 7yo 11-6 3/1F | Sam Twiston-Davies Neil Mulholland (GB) |
| 2019 3:39.10 | Verdana Blue (IRE) 7yo 11-3 4/1F | Connor Brace (7lbs) Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2018 3:41.50 | Midnight Shadow (GB) 5yo 10-4 25/1 | Danny Cook Sue Smith (GB) |
| 2017 3:43.20 | Chesterfield (IRE) 7yo 10-5 12/1 | Daniel Sansom (7lbs) Seamus Mullins (GB) |
| 2016 3:51.50 | Chtibello (FR) 5yo 11-1 8/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Scottish Champion Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 36 placings from 209 runners
- IRE: 2 winners with an additional 6 placings from 22 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 1 runner
2026 Scottish Champion Hurdle Replay
Scottish Champion Hurdle Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the Scottish Champion Hurdle over the last 20 renewals, with Paul Nicholls, Alan King, and Philip Hobbs having all won the race twice. Paul Nicholls winners have been with Sanctuaire (2011) and Rubaud (2023). Alan King winners have been with Raya Star (2012) and Favour And Fortune (2024). Philip Hobbs winners have been with Noble Request (2006) and Cheltenian (2015).
Here are some of the top Scottish Champion Hurdle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Nicholls | 24-2-8 | -14.00 | -10.79 |
| Alan King | 14-2-3 | +0.50 | -2.12 |
| Philip Hobbs | 10-2-3 | +5.50 | +2.10 |
| Nicky Henderson | 21-1-5 | -16.00 | -12.52 |
| Dan Skelton | 10-1-3 | -1.00 | -2.12 |
| Donald McCain | 9-1-2 | -4.00 | -4.35 |
| Nicky Richards | 7-1-3 | +2.50 | +1.21 |
| John C McConnell | 4-1-3 | +3.00 | +3.05 |
| Evan Williams | 4-1-2 | +1.00 | +0.70 |
| Neil Mulholland | 4-1-1 | +0.00 | -1.20 |
Scottish Champion Hurdle Jockey Statistics
There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Scottish Champion Hurdle; Brian Hughes has ridden 10 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Scottish Champion Hurdle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Skelton | 11-1-3 | -2.00 | -3.12 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 9-1-3 | -5.00 | -2.70 |
| Harry Cobden | 6-1-2 | -1.50 | -2.12 |
| Danny McMenamin | 5-1-2 | +8.00 | +4.20 |
| Sean Bowen | 5-1-1 | +2.00 | -0.40 |
| Adam Wedge | 4-1-2 | +1.00 | +0.70 |
| Nick Scholfield | 3-1-1 | +38.00 | +23.00 |
| Danny Cook | 3-1-1 | +23.00 | +13.63 |
| Daniel Sansom | 2-1-2 | +11.00 | +7.75 |
| Craig Nichol | 2-1-2 | +9.00 | +7.13 |
2027 Scottish Champion Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 9, 2, 2, 5, 1, (1, PU), 6, (2, 4), 3, 2, 5, (3, 15), 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 5, 2, F
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 (76%) - Ran in 2 - 10 races (Further)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Ran in 3 - 7 races (Season)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Ran in 4 - 15 races (Hurdle)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Achieved an RPR of 119+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Ran in 5 - 29 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Achieved a TS of 72+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Had 2 - 13 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Highest Placed is not LST
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved a TS of 105+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - In a field of 6 - 26 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - No bigger than 14/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Dam is not CZE/GER/SAF/USA bred
- 20 / 20 (88%) - No bigger than 28/1 (Career Place)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - No more than +17lbs (Vs Min Weight)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - No bigger than 33/1 (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Ayr racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Scottish Champion Hurdle. 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 Scottish Champion Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Scottish Champion Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +42.83, is when runners ran over 2m when last winning.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a highest class placed of Class 1 (L), when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-34.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Scottish Champion Hurdle is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 7 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Aintree; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Aintree last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 17 winners from a total of 207 runners, while female runners have produced 3 winners from a total of 25 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Scottish Champion Hurdle; that stallion is Montjeu, who has failed to produce a winner from 6 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Border Castle in 2008, winning for Andrew Haynes at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Nick Scholfield. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 5 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2027 Scottish Champion Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Scottish Champion Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Scottish Champion Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Dedicated Hero Kelso - 1st of 6 (7/4) | Lets Get Ladies Day Ready Handicap Hurdle |
| 2025 - Cracking Rhapsody Cheltenham - 7th of 16 (20/1) | County Handicap Hurdle |
| 2024 - Favour And Fortune Cheltenham - 6th of 11 (29/1) | Supreme Novices' Hurdle |
| 2023 - Rubaud Kempton - 1st of 7 (11/4) | Sky Bet Dovecote Novices Hurdle |
| 2022 - Anna Bunina Musselburgh - 3rd of 7 (8/1) | Scottish County Handicap Hurdle |
| 2021 - Milkwood Cheltenham - 3rd of 25 (29/1) | County Handicap Hurdle |
| 2019 - Verdana Blue Cheltenham - 5th of 10 (33/1) | Champion Hurdle |
| 2018 - Midnight Shadow Aintree - 7th of 13 (25/1) | Top Novices' Hurdle |
| 2017 - Chesterfield Aintree - 1st of 19 (8/1) | National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle |
| 2016 - Chtibello Newbury - 3rd of 7 (7/2) | Gerry Feilden Hurdle |
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 Scottish Champion Hurdle Preview are Andy and Darren. 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 National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal races at Ayr Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Ayr racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
