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 youâre betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Summer Hurdle Preview
The Summer Hurdle is run at Market Rasen in July of each year. It is a class 2 handicap race run over hurdles that is open to runners aged three years old or older and is run over two half miles and a furlong during which the runners will face a total of eight hurdles.
Summer Hurdle Information:
We also have a dedicated Market Rasen 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.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Summer Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2020 when the race had an over-round of 108%. The race in 2012 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 131%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Summer Hurdle, the over-round has been 125%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £125 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Summer 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 Summer Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Summer Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Pisgah Pike (3:55.17) in 2022
- LInganno Felice (3:55.60) in 2018
- Australia Day (3:57.40) in 2010
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 Summer Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -7.12. Ahead of the 2026 Summer Hurdle, 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 2007 renewal when Kings Quay from John Quinn under the guidance of Dougie Costello, won in a time of 4:17.10, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Pisgah Pike, trained by Jamie Snowden and ridden by Gavin Sheehan set the quickest time of 3:55.17 in the 2022 renewal.
Summer Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Summer Hurdle 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. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Summer Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 4:00.86 | Cavern Club (IRE) 5yo 10-11 8/1 | Gavin Sheehan James Owen (GB) |
| 2024 4:00.00 | Castel Gandolfo (IRE) 7yo 10-13 11/1 | Jonathan Burke Fergal O'Brien (GB) |
| 2023 4:10.21 | Too Friendly (GB) 5yo 11-10 11/2 | Harry Cobden James Owen (GB) |
| 2022 3:55.17 | Pisgah Pike (IRE) 7yo 11-6 22/1 | Gavin Sheehan Jamie Snowden (GB) |
| 2021 4:01.10 | Stonific (IRE) 8yo 10-9 40/1 | Tom Scudamore David O'Meara (GB) |
| 2020 4:00.20 | Red Force One (GB) 5yo 10-12 5/1 | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2019 4:09.40 | Grapevine (IRE) 6yo 9-9 25/1 | Connor Brace (5lbs) Sophie Leech (GB) |
| 2018 3:55.60 | LInganno Felice (FR) 8yo 11-2 8/1 | Ross Chapman (3lbs) Iain Jardine (GB) |
| 2017 4:01.00 | John Constable (IRE) 6yo 11-12 4/1F | Davy Russell Evan Williams (GB) |
| 2016 4:05.70 | Red Tornado (FR) 4yo 10-9 8/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Summer Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 47 placings from 283 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 4 runners
Summer Hurdle Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Summer Hurdle over the last 20 renewals, with both David O'Meara and James Owen, who have both won the race two times. David O'Meara winners have been with Viva Colonia (2011) and Stonific (2021). James Owen winners have been with Too Friendly (2023) and Cavern Club (2025). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Summer Hurdle; David Pipe has sent a total of 18 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Summer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| David O'Meara | 6-2-4 | +50.00 | +34.00 |
| James Owen | 6-2-3 | +9.50 | +6.32 |
| Peter Bowen | 13-1-3 | +21.00 | +12.88 |
| Dr Richard Newland | 13-1-4 | +4.00 | +6.01 |
| Fergal O'Brien | 11-1-6 | +1.00 | +6.09 |
| Dan Skelton | 10-1-5 | -1.00 | +1.24 |
| Evan Williams | 10-1-2 | -5.00 | -5.35 |
| Paul Webber | 6-1-3 | +2.00 | +1.70 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 4-1-1 | +3.50 | +1.06 |
| Paul Nicholls | 4-1-1 | +2.00 | +0.00 |
Summer Hurdle Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the Summer Hurdle over the last 20 renewals, with both Gavin Sheehan and Harry Cobden, who have both won the race two times. Gavin Sheehan winners have been with Pisgah Pike (2022) and Cavern Club (2025). Harry Cobden winners have been with Red Force One (2020) and Too Friendly (2023). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Summer Hurdle; Sam Twiston-Davies has ridden 12 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Summer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Sheehan | 5-2-3 | +27.00 | +17.08 |
| Harry Cobden | 5-2-2 | +7.50 | +3.44 |
| Harry Skelton | 9-1-5 | +0.00 | +2.24 |
| Jonathan Burke | 4-1-1 | +8.00 | +3.88 |
| Connor Brace | 3-1-2 | +23.00 | +15.13 |
| William Kennedy | 2-1-2 | +15.00 | +10.10 |
| Dougie Costello | 2-1-1 | +11.00 | +6.50 |
| Ross Chapman | 1-1-1 | +8.00 | +5.00 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 12-0-2 | -12.00 | -8.99 |
| Brian Hughes | 8-0-1 | -8.00 | -5.00 |
2026 Summer Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 16, 9, 2, (2, 6, 7), 13, 3, 5, (1, 2), 3, 9, (5, 9), 1, 2, (11, 12), 5, 4, 5, 4, 2, 5
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 (78%) - Fewer than 3 wins (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Had 6 - 18 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Ran in 4 - 12 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Carried 128 - 165lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Fewer than 5 wins (Hurdle)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - No bigger than 66/1 (Career)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - No bigger than 16/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 116+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran in 10 - 47 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Carried 123 - 158lbs (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - No more than 1 fall (Career)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Ran in England (LTO)
- 18 / 20 (79%) - No older than a 7yo
- 17 / 20 (64%) - Achieved an RPR of 126+ (Career)
- 17 / 20 (76%) - No bigger than 11/1 (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Market Rasen racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Summer 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 Summer Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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Summer Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +96.50, is when runners had 0 season places.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had recorded 2 career non-finishes, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-47.
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Summer Hurdle are Haydock, Uttoxeter, Newton Abbot, Stratford and Wetherby; there have been a total of 2 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 265 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 22 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Summer Hurdle; that stallion, Montjeu, has produced 2 winners (2017,2007).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Summer Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Danehill Dancer (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Hernando (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Mastercraftsman (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Stonific in 2021, winning for David O'Meara at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Tom Scudamore. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 2 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Summer Hurdle, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today? If you are interested in other races at the Market Rasen racecourse, then why not read our blog for the Summer Plate?
Route to the Summer Hurdle
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Summer Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Cavern Club Chester - 1st of 9 (12/1) | Going Is Good Handicap |
| 2024 - Castel Gandolfo Market Rasen - 3rd of 5 (10/3) | Lincs Loos Handicap Hurdle |
| 2023 - Too Friendly Cartmel - 2nd of 12 (13/2) | Oakmere Homes Handicap Hurdle |
| 2022 - Pisgah Pike Newton Abbot - 7th of 7 (10/1) | Racing Partnership Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Stonific Catterick - 4th of 4 (7/1) | Spindler And Hunter Handicap |
| 2020 - Red Force One Thirsk - 5th of 8 (9/2) | JW 4x4 Northallerton Handicap |
| 2019 - Grapevine Windsor - 3rd of 8 (11/1) | Marathonbet Sportsbook Handicap |
| 2018 - LInganno Felice Uttoxeter - 1st of 7 (4/9) | Remembering Lisa Oldham Novices Hurdle |
| 2017 - John Constable Haydock - 1st of 17 (5/1) | Swinton Handicap Hurdle |
| 2016 - Red Tornado Uttoxeter - 1st of 8 (6/5) | ST14 Construction Novices Hurdle |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Summer Hurdle 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 National Hunt Racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
