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2027 Ascot Challenge Cup Preview
The Ascot Challenge Cup is a valuable Heritage Handicap that is run at Ascot in early October of each year. The race is a Class 2 race, which is open to runners aged three or older, and is contested over seven furlongs.
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Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Ascot Challenge Cup Information:
- Ascot Challenge Cup Past Winners
- Ascot Challenge Cup Trainer Statistics
- Ascot Challenge Cup Jockey Statistics
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Ascot tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Ascot Racecourse section for links to these.
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How competitive is the Ascot Challenge Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2021, 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 139%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Ascot Challenge Cup, the over-round has been 130%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £130 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2027 Ascot Challenge 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 Ascot Challenge Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Ascot Challenge Cup races over the last 20 renewals:
- Advanced (1:25.89) in 2009
- All Ivory (1:26.26) in 2006
- Mezcala (1:26.26) in 2026
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 Ascot Challenge Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -13.50. Before placing your bet on the 2027 Ascot Challenge Cup, see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Advanced, trained by Kevin Ryan and ridden by Amy Ryan, who set the fastest winning time in the Ascot Challenge Cup. That runner won the race in a time of 1:25.89 in 2009. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer David O'Meara and jockey Andrea Atzeni with Escobar who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 1:31.01 in the 2022 renewal.
Ascot Challenge Cup Past Winners
Here are the Ascot Challenge 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 are 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 Ascot Challenge Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 1:26.26 | Mezcala (GB) 4yo 9-4 (16 of 18) 5/1 | George Bass Jack Channon (GB) |
| 2025 1:30.89 | Native Warrior (GB) 4yo 9-5 (9 of 15) 9/4F | Jamie Spencer K R Burke (GB) |
| 2024 1:27.51 | Volterra (IRE) 3yo 9-0 (2 of 18) 11/2 | Shane Gray Kevin Ryan (GB) |
| 2023 1:27.14 | Atrium (GB) 4yo 9-3 (13 of 17) 25/1 | Harry Davies Charlie Fellowes (GB) |
| 2022 1:31.01 | Escobar (IRE) 8yo 9-11 (6 of 17) 20/1 | Andrea Atzeni David O'Meara (GB) |
| 2021 1:29.63 | Aldaary (GB) 3yo 9-4 (2 of 16) 100/30F | Jim Crowley William Haggas (GB) |
| 2019 1:28.54 | Kynren (IRE) 5yo 9-2 (17 of 17) 11/4F | Ben Curtis David Barron (GB) |
| 2018 1:29.33 | Raising Sand (GB) 6yo 8-8 (17 of 15) 5/1 | Nicola Currie (3lbs) Jamie Osborne (GB) |
| 2017 1:30.51 | Accidental Agent (GB) 3yo 9-3 (8 of 18) 16/1 | Charles Bishop Eve Johnson Houghton (GB) |
| 2016 1:28.35 | Librisa Breeze (GB) 4yo 9-9 (16 of 18) 11/2F | Robert Winston Dean Ivory (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Ascot Challenge Cup have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 56 placings from 370 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 3 runners
- NOR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
Ascot Challenge Cup Trainer Statistics
Two trainers have led the Ascot Challenge Cup over the last 20 renewals, with both William Haggas and Kevin Ryan winning the race twice. William Haggas's winners have been Candidato Roy (2007) and Aldaary (2021). Kevin Ryan winners have been with Advanced (2009) and Volterra (2024).
Here are some of the top Ascot Challenge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Haggas | 13-2-4 | +42.33 | +26.33 |
| Kevin Ryan | 10-2-3 | +30.50 | +17.26 |
| David O'Meara | 33-1-10 | -12.00 | +3.19 |
| Richard Fahey | 27-1-2 | -17.00 | -18.99 |
| Andrew Balding | 18-1-3 | -1.00 | -2.31 |
| Eve Johnson Houghton | 10-1-2 | +7.00 | +3.00 |
| Jamie Osborne | 9-1-4 | -3.00 | +0.89 |
| David Barron | 6-1-2 | -2.25 | -1.65 |
| K R Burke | 6-1-2 | -2.75 | -0.59 |
| Michael Bell | 5-1-1 | +8.00 | +3.50 |
Ascot Challenge Cup Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Ascot Challenge Cup over the last 20 renewals is Jamie Spencer, who has won the race twice, with those two winners coming from Buckstay (2015) and Native Warrior (2025).
Here are some of the top Ascot Challenge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Spencer | 10-2-4 | -1.25 | -1.09 |
| Ryan Moore | 6-1-1 | +4.00 | +0.63 |
| Oisin Murphy | 4-1-2 | +13.00 | +9.25 |
| Hayley Turner | 4-1-1 | +9.00 | +4.50 |
| Robert Havlin | 4-1-1 | +3.00 | +0.75 |
| Harry Davies | 3-1-1 | +23.00 | +13.63 |
| Andrea Atzeni | 3-1-1 | +18.00 | +10.50 |
| Charles Bishop | 3-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.00 |
| Nicola Currie | 2-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.13 |
| Shane Gray | 1-1-1 | +5.50 | +3.44 |
2027 Ascot Challenge Cup Trends
Favourites' finishing positions (oldest to latest): 4, 8, 2, 28, 1, 2, 4, 14, 13, 1, 1, 18, 7, 1, 1, 17, 14, 2, 1, 2
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 (78%) - Had 1 - 5 wins (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Had 2 - 6 wins (Career)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Fewer than 3 placings (90 Days)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Not in a G2/Cl3 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - In a field of 7 - 17 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - No bigger than 20/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved a TS of 54+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Highest Run is not G2/Cl3
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Fewer than 2 wins (90 Days)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not in AUS/FRA/DEU/IRL/ITA/SCO/UAE (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not on HY/FM/STD-SLW/STD (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Ran in 2 - 23 races (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Highest Won is not G2-3/Cl5-6
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Ran in 2 - 12 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved a TS of 74+ (Last 3)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Ascot racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Ascot Challenge 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 Ascot Challenge Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
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2027 Ascot Challenge Cup Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2027 renewal of the Ascot Challenge Cup will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually made 48 hours before the race.
Ascot Challenge Cup Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +61.75, is when runners ran on Good ground last time out.
❌ The worst-performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 6 season starts; when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-50.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2026: Winner in 16 (11,7,17) [18 Runners]
- 2025: Winner in 9 (4,6) [15 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 2 (12,6,5) [18 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 13 (11,9,12) [17 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 6 (3,12,13) [17 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Ascot Challenge Cup is Ayr; there have been a total of 7 winners of this race who ran at Ayr last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is York; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at York last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 371 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 3 runners.
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Ascot Challenge Cup despite multiple attempts:
- Cape Cross (0 Wins from 10 runners)
- Pivotal (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Lope De Vega (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Footstepsinthesand (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Bertolini (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Candidato Roy in 2007, winning for William Haggas at odds of 50/1 under the guidance of Johnny Murtagh. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 6 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2027 Ascot Challenge Cup, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Ascot Challenge Cup
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Ascot Challenge Cup. These are the races in which the recent winners ran before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Mezcala Doncaster - 6th of 17 (13/2) | St Leger Festival Mile Handicap |
| 2025 - Native Warrior Ascot - 1st of 20 (10/3) | Schweppes Handicap |
| 2024 - Volterra York - 2nd of 16 (19/2) | Ebor Mile Heritage Handicap |
| 2023 - Atrium Sandown - 6th of 7 (11/4) | Christophe Duchamp Grand Mont Handicap |
| 2022 - Escobar Ayr - 8th of 24 (18/1) | Ayr Gold Cup |
| 2021 - Aldaary York - 7th of 14 (13/2) | Ebor Mile Heritage Handicap |
| 2019 - Kynren Ayr - 2nd of 10 (7/4) | William Hill Foundation:Uniting Against Dementia Handicap |
| 2018 - Raising Sand Newmarket (Rowley) - 8th of 33 (41/1) | Cambridgeshire Handicap |
| 2017 - Accidental Agent Newbury - 2nd of 11 (16/1) | Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Cup Stakes |
| 2016 - Librisa Breeze York - 4th of 10 (9/2) | City of York Stakes |
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 Ascot Challenge 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.
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