The first big race of the year 2026 at the Newbury Racecourse is called a Super Saturday for a reason. This horse racing fixture is known to bring to the tracks some of the best horses who later go on to become champions at such prestigious events as the Cheltenham Festival.
Equipped to conduct both flat and National Hunt races, Newbury Racecourse stays active throughout the year, hosting both types of events. Among them is one of Great Britain’s 36 annual Group 1 flat races, namely the Lockinge Stakes that takes place in May.
Although records of horse races conducted in Newbury go as far back as 1805, it was only a century later, in 1905, that a racecourse was founded in its current location. Legend has it that trainer John Porter, who proposed the construction of a new racecourse in a favourable location, saw his project come to fruition after a chance encounter with King Edward VII, who gave his support to the idea.
Today, Newbury Racecourse proudly wears the title of one of the most popular racecourses in the country, especially for flat races.
This season, the Newbury Super Saturday fixture is scheduled to take place on 7 February. The William Hill Racing Epic Boosts Novices’ Hurdle Race will open the meeting as its first race, while The William Hill Racing Bet Builder Beacons (A Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race) will close the event.
The William Hill Hurdle Race (Premier Handicap), the featured race of the fixture, will take place in the second half of the day.
Key Dates & Timings
The Newbury Super Saturday 2026 meeting will be conducted in the first week of February and last for one day. This horse racing fixture will include seven races. As many runners and winners of this meeting go on to win races at events like the Cheltenham Festival, it earned the name of Super Saturday, referring to the expertise of its participants.
Day One: Super Saturday
- When: Saturday, 7 February 2026
- Gate opening: 11:00 am
- First race: 1:00 pm
- Headline race: 3:20 pm
- Last race: 4:30 pm
- Afterparty: 4:45 pm
The daily race card for the Newbury Super Saturday 2026 is as follows:
Saturday, 7 February
Going: soft; chase course: soft; hurdle course: soft (heavy in places)
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:00 pm | THE WILLIAM HILL RACING EPIC BOOSTS NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 3) (GBB RACE) (CL 3) | Two miles about half a furlong
(2m 69yds) |
4YO+ £17,000.00 |
| 1:35 pm | THE WILLIAM HILL EACH WAY EXTRA HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 3) (Challenger Stayers’ Hurdle Series Qualifier) (CL 3) | Three miles about half a furlong
(3m 57yds) |
4YO+ £21,000.00 Rating 0-135 |
| 2:10 pm | THE WILLIAM HILL DENMAN STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about seven and a half furlongs
(2m 7f 91yds) |
5YO+ £90,000.00 |
| 2:45 pm | THE WILLIAM HILL GAME SPIRIT STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about half a furlong
(2m 92yds) |
5YO+ £90,000.00 |
| 3:20 pm | THE WILLIAM HILL HURDLE RACE (HANDICAP) (CLASS 1) (PREMIER HANDICAP) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about half a furlong
(2m 69yds) |
4YO+ £155,000.00 |
| 3:55 pm | THE WILLIAM HILL CHELTENHAM NON-RUNNER MONEY BACK NOVICES’ LIMITED HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 3) (GBB RACE) (CL 3) | Two miles about seven and a half furlongs
(2m 7f 91yds) |
5YO+ £26,000.00 |
| 4:30 pm | THE WILLIAM HILL RACING BET BUILDER BEACONS (A STANDARD OPEN NATIONAL HUNT FLAT RACE) (CLASS 1) (Listed Race) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about half a furlong
(2m 69yds) |
4-6YO £25,000.00 |
Headline Races at Newbury Super Saturday 2026
The Newbury Super Saturday 2026 meeting includes 7 races conducted during one day of the event. The offered variety of conditions, tracks, and most importantly, race participants guarantees that any and every horse racing enthusiast who attends the Newbury Racecourse on 7 February will have something to cater to their tastes and interests and celebrate the excitement of the day.
The William Hill Hurdle Race (Saturday, 7 February)
The William Hill Hurdle Race is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged four years or older. It is run over the distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong (2 miles and 69 yards, or 3,282 metres) and includes eight hurdles to be jumped.
The featured race of the event, William Hill Hurdle is a modern day race that was established in 1963. Surprisingly, its history doesn’t start with the Newbury Racecourse, as its inaugural race was held at Aintree. Back then it was also known as the Schweppes Gold Trophy for sponsorship reasons. Chestnut thoroughbred stallion Rosyth won the first and second runs. Both times he was led by jockey Josh Gifford and trained by Ryan Price.
Both Josh Gifford and Ryan Price would go on to win two more races as a jockey/trainer duo: in 1966 with Le Vermontois and in 1967 with Hill House. In 1990, Josh Gifford would also win another race with Deep Sensation, but this time as the trainer, having jockey Richard Rowe in the saddle.
Currently, there are 29 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:
- Alexei (age 6, trainer Joe Tizzard)
- Live Conti (age 5, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Knickerbockerglory (age 10, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Tutti Quanti (age 6, jockey Harry Cobden, trainer Paul Nicholls)
- Williethebuilder (age 7, trainer Christian Williams)
- Go Dante (age 10, trainer Olly Murphy)
- Bucephalus (age 9, trainer Neil Mulholland)
- Faivoir (age 11, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Helnwein (age 8, trainer Alan King)
- Serious Challenge (age 6, jockey Jonathan Burke, trainer Fergal O’Brien)
- Wellington Arch (age 7, trainer Jonjo and A J O’Neill)
- Lanesborough (age 7, trainer Ben Pauling)
- Un Sens A La Vie (age 6, trainer Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies)
- Bubble Dubi (age 9, trainer Stuart Edmunds)
- Spectacularsunrise (age 6, trainer Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies)
- All In You (age 6, trainer Warren Greatrex)
- Milldam (age 8, trainer Jamie Snowden)
- Trustintimes (age 5, trainer Harry Fry)
- Wreckless Eric (age 6, trainer Jonjo and A J O’Neill)
- Goodwin (age 8, trainer Chris Gordon)
- Hot Fuss (age 5, trainer Tom Dascombe)
- Let It Rain (age 7, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Mondo Man (age 5, trainer Gary and Josh Moore)
- Mr Mcloughlan (age 6, trainer Jack Jones)
- The Hardest Geezer (age 7, trainer Philip Hobbs & Johnson White)
- Dance And Glance (age 6, jockey Rex Dingle, trainer Anthony Honeyball)
- Poet Laureate (age 6, trainer Chris Gordon)
- King William Rufus (age 9, trainer Chris Gordon)
- Across Earth (age 5, trainer Gary and Josh Moore)
Game Spirit Steeple Chase (Saturday, 7 February)
The William Hill Game Spirit Steeple Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeple chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over the distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong (2 miles and 92 yards, or 3,308 metres) and includes thirteen fences to be cleared.
Named after Game Spirit, the race was established in 1953. It owes its name to a successful race horse owned by Queen Mother, whose last race was at the Newbury Racecourse in 1977. The Game Spirit Chase was granted its Grade 2 status in 1992.
Bay gelding Altior holds the most number of wins in The Game Spirit Steeple Chase with 3 wins (2017, 2018, 2020). Trained by the famed Nicky Henderson, all three times Altior was led by an equally famed jockey Nico de Boinville.
Ruby Walsh holds the same title among jockeys, having won the race 4 times (Azertyuiop 2004, 2005, Master Minded 2008, 2010). The crown of the most successful trainer of The Game Spirit Steeple Chase belongs to Paul Nicholls whose charges won the race 7 times (Flagship Uberalles 2000, Kadarann 2003, Azertyuiop 2004, 2005, Master Minded 2008, 2010, Mr Mole 2015).
The latest winner of the race in 2025 is the 8 year old bay gelding Master Chewy led by jockey Sam Twiston-Davies and trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies.
Currently, there are 9 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:
- Brookie (age 9, jockey Ben Godfrey, trainer Anthoby Honeyball)
- Calico (age 10, jockey Harry Skelton, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Libberty Hunter (age 10, trainer Evan Williams)
- Lulamba (age 5, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- Martator (age 9, jockey Charlie Deutsch, trainer Venetia Williams)
- Master Chewy (age 9, trainer Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies)
- Meetmebythesea (age 6, trainer Ben Pauling)
- Saint Segal (age 8, jockey Ciaran Gethings, trainer Jane Williams)
- Steel Ally (age 8, trainer Sam Thomas)
The William Hill Denman Steeple Chase (Saturday, 7 February)
The William Hill Denman Steeple Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeple chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over the distance of about 2 miles and 7 ½ furlongs (2 miles 7 furlongs and 86 yards, or 4,706 metres) and includes eighteen fences to be cleared.
The Denman Steeple Chase has only been around for 26 years, being established in 2000. Last year it ran its quarter of the century anniversary race. The name it was established under was Aon Chase after the first sponsor. When the sponsorship changed in 2012, it was renamed in honour of chestnut gelding Denman who had achieved multiple prominent wins throughout his career, a 2008 win at the Aon Chase among them.
The Denman Steeple Chase first got its Listed status two years after inauguration, in 2002. A year later, in 2003, it was promoted to Grade 2. Since the day of its establishment, the only time the race wasn’t conducted was in 2006, while the 2009 race was first abandoned due to weather conditions and then rescheduled to take place at Kempton Park.
Chestnut gelding Native River holds 3 wins at the Denman Steeple Chase (2017, 2018, 2020). This is the highest number of wins any horse has achieved at this race. While continuously trained under Colin Tizzard, Native River ran with a different jockey each time: Aidan Coleman, Richard Johnson, and Jonjo O’Neill Jr in chronological order.
The title of the leading jockey belongs to Richard Johnson with 4 wins (Shooting Light 2004, Farmer Jack 2005, Coneygree 2015, Native River 2018), while Paul Nicholls is the undisputed most successful trainer of the race, having raised as many as ten Denman Steeple Chase winners (See More Business 2000, Shotgun Willy 2001, Valley Henry 2003, Kauto Star 2007, Denman 2008, Tricky Trickster 2010, Noland 2011, Silvianaco Conti 2013, Clan Des Obeaux 2019, Secret Investor 2021).
The latest winner of the race in 2025 is the 7 year old bay gelding Djelo led by jockey Charlie Deutsch and trained by Venetia Williams.
Currently, there are 6 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:
- Haiti Couleurs (age 9, jockey Sean Bowen, trainer Rebecca Curtis)
- Jango Baie (age 7, jockey Nico de Boinville, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- Leave Of Absence (age 9, jockey Rex Dingle, trainer Anthony Honeyball)
- L’homme Presse (age 11, jockey Charlie Deutsch, trainer Venetia Williams)
- Master Chewy (age 9, trainer Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies)
- Riskintheground (age 9, trainer Dan Skelton)
Betting at Newbury Super Saturday
Newbury Racecourse keeps up with the long standing tradition and gives every horse racing enthusiast and sports bettor an opportunity to participate in betting on various betting markets for its races.
If you wish to place a bet on any of the races taking place during this horse racing fixture, you can do so at the bookmaker facilities available at the venue or use online bookmaker platforms.
To make sure you are practicing responsible gambling, always make informed decisions before you place a bet. Check out trustworthy sources to study the runners’ physical condition, their past performances, and general tendencies of the horse racing market. If you are attending the meeting, try to take a good look at the horses in the Parade Ring before the race.
At 7bet, we offer a wide range of horse race betting markets both for domestic and international events.
Please note that odds for the Newbury Super Saturday 2026 will be available closer to the event date.
Betting at the Newbury Super Saturday 2026 includes various horse betting markets, with some of the most popular ones being:
- Win: This betting market is deemed the most straightforward one for a good reason. It is directly tied to the main principle of any sports event, i.e. determining the outcome of the competition. For this very reason this bet is very popular among seasoned bettors, and due to its simple mechanism it is often recommended for newbie punters as their starting point in the world of horse betting. When placing a wager on this betting market, you are trying to predict the horse that will come to the finish line before all its rivals in the race. If your prediction happens to be correct, your wager will be eligible for a payout proportional to the offered odds and your stake size.
- Place: While this betting market operates under a mechanism quite similar to the first one, its main objective takes a different route. Placing a wager on this betting market means that instead of trying to predict the absolute winner of the race, you are nominating a horse to come to the finish line within the winning top. This is called “placement” in horse racing, and this is where the betting market got its name. The winning top may vary from top two to top four depending on the total number of horses at the start line. The number of winning places will be defined before the start of the race. This betting market is considered slightly lower risk compared to the previous one because it offers more opportunities both for the horse you selected and for you as a punter. Your advantage here is that you don’t have to predict the exact place the horse will take in the winning top, because any placement will work in your favour.
- First Two (or First Three): What if you want to try and predict the entire winning top rather than one horse? This market is made just for that. You can place your wager on the first two or first three horses (this will depend on the total number of the runners) to finish the race. But instead of betting on each horse separately, you make one total bet. This is where the major risk of this betting market lies. There are two factors that will affect the outcome of your wager: first, all the horses you name in your bet have to finish the race in the winning top, and second, they need to do so in the exact order you specified. If either of them lags behind or they come to the finish line in a different order, your wager will be lost.
- Two From Three: While this betting market has a mechanism quite similar to the previous one, it offers somewhat lower risks. Your main objective here is to predict any two out of the first three horses to come to the finish line. Unlike the previous bet, you don’t need to name their exact placement. As long as they both are in the winning top, regardless of the exact place, your wager qualifies for a payout, and this is what makes it comparatively low risk. The only thing that will cause you to lose your wager is if one of them misses the winning top and comes to the finish line later.
Always remember to gamble responsibly and treat betting as a form of entertainment and not means for financial gain.
William Hill Hurdle Past Winners
Running annually since 1963, with a few exceptions when the race was cancelled or abandoned due to weather conditions, the tracks of the William Hill Hurdle have seen some truly magnificent horses, gifted jockeys, and seasoned trainers go for the win. The horses who won the William Hill Hurdle in the past 6 years since 2020 were the following:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2020 | Pic D’Orhy | 5 | Harry Cobden | Paul Nicholls |
| 2021 | Soaring Glory | 6 | Jonjo O’Neill Jr | Jonjo O’Neill |
| 2022 | Glory and Fortune | 7 | Stan Sheppard | Tom Lacey |
| 2023 | Aucunrisque | 7 | Nick Scholfield | Chris Gordon |
| 2024 | Iberico Lord | 6 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
| 2025 | Joyeuse | 6 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
For the 6 year old grey mare Joyeuse it was her second race season when she won the William Hurdle Race. It was also her best performance of the year.
From the very start, it was obvious that trainer Nicky Henderson’s charge meant business despite being one of the lesser experienced participants of the race. Approaching the final hurdle, Joyeuse was level with Secret Squirrel. But after jumping, the latter, unfortunately, fell. Joyeuse took advantage and came to the finish line first with an impressive eight lengths difference from runner-up Lump Sum.
Jockey Nico de Boinville, who led Joyeuse in the race, bagged his second win at the William Hurdle Race after the previous year’s win with Iberico Lord. Nicky Henderson cemented his title of the most successful William Hurdle Race trainer with his seventh win.
This year Joyeuse has run one race at Ascot BetMGM Warfield Mares’ Hurdle and came fourth. So far, she hasn’t been announced to participate in this year’s William Hurdle Race.
William Hill Hurdle Records
According to the William Hill Hurdle rules, horses of both genders can participate in the race once they reach the age of four. As there is no upper age limit, any horse can enter to run the race multiple times and potentially win the trophy more than once.
The most successful runners, jockeys, and trainers to win the William Hill Hurdle multiple times were as follows:
- Leading horse: Rosyth (1963, 1964) and Geos (2000, 2004), each with 2 wins
- Leading jockey: Josh Gifford with 4 wins (Rosyth 1963, 1964, Le Vermontois 1966, Hill House 1967)
- Leading trainer: Nicky Henderson with 7 wins (Sharpical 1998, Geos 2000, 2004, Landing Light 2001, My Tent Or Yours 2013, Iberico Lord 2024, Joyeuse 2025)
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org