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 Thirsk Hunt Cup Preview
Scheduled to take place in May of each year and being the highlight of the flat season at the Thirsk racecourse is the Thirsk Hunt Cup, a Class 2 handicap that is run over a trip of one mile and is open to runners aged four or older.
Thirsk Hunt Cup Information:
If you are interested in other predictions at Thirsk, then head over to the Thirsk tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below.
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How competitive is the Thirsk Hunt Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2010 when the race had an over-round of 120%. The race in 2009 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 133%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Thirsk Hunt Cup, the over-round has been 126%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £126 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Thirsk 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 Thirsk Hunt Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Thirsk Hunt Cup races over the last 20 renewals:
- Minority Report (1:35.97) in 2006
- Flawed Genius (1:36.41) in 2009
- Redarna (1:36.63) in 2022
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 Thirsk Hunt Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 0 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -19.00. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
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 Finn Class from Michael Dods under the guidance of Tom Eaves, won in a time of 1:47.67, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Minority Report, trained by Luca Cumani and ridden by Nicky Mackay set the quickest time of 1:35.97 in the 2006 renewal.
Thirsk Hunt Cup Past Winners
Here are the Thirsk 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 Thirsk Hunt Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: The 2018 renewal was run at the Wetherby Racecourse.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:37.20 | Flight Plan (GB) 5yo 9-9 (9 of 13) 8/1 | Sam James K R Burke (GB) |
| 2024 1:43.74 | Titan Rock (GB) 6yo 8-7 (5 of 14) 12/1 | James Sullivan John & Sean Quinn (GB) |
| 2023 1:43.06 | Northern Express (IRE) 5yo 9-7 (2 of 15) 11/2 | Callum Rodriguez Michael Dods (GB) |
| 2022 1:36.63 | Redarna (GB) 8yo 8-13 (15 of 15) 66/1 | Paul Mulrennan Dianne Sayer (GB) |
| 2021 1:36.93 | Storting (GB) 5yo 8-11 (7 of 15) 18/1 | Tony Hamilton Mick Channon (GB) |
| 2019 1:37.49 | Hayadh (GB) 6yo 8-12 (10 of 16) 14/1 | Lewis Edmunds Rebecca Bastiman (GB) |
| 2018 1:39.52 | Original Choice (IRE) 4yo 9-1 (15 of 15) 6/1 | Ben Curtis William Haggas (GB) |
| 2017 1:38.87 | Cote DAzur (GB) 4yo 9-1 (17 of 17) 8/1 | P J McDonald Les Eyre (GB) |
| 2016 1:47.67 | Finn Class (IRE) 5yo 8-9 (2 of 15) 16/1 | Tom Eaves Michael Dods (GB) |
| 2015 1:38.47 | Sound Advice (GB) 6yo 8-9 (12 of 18) 13/2 | Phillip Makin Keith Dalgleish (GB) |
Thirsk Hunt Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Thirsk Hunt Cup over the last 20 renewals is Michael Dods, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Osteopathic Remedy (2010), Finn Class (2016) and Northern Express (2023). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Thirsk Hunt Cup are Kevin Ryan (2 wins) and Richard Fahey (2 wins). Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Thirsk Hunt Cup. Tim Easterby has sent a total of 29 runners to the race without recording any wins, whilst David O'Meara has sent out 27 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Thirsk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Dods | 18-3-6 | +14.50 | +11.69 |
| Kevin Ryan | 18-2-6 | -1.50 | -0.38 |
| Richard Fahey | 15-2-5 | -5.00 | -2.91 |
| K R Burke | 8-1-2 | +1.00 | +2.63 |
| David Barron | 8-1-2 | -3.50 | -2.56 |
| Ruth Carr | 7-1-2 | +3.00 | +2.13 |
| Dianne Sayer | 4-1-1 | +63.00 | +38.25 |
| William Haggas | 3-1-1 | +4.00 | +1.75 |
| Rebecca Bastiman | 2-1-2 | +13.00 | +10.75 |
| Les Eyre | 2-1-1 | +7.00 | +4.00 |
Thirsk Hunt Cup Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the Thirsk Hunt Cup over the last 20 renewals, with P J McDonald, James Sullivan, and Nicky Mackay having all won the race two times. P J McDonald winners have been with Osteopathic Remedy (2010) and Cote d'Azur (2017). James Sullivan winners have been with Fort Bastion (2014) and Titan Rock (2024). Nicky Mackay's winners have been with Ballast (2005) and Minority Report (2006). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Thirsk Hunt Cup, David Allan has ridden 15 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Thirsk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| P J McDonald | 10-2-4 | +8.00 | +6.12 |
| James Sullivan | 7-2-4 | +16.00 | +12.63 |
| Nicky Mackay | 3-2-3 | +9.00 | +6.19 |
| Paul Mulrennan | 8-1-1 | +59.00 | +34.25 |
| Tom Eaves | 8-1-3 | +9.00 | +6.25 |
| Sam James | 7-1-1 | +2.00 | -1.00 |
| Tony Hamilton | 5-1-2 | +14.00 | +9.25 |
| Ben Curtis | 3-1-1 | +4.00 | +1.75 |
| Callum Rodriguez | 3-1-1 | +3.50 | +1.44 |
| Neil Callan | 2-1-1 | +7.00 | +4.00 |
2026 Thirsk Hunt Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 3, 1, 3, 2, 3, 13, 10, 1, (1, 3), 12, 2, (5, 11), 3, 5, 4, 2, 9, 2, 9, 7
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 (76%) - Break of 189 - 716 days (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Achieved a TS of 42+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Ran in 2 - 43 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Fewer than 1 wins (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 2 - 16 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Fewer than 1 wins (Season)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Carried 123 - 133lbs (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 64+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Furthest ran 1m - 1m3½f
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Fewer than 41 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran in 1 - 25 races (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Beaten no more -17l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Highest Placed is not G1/LST/Cl5
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not in a Cl2/Cl6 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Highest Won is not G3/LST/Cl5
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Thirsk racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Thirsk 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 Thirsk Hunt Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
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Thirsk Hunt Cup Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +55.75, is when runners were GB-bred.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 1 win in the past 180 days, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-43.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 9 (5,3) [13 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 5 (4,2) [14 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 2 (7,1) [15 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 15 (4,10) [15 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 7 (4,11) [15 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Thirsk Hunt Cup is Newbury; there have been a total of 6 winners of this race who ran at Newbury last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Thirsk; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Thirsk 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 290 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 10 runners.
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Thirsk Hunt Cup despite multiple attempts:
- Invincible Spirit (0 Wins from 10 runners)
- Dark Angel (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Dutch Art (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Danehill Dancer (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Kings Best (0 Wins from 6 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Redarna in 2022, winning for Dianne Sayer at odds of 66/1 under the guidance of Paul Mulrennan. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Thirsk Hunt Cup, head over to see which other runners today are being backed by the best racing tipsters.
Route to the Thirsk Hunt Cup
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Thirsk Hunt Cup, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Flight Plan Thirsk - 4th of 6 (7/2) | British EBF Michael Foster Conditions Stakes |
| 2024 - Titan Rock Newcastle (AW) - 9th of 12 (9/1) | BetMGM: Its Showtime Handicap |
| 2023 - Northern Express Musselburgh - 5th of 11 (7/1) | tote.co.uk Bet£5Get£20 Musselburgh Silver Arrow Handicap |
| 2022 - Redarna Newmarket (Rowley) - 6th of 9 (14/1) | 888Sport Whats Your Thinking Handicap |
| 2021 - Storting Newbury - 6th of 16 (41/1) | Dubai Duty Free Millenium Millionaire Handicap |
| 2019 - Hayadh Musselburgh - 2nd of 10 (11/2) | Silver Arrow Handicap |
| 2018 - Original Choice Doncaster - 10th of 20 (5/1) | Spring Mile |
| 2017 - Cote DAzur Pontefract - 5th of 9 (6/1) | Watch Racing UK On 3 Devices Handicap |
| 2016 - Finn Class Doncaster - 5th of 21 (50/1) | Spring Mile |
| 2015 - Sound Advice Newbury - 7th of 17 (41/1) | Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire Handicap |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Thirsk Hunt Cup Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. 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.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
