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 Molyneux Hurdle Preview
Scheduled for November at Aintree Racecourse each year, the Molyneux Hurdle is a Grade 2 race run over a trip just shy of two miles and one furlong, in which runners aged four or older face nine hurdles.
Established in 1992 and originally staged at Cheltenham, it moved to Wincanton in 1994, and between 1998 & 2017, the race was a limited handicap; because of the different race types, approach the trends with caution.
In 2026, the BHA announced that the race would be switched to Aintree and would be run on the same day as the Becher Chase. It would carry the new name of the Molyneux Hurdle, having previously been known as the Elite Hurdle.
Winning Form Is Key
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Molyneux Hurdle Information:
If you are looking at Aintree picks then you may be interested in the Grand National tips as this is the course showpiece race of the season, forty runners over the national fences is a favourite among racing fans. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Aintree Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026 (UKGC Regulated)
How competitive is the Molyneux 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 105%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 118%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Molyneux Hurdle, the over-round has been 112%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £112 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Molyneux 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 Molyneux Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Molyneux Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Knappers Hill (3:25.26) in 2022
- Sceau Royal (3:25.30) in 2016
- Nearby (3:25.80) 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 Molyneux Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 20 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -12.89. Ahead of the 2026 Molyneux Hurdle, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 3:25.26 was set by Knappers Hill in 2022, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Harry Cobden, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2008 when Chomba Womba won in a time of 3:56.78 for trainer Nicky Henderson, who booked Barry Geraghty in the saddle.
Molyneux Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Molyneux 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 Molyneux Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 3:32.34 | Rubaud (FR) 7yo 11-8 1/8F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2024 3:30.90 | Rubaud (FR) 6yo 11-8 11/10F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2023 3:41.30 | Rubaud (FR) 5yo 11-8 1/2F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2022 3:25.26 | Knappers Hill (IRE) 6yo 11-2 11/8F | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2021 3:29.50 | Sceau Royal (FR) 9yo 11-6 4/5F | Daryl Jacob Alan King (GB) |
| 2020 3:30.30 | Sceau Royal (FR) 8yo 11-0 4/5F | Daryl Jacob Alan King (GB) |
| 2019 3:36.70 | Fusil Raffles (FR) 4yo 11-3 4/7F | Daryl Jacob Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2018 3:31.70 | Verdana Blue (IRE) 6yo 10-11 5/2 | Jeremiah McGrath Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2017 3:49.20 | London Prize (GB) 6yo 10-9 4/1 | Tom O'Brien Ian Williams (GB) |
| 2016 3:25.30 | Sceau Royal (FR) 4yo 11-10 4/6F | Daryl Jacob Alan King (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Molyneux Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 20 placings from 120 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 4 runners
2025 Elite Hurdle Replay
Molyneux Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Molyneux Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Paul Nicholls, who has won the race eight times, with those eight winners coming from Celestial Halo (2009 & 2011), Zarkandar (2012), Irving (2015), Knappers Hill (2022) and Rubaud (2023, 2024 & 2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Molyneux Hurdle are Alan King (3 wins), Nicky Henderson (3 wins) and John Quinn (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Molyneux 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 | 25-8-15 | -1.18 | -3.68 |
| Alan King | 9-3-3 | -3.73 | -3.58 |
| Nicky Henderson | 8-3-4 | +0.82 | -0.55 |
| John Quinn | 4-2-2 | +6.50 | +3.21 |
| Philip Hobbs | 3-1-1 | +3.50 | +1.30 |
| Jeremy Scott | 3-1-2 | +2.50 | +1.86 |
| Ian Williams | 1-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.50 |
| Dan Skelton | 5-0-2 | -5.00 | -0.30 |
| Harry Fry | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | -2.29 |
| Fergal O'Brien | 3-0-2 | -3.00 | +2.75 |
Molyneux Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Molyneux Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Harry Cobden, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Knappers Hill (2022) and Rubaud (2023, 2024 & 2025). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Molyneux Hurdle are Nick Scholfield (2 wins) and Dougie Costello (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Molyneux 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 Cobden | 8-4-5 | -0.89 | -3.16 |
| Nick Scholfield | 5-2-4 | +6.00 | +8.29 |
| Dougie Costello | 4-2-2 | +6.50 | +3.21 |
| Jeremiah McGrath | 1-1-1 | +2.50 | +1.56 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -3.19 |
| Harry Skelton | 3-0-2 | -3.00 | -0.30 |
| Bryony Frost | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Tristan Durrell | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | +0.00 |
| Nico de Boinville | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | -1.19 |
| Thomas Garner | 1-0-1 | -1.00 | +0.38 |
2026 Molyneux Hurdle Trends
Favourites' finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 3, 2, (1, 3), 9, F, 2, 2, F, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 1, (1, 2), 1, 1, 1
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 (64%) - Not in a Cl3-5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Had 1 - 4 wins (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Achieved a TS of 111+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Had 4 - 13 placings (Hurdle)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - No bigger than 16/1
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Highest Won is not Cl3-4
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Achieved an RPR of 133+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Achieved a TS of 117+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Had 4 - 23 placings (Further)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 50/1 (Career)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Not BB/BL/BR/GR in colour
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Break of 14 - 272 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Carried 135 - 165lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 20/1 (Career Place)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Furthest Placed 2m½f - 2m5f
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Aintree racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Molyneux 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 Molyneux Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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2026 Molyneux Hurdle Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2026 renewal of the Molyneux Hurdle will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually made 48 hours before the race.
Molyneux Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +14.03, is when runners had a biggest odds run of 16/1.
❌ The worst-performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 wins in the past year; when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-28.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Molyneux Hurdle is Kempton; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Kempton last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Aintree; there have been a total of 4 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 18 winners from a total of 118 runners, while female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 6 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Molyneux Hurdle:
- Air Chief Marshal (3 Wins)
- Doctor Dino (3 Wins)
- Galileo (2 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Purple Bay in 2014, winning for John Ferguson at odds of 16/1 under the guidance of Mikey Ennis. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 9 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.
Route to the Molyneux Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Molyneux Hurdle. These are the races in which the recent winners ran before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Rubaud Kempton - 1st of 4 (10/11) | CopyBet Hurdle |
| 2024 - Rubaud Kempton - 1st of 8 (9/4) | TrustATrader Approved And Reviewed Trades People Hurdle |
| 2023 - Rubaud Kempton - 1st of 5 (2/1) | Trustatrader Approved And Reviewed Trades People Hurdle |
| 2022 - Knappers Hill Chepstow - 1st of 10 (16/5) | Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle |
| 2021 - Sceau Royal Kempton - 1st of 4 (7/4) | Unibet 3 Uniboosts A Day Hurdle |
| 2020 - Sceau Royal Ffos Las - 1st of 12 (10/1) | Welsh Champion Hurdle |
| 2019 - Fusil Raffles Punchestown - 1st of 5 (13/8) | Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle |
| 2018 - Verdana Blue Kempton - 1st of 6 (8/13) | Matchbook VIP Hurdle |
| 2017 - London Prize Newmarket (Rowley) - 2nd of 34 (16/1) | Cesarewitch Handicap |
| 2016 - Sceau Royal Cheltenham - 1st of 6 (9/2) | Masterson Holdings 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 Molyneux 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.
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