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 you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Durham National Preview
Scheduled to take place in April of each year at the Sedgefield racecourse is the Durham National, a race open to runners who are aged four or older, with the race being run over a trip of three miles and five furlongs, in which runners will face a total of twenty-four fences.
The race was upgraded to a Class 2 in 2016 and, having previously been open to runners 5yo+, it was opened up to the younger runners from 2021 onwards.
Newland Leaves His Mark
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Durham National Information:
Our dedicated Sedgefield tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Durham National, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Sedgefield throughout the season, so be sure to head over there.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026 (UKGC Regulated)
How competitive is the Durham National market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2015, when the race had an over-round of 110%. The race in 2008 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 124%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Durham National, the over-round has been 115%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £115 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Durham National 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 Durham National Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Durham National races over the last 20 renewals:
- Burren Moonshine (6:54.50) in 2007
- Simply Smashing (7:02.30) in 2011
- General Hardi (7:05.10) 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 Durham National next time out, then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -0.80. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Burren Moonshine, trained by Peter Bowen and ridden by Tom O'Brien, who set the fastest winning time in the Durham National. That runner won the race in a time of 6:54.50 in 2007. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Donald McCain and jockey Jason Maguire with Chamirey who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 8:35.60 in the 2012 renewal.
Durham National Past Winners
Here are the Durham National 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 Durham National are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 7:18.96 | Ivane (FR) 7yo 10-2 6/1 | Jonathan Burke James Owen (GB) |
| 2024 7:38.10 | Jesuitique (FR) 9yo 10-7 11/2 | Charlie Hammond Dr Richard Newland & Jamie Insole (GB) |
| 2023 7:47.02 | Tommie Beau (IRE) 8yo 11-10 4/1 | James Best Seamus Mullins (GB) |
| 2022 7:22.84 | All About Joe (IRE) 7yo 11-0 7/1 | Alan Doyle (5lbs) Andrew Hamilton (GB) |
| 2021 7:31.59 | Hewick (IRE) 6yo 11-5 3/1F | S Fenelon (7lbs) John Joseph Hanlon (IRE) |
| 2020 7:29.60 | Red Giant (IRE) 9yo 10-1 16/1 | Sean Quinlan Jennie Candlish (GB) |
| 2019 7:56.40 | The Caller (GB) 8yo 10-1 13/2 | Sean Bowen Robert Stephens (GB) |
| 2018 7:26.30 | Brian Boranha (IRE) 7yo 11-6 7/1 | Henry Brooke Peter Niven (GB) |
| 2017 7:31.50 | Audacious Plan (IRE) 8yo 11-0 6/4F | Brian Hughes Dr Richard Newland (GB) |
| 2016 7:20.40 | Buachaill Alainn (IRE) 9yo 10-11 6/1 | Sean Bowen Peter Bowen (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Durham National have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 33 placings from 174 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 1 placing from 7 runners
- IRE: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners
Durham National Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Durham National over the last 20 renewals is Dr Richard Newland, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Royale Knight (2014 & 2015) and Audacious Plan (2017). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Durham National is Peter Bowen (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Durham National 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Richard Newland | 9-3-4 | +8.25 | +4.16 |
| Peter Bowen | 12-2-4 | -1.00 | -2.82 |
| Sue Smith | 18-1-8 | -11.50 | -3.73 |
| Jennie Candlish | 4-1-2 | +13.00 | +7.95 |
| Peter Niven | 4-1-2 | +4.00 | +2.57 |
| Donald McCain | 4-1-1 | +3.50 | +1.06 |
| Philip Kirby | 3-1-1 | +3.50 | +1.30 |
| Seamus Mullins | 3-1-1 | +2.00 | +0.50 |
| Chris Bealby | 2-1-1 | +27.00 | +16.50 |
| Andrew Hamilton | 1-1-1 | +7.00 | +4.20 |
Durham National Jockey Statistics
Two jockeys have led the Durham National over the last 20 renewals, with both Brian Hughes and Sean Bowen winning the race twice. Brian Hughes' winners have been General Hardi (2010) and Audacious Plan (2017). Sean Bowen winners have been with Buachaill Alainn (2016) and The Caller (2019).
Here are some of the top Durham National 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Hughes | 13-2-5 | +1.50 | -0.42 |
| Sean Bowen | 9-2-4 | +5.50 | +3.33 |
| Sean Quinlan | 8-1-3 | +9.00 | +4.79 |
| Henry Brooke | 5-1-1 | +3.00 | +0.38 |
| Charlie Hammond | 4-1-1 | +2.50 | +0.44 |
| Ryan Mania | 3-1-1 | +3.50 | +1.30 |
| James Best | 2-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.50 |
| William Kennedy | 1-1-1 | +10.00 | +6.25 |
| Alan Doyle | 1-1-1 | +7.00 | +4.20 |
| Jonathan Burke | 1-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.75 |
2026 Durham National Trends
Favourites' finishing positions (oldest to latest): (1, PU), (1, PU), PU, 5, 2, 3, PU, 2, 1, 6, 3, 1, 3, 4, 7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 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 (73%) - Off a break of 5 - 48 days
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Ran in 14 - 40 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Ran in 1 - 5 races (90 Days)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Achieved an RPR of 110+ (Going)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Had 4 - 15 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Ran in 1 - 8 races (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Not on HY/GF (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - No more than 2 falls (Career)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Achieved a TS of 69+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran over 2m4½f - 4m½f (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - No bigger than 22/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Fewer than 8 races (Season)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Ran in 2 - 32 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not BB/BR/GR in colour
- 19 / 20 (88%) - Won within last 9 starts
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Sedgefield racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Durham National. 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 Durham National by adding a tip on the race here.
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2026 Durham National Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2026 renewal of the Durham National will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually made 48 hours before the race.
Durham National Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +43.50, is when runners had 0 wins in the past year.
❌ The worst-performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 starts in the past 90 days; when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-39.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Durham National is Chepstow; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Chepstow last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 176 runners, while female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 10 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Durham National:
- Brian Boru (2 Wins)
- Kings Theatre (2 Wins)
- Oscar (2 Wins)
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Durham National; that stallion is Presenting, who has failed to produce a winner from 5 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Surface To Air in 2008, winning for Chris Bealby at odds of 28/1 under the guidance of Tom Messenger. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 5 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Durham National.
Route to the Durham National
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Durham National. These are the races in which the recent winners ran before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Ivane Fontwell - 1st of 8 (2/1) | Summerley Recruitment Handicap Hurdle |
| 2024 - Jesuitique Worcester - 4th of 5 (8/1) | Bob Love King Of The Dirt Novices Chase |
| 2023 - Tommie Beau Newton Abbot - 4th of 7 (6/1) | Weatherbys Handicap Chase |
| 2022 - All About Joe Cartmel - 2nd of 6 (6/1) | Molson Coors Cavendish Cup Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Hewick Gowran Park - 2nd of 8 (9/2) | Good Enuf 2 Eat Caterers At Gowran Park Handicap Hurdle |
| 2020 - Red Giant Perth - 7th of 8 (14/1) | Weatherbys Racing Bank David Whitaker Handicap Chase |
| 2019 - The Caller Newton Abbot - 3rd of 8 (5/1) | Devondale Electrical Handicap Chase |
| 2018 - Brian Boranha Perth - 3rd of 7 (12/1) | Prestige Venues And Events Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Audacious Plan Huntingdon - 1st of 8 (6/4) | 32Red Casino Handicap Hurdle |
| 2016 - Buachaill Alainn Chepstow - 5th of 16 (16/1) | toteexacta Handicap Chase |
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 Durham National 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.
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