A deep and competitive field of 22 has assembled for the 2026 McCoy Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, and once again, the race registered as the 2026 Fred Winter looks like one that will test nerve as much as judgement.
With final declarations confirmed and the going currently good to soft on the Old course, punters face a typically tricky mix of improvers, ex-Flat horses, and lightly raced Irish contenders.
As this is a handicapped race, the weights are headed by Bertutea on 11st 12lb, setting a high bar for the rest of the field and underlining how compressed this handicap has become in recent years.
Below him, there is a dense cluster between 11st 10lb and 11st 4lb, where many of the more interesting contenders sit, including Winston Junior, Manlaga, Saratoga as well as a raft of Irish-trained runners.
Irish yards again hold a strong numerical and qualitative hand, with Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Joseph O’Brien, Gavin Cromwell, and Jessica Harrington all represented.
British hopes rest with established Festival operators such as Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, alongside upwardly mobile yards like Richard Bandey and Ben Pauling.
Notably, several runners come here after winning or running well in competitive Irish juvenile contests and British handicaps, suggesting this renewal has depth rather than one or two standouts.
The presence of two reserves, Munsif and Lord, further reflects how popular this race has become with connections seeking a realistic Festival target for second-tier Triumph types.
2026 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Odds
*Odds from Betfred correct at time of publication.
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winston Junior | Jack Kennedy | Faye Bramley | 11/2 |
| Manlaga | N de Boinville | N J Henderson | 11/2 |
| Glen To Glen | J J Slevin | J P O’Brien | 6/1 |
| Saratoga | Mark Walsh | P Roche | 8/1 |
| Mustang Du Breuil | James Bowen | N J Henderson | 8/1 |
| Ammes | S Bowen | James Owen | 8/1 |
| Madness D’elle | Danny Mullins | W P Mullins | 16/1 |
| The Mighty Celt | Harry Skelton | D Skelton | 16/1 |
| Pourquoi Pas Papa | H Cobden | P F Nicholls | 16/1 |
| Harwa | Sean Flanagan | P Nolan | 18/1 |
| Hardy Stuff | Sam Ewing | G Elliott | 18/1 |
| Quinta Do Lago | Donagh Meyler | Mrs J Harrington | 18/1 |
| Ole Ole | Keith Donoghue | G P Cromwell | 20/1 |
| Bibe Mus | Sam Twiston-Davies | P F Nicholls | 20/1 |
| Barbizon | Josh Williamson | G Elliott | 22/1 |
| Dignam | R Deegan | J P O’Brien | 25/1 |
| Mino Des Mottes | Brian Hayes | W P Mullins | 33/1 |
| Klycot | Harry Bannister | R Bandey | 40/1 |
| Bertutea | Sean O’Keeffe | W P Mullins | 66/1 |
| Macktoad | Caoilin Quinn | G & J Moore | 66/1 |
| Paddockwood | Ben Jones | B Pauling | 80/1 |
| Bandjo | Finn Lambert | G Nicholls | 100/1 |
What The Trends Tell Us
Recent trends for the Fred Winter suggest a few recurring themes that help frame the 2026 line-up.
Eight of the last ten winners carried between 11st and 11st 9lb, which puts a large chunk of this field firmly in the historical sweet spot.
Winning ratings have been creeping up, with the likes of Band Of Outlaws, Aramax, and Brazil scoring from marks in the high 130s or mid-130s, compared with low-120s earlier in the race’s history.
Most recent winners had already scored over hurdles and had at least three runs in the book, and they generally arrived with solid, progressive form rather than a single outlier performance.
Irish-trained runners have dominated the modern era, taking eight of the last ten renewals, while Mark Walsh and JJ Slevin have built particularly strong records in the saddle.
The market has often been a poor guide at the very top end. Only three favourites have won in the last twenty years, and in the last dozen runnings, just one favourite or joint-favourite has landed the prize.
Big prices are a feature rather than an exception: Jeff Kidder scored at 80/1 in 2021, while other winners at 33/1 underline how this race can punish those who lean too heavily on the front of the market.
The Favourites
Despite that record, there is clear respect for Winston Junior and Saratoga, who sit towards the head of the betting around the 5/1–6/1 mark.
Winston Junior, now with Faye Bramley and partnered by Jack Kennedy, arrives off back-to-back wins and an official rating of 131, ticking the boxes of winning form, improvement, and a racing weight that fits the typical range for recent winners.
Saratoga represents Padraig Roche and Mark Walsh, and he also fits several key trends as a previous hurdles winner off 130 with strong Irish form in the book, though that has yet to translate into a win, though he placed in all three of his hurdle starts.
Manlaga, for Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville, looks like another solid market contender off 130 and with a profile that hints at both ability and room for further progression.
Ammes has attracted support in the lead-up to the Festival, trading in single figures with some firms after compiling a sequence of two wins and a place from three starts.
Is The Winner Further Down The Field?
Looking beyond the obvious, Klycot stands out as a runner who closely mirrors several recent winners.
Rated 127 and carrying 11st 3lb, he fits the typical weight and rating profile, arrives a last-time-out winner over hurdles, and comes from the progressive yard of Richard Bandey, whose runners have often outperformed their prices in competitive handicaps.
Bibe Mus is another with an appealing shape at likely double-figure odds. A Camelot gelding for Paul Nicholls, he has a good hurdling record, meaning he brings both experience and winning form, while still suggesting enough ability to be competitive in a strong renewal.
Pourquoi Pas Papa also demands a second look and is trained by Paul Nicholls, who has won this race twice before.
With an official rating of 128, he is battle-hardened, stays well, and shapes as the type who could be ridden patiently for a late run, a tactic that has paid dividends in some past renewals.
From Ireland, Ole Ole and Quinta Do Lago offer each-way possibilities. Ole Ole’s string of placed efforts hints that he has the temperament and stamina for a slog up the hill, while Quinta Do Lago’s profile as a previous hurdles winner from a shrewd Harrington yard aligns with several historical Irish scorers who arrived just under the radar.
Runners Who Echo Past Winners
Putting trends, form and connections together, a small cluster most closely resemble the template set by recent winners such as Brazil, Jazzy Matty, Lark In The Mornin and Puturhandstogether.
Both Saratoga and Manlaga are rated around 130, are previous hurdles winners, and come from Irish and British powerhouses with strong Festival records, which is very much in line with the modern profile of a Fred Winter winner.
Winston Junior shares the unexposed, improving profile of Band Of Outlaws and Brazil: a smart ex-Flat horse, progressing through handicaps and stepping into the cauldron with a mark in the low 130s.
Klycot, meanwhile, fits the historical pattern of a slightly less heralded winner with a neat weight, solid winning form and a trainer capable of landing a touch in a big-field handicap.
Ammes and Bibe Mus also sit close to the statistical sweet spot as last-time winners or consistently placed juveniles with ratings in the high 120s, representing yards that understand how to ready one for a handicap at this meeting.
None of them are guaranteed to cope with the occasion or the hurly-burly of 22 runners streaming down the hill, but on paper they look the closest matches to what has historically been required to win this race.
As ever with the Fred Winter, confidence should be tempered by the knowledge that chaos is part of the attraction.
Those siding with one of the shorter-priced runners like Winston Junior or Saratoga will be banking on class to overcome the trends, while each-way players may find more comfort attaching themselves to the likes of Klycot, Bibe Mus or Pourquoi Pas Papa at bigger prices in the hope they can thread a path through late and stay on up the hill.
BETFRED
