🐎 2027 Clipper Handicap: Preview, Tips & Trends

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.

2027 Clipper Handicap Preview

The Clipper Handicap takes place on the second day of the York Ebor Festival in August of each year. The race is open to runners who are aged three or older and is run over a trip just shy of a mile (seven furlongs, one hundred and ninety-two yards).

Four-year-olds and bigger prices

The Clipper Handicap has a clear profile. Four-year-olds are the dominant force, supplying eleven of the last twenty winners, so the younger, progressive handicappers are the ones to favour over the older brigade. Just as important is a willingness to look beyond the head of the market: only three favourites have obliged, just two winners started shorter than 6/1, and prices have reached as high as 40/1. Horses stepping across from the big summer mile handicaps at Goodwood and Ascot fill many of the places, so a four-year-old at a fair price off that kind of run fits the bill ahead of the next renewal.

Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com

We also have a dedicated York tips page that will cover this race, as well as all the other races on the day. See which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at York Racecourse section for links to these.

Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026 (UKGC Regulated)

How competitive is the Clipper Handicap 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 119%. The race in 2023 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 Clipper Handicap, the over-round has been 129%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £129 which is bet.

Below you will find the 2027 Clipper Handicap 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 Clipper Handicap Trend Analysis.

These are the top three quickest-run Clipper Handicap races over the last 20 renewals:

Blue For You (1:34.59) in 2022
Ropey Guest (1:34.87) in 2023
Thunder Run (1:35.90) in 2024

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 Clipper Handicap next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -17.09. Whilst we wait for the 2027 Clipper Handicap, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.

Over the last 20 renewals, it was Blue For You, trained by David O'Meara and ridden by Daniel Tudhope, who set the fastest winning time in the Clipper Handicap. That runner won the race in a time of 1:34.59 in 2022. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Kevin Ryan and jockey Robert Winston with Flaming Spear who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 1:41.27 in the 2017 renewal.

Clipper Handicap Past Winners

Here are the Clipper Handicap 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 Clipper Handicap are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.

Year	Horse (Drawn)	Info
2026 1:40.20	The Lost King (GB) 4yo 9-6 (15 of 14) 7/1	Oisin Murphy Andrew Balding (GB)
2025 1:36.77	Bullet Point (GB) 4yo 9-12 (3 of 17) 15/8F	Tom Marquand William Haggas (GB)
2024 1:35.90	Thunder Run (IRE) 3yo 8-9 (6 of 18) 6/1	David Egan K R Burke (GB)
2023 1:34.87	Ropey Guest (GB) 6yo 9-2 (8 of 19) 40/1	Tom Queally George Margarson (GB)
2022 1:34.59	Blue For You (IRE) 4yo 9-2 (1 of 18) 11/2F	Daniel Tudhope David O'Meara (GB)
2021 1:36.03	Cruyff Turn (GB) 4yo 9-1 (8 of 18) 28/1	David Allan Tim Easterby (GB)
2020 1:37.20	Montatham (GB) 4yo 9-4 (2 of 17) 7/2	Jim Crowley William Haggas (GB)
2019 1:36.14	Whats The Story (GB) 5yo 9-6 (14 of 18) 12/1	Joe Fanning Keith Dalgleish (GB)
2018 1:36.96	Poets Society (GB) 4yo 9-0 (15 of 18) 20/1	Frankie Dettori Mark Johnston (GB)
2017 1:41.27	Flaming Spear (IRE) 5yo 9-2 (4 of 17) 10/1	Robert Winston Kevin Ryan (GB)

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Clipper Handicap have been based:

GB: 20 winners with an additional 58 placings from 355 runners
IRE: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 1 runner

2026 Clipper Handicap Replay

Clipper Handicap Trainer Statistics

There are two leading trainers in the Clipper Handicap over the last 20 renewals, with both David O'Meara and William Haggas, who have both won the race three times. David O'Meara's winners have been with Mont Ras (2013), Firmament (2016) and Blue For You (2022). William Haggas winners have been with Roaring Forte (2009), Montatham (2020) and Bullet Point (2025). Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Clipper Handicap. Richard Fahey has sent a total of 15 runners to the race without recording any wins, whilst Saeed bin Suroor has sent out 11 without a winner.

Here are some of the top Clipper Handicap 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	64-3-14	-22.50	-11.56
William Haggas	17-3-4	-0.62	-4.57
Tim Easterby	9-1-1	+20.00	+9.50
Kevin Ryan	8-1-2	+3.00	+1.50
David Simcock	5-1-2	+8.00	+4.75
K R Burke	5-1-2	+2.00	+1.19
Hugo Palmer	4-1-2	+5.00	+3.75
George Margarson	3-1-2	+38.00	+26.63
Andrew Balding	3-1-2	+5.00	+4.88
Hughie Morrison	2-1-1	+19.00	+11.50

Clipper Handicap Jockey Statistics

The leading jockey in the Clipper Handicap over the last 20 renewals is Daniel Tudhope, who has won the race twice, with those two winners coming from Firmament (2016) and Blue For You (2022). Two jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Clipper Handicap; James Doyle has ridden 10 runners in the race without recording any wins, whilst Silvestre De Sousa has ridden 10 without a winner.

Here are some of the top Clipper Handicap 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
Daniel Tudhope	13-2-6	+2.50	+4.75
Oisin Murphy	9-1-3	-1.00	+0.69
William Buick	9-1-1	-3.00	-4.87
Jamie Spencer	8-1-2	+5.00	+1.75
Tom Queally	7-1-1	+34.00	+19.00
David Allan	6-1-1	+23.00	+12.50
Tom Marquand	6-1-2	-3.12	-2.76
David Egan	3-1-1	+4.00	+1.75
Harry Bentley	2-1-1	+24.00	+14.63
Kerrin McEvoy	2-1-1	+5.00	+2.75

2027 Clipper Handicap Trends

Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 3, 1, 17, 12, 3, 8, 6, 4, 6, 2, (9, 14), (2, 4, 6), 3, 3, (3, 9), 1, (5, 14), 9, 1, 6

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%) - Not on HY/SFT/GS/FM/STD-SLW/STD-FS (Last Win)
20 / 20 (76%) - Furthest Won 7f - 1m½f
20 / 20 (76%) - Highest Placed is not G1/LST/Cl4
20 / 20 (77%) - Fewer than 4 races (Course)
20 / 20 (80%) - Not in a G2-3/LST/Cl4 (Last Win)
20 / 20 (80%) - No older than a 6yo
20 / 20 (81%) - Fewer than 6 placings (Class)
20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 22/1 (LTO)
20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 96+ (Last 3)
20 / 20 (85%) - No more than +3yrs (Vs Min Age)
20 / 20 (85%) - Beaten no more -11l (LTO)
20 / 20 (87%) - Furthest ran 1m - 1m3f
20 / 20 (87%) - Won within last 11 starts
20 / 20 (88%) - Highest Won is not G2-3/Cl4
20 / 20 (88%) - Achieved an RPR of 80+ (LTO)

Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the York racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Clipper Handicap. 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 Clipper Handicap by adding a tip on the race here.

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2027 Clipper Handicap Runners & Shortlist

The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2027 renewal of the Clipper Handicap will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually 48 hours before the race.

Clipper Handicap Trend Analysis

✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +103.88, is when runners had 1 career start over further.

❌ The worst-performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a highest class placed of Class 1 (Listed); when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-69.

Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:

2026: Winner in 15 (10,14) [14 Runners]
2025: Winner in 3 (17,11,5) [17 Runners]
2024: Winner in 6 (8,1,5) [18 Runners]
2023: Winner in 8 (14,10,12) [19 Runners]
2022: Winner in 1 (7,14,11) [18 Runners]

The course which has produced the most winners of the Clipper Handicap is Ascot; there have been a total of 6 winners of this race who ran at Ascot last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Goodwood; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Goodwood last time out.

The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 352 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 4 runners.

Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Clipper Handicap; that stallion, Cape Cross, has produced 3 winners (2016,2014,2009).

These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Clipper Handicap despite multiple attempts:

Dark Angel (0 Wins from 15 runners)
Invincible Spirit (0 Wins from 13 runners)
Dansili (0 Wins from 9 runners)
Dubawi (0 Wins from 8 runners)
Pivotal (0 Wins from 8 runners)

Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Ropey Guest in 2023, winning for George Margarson at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Tom Queally. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 3 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 Clipper Handicap

Many trainers target races as preparation for the Clipper Handicap. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:

Info	Last Race
2026 - The Lost King York - 1st of 13 (3/1)	John Smiths Racing Handicap
2025 - Bullet Point Ascot - 2nd of 17 (5/2)	Betfred Handicap
2024 - Thunder Run Thirsk - 3rd of 10 (4/6)	William Hill Summer Cup Handicap
2023 - Ropey Guest Ascot - 15th of 25 (23/1)	International Stakes Heritage Handicap
2022 - Blue For You Goodwood - 2nd of 18 (15/2)	Golden Mile Handicap
2021 - Cruyff Turn Haydock - 7th of 9 (6/1)	Each Way Extra At bet365 Handicap
2020 - Montatham Sandown - 1st of 9 (6/5)	Coral Challenge
2019 - Whats The Story Goodwood - 11th of 20 (12/1)	Golden Mile Handicap
2018 - Poets Society Chelmsford (AW) - 5th of 9 (3/1)	Bet totequadpot At totesport.com Handicap
2017 - Flaming Spear Ascot - 9th of 27 (9/1)	International Stakes Heritage Handicap

Other Principal races during the York Ebor Festival

Remember to head over to the York predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters support in the Clipper Handicap. Below are the other principal races that we cover during the Ebor Festival, with links to each race blog and information for last year's winners.

Wednesday at the Ebor Festival

The highlight of the opening day of the Ebor Festival is the Juddmonte International, a Group 1 race with a purse of £1.25 million, which is part of the British Champion Series.

Race	Last Winner	Info
13:50 York Ebor HKJC World Pool Handicap	Air Force One (IRE) 5yo - 13/2	Geoff Oldroyd P J McDonald
14:25 York Acomb Stakes	Haffner (USA) 2yo - 11/8	A P O'Brien Ryan Moore
15:00 York Great Voltigeur Stakes	Maltese Cross (FR) 3yo - 9/4	William Haggas Tom Marquand
15:35 York Juddmonte International Stakes	Item (GB) 3yo - 10/1	Andrew Balding Colin Keane
16:10 York Ebor Stayers Heritage Handicap	Small Fry (IRE) 5yo - 2/1	Joseph Patrick O'Brien Dylan Browne McMonagle

Thursday at the Ebor Festival

The fillies and mares take centre stage on Thursday at the festival in the Yorkshire Oaks, another Group 1 which is part of the British Champion Series.

Race	Last Winner	Info
13:50 York Lowther Stakes	Libertango (IRE) 2yo - 3/1	George Boughey Billy Loughnane
14:25 York Harrys Half Million By Goffs	Sun Goddess (IRE) 2yo - 1/1	A P O'Brien Ryan Moore
15:00 York Clipper Handicap	The Lost King (GB) 4yo - 7/1	Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy
15:35 York Yorkshire Oaks	Kalpana (GB) 5yo - 10/11	Andrew Balding Colin Keane
16:10 York Galtres Stakes	Prizeland (GB) 3yo - 11/1	Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy
17:20 York Ebor Fillies Heritage Handicap	Machadadorp (GB) 3yo - 9/1	Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy

Friday at the Ebor Festival

The British Champion Series race for Friday at the Ebor Festival is the 500k Nunthorpe over the sprint distance of five furlongs. The Lonsdale Cup is also part of the British Champion Series on Friday.

Race	Last Winner	Info
13:50 York Ebor Mile Heritage Handicap	Blue Courvoisier (GB) 3yo - 13/2	Clive Cox Rossa Ryan
14:25 York Lonsdale Cup	Al Nayyir (GB) 8yo - 9/1	Tom Clover William Buick
15:00 York Gimcrack Stakes	Arapaho Gold (IRE) 2yo - 2/1	Michael Dods Connor Beasley
15:35 York Nunthorpe Stakes	Bacio (USA) 3yo - 3/1	Wesley A Ward Juan J Hernandez
16:10 York Ebor Middle Distance Heritage Handicap	Plage De Havre (GB) 5yo - 11/2	Andrew Balding P J McDonald

Saturday at the Ebor Festival

The highlight on the final day of the Ebor Festival is the Ebor Handicap itself, a stamina-testing class two handicap which carries a purse of 500k.

Race	Last Winner	Info
13:50 York Strensall Stakes	Archivist (GB) 4yo - 9/1	Hamad Al Jehani Callum Rodriguez
14:25 York Melrose Heritage Handicap	Infraad (IRE) 3yo - 100/30	William Haggas Tom Marquand
15:00 York City of York Stakes	Notable Speech (GB) 5yo - 9/4	Charlie Appleby William Buick
15:35 York Ebor Handicap	Daiquiri Bay (GB) 4yo - 10/1	Alan King Rossa Ryan
16:45 York Roses Stakes	Sale Shark (IRE) 2yo - 17/2	Hugo Palmer Oisin Murphy
17:20 York Ebor Finale Heritage Handicap	Raammee (GB) 4yo - 13/8	Roger Varian Ray Dawson

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 Clipper Handicap 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.

James Banting

Content Editor

James Banting, a passionate horse racing enthusiast and aficionado, brings a wealth of experience to OLBG, having attended numerous race meetings over the years. His background working with the Jockey Association provides him with a unique insider's perspective on the industry.

Andy Powell