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2026 Melrose Heritage Handicap Preview
The Melrose Stakes is a heritage handicap that features on the final day of the York Ebor Festival, which is run in August of each year. The race features on the same day as the Ebor Handicap.
This Class 2 race is open to three-year-old runners only and is run over one mile, five furlongs and one hundred and eighty-eight yards.
Melrose Heritage Handicap Information:
- Melrose Heritage Handicap Past Winners
- Melrose Heritage Handicap Trainer Statistics
- Melrose Heritage Handicap Jockey Statistics
If you are interested in other predictions at York, then head over to the York tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. 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
How competitive is the Melrose Heritage Handicap market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 19 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2006, when the race had an over-round of 114%. The race in 2017 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 133%, whilst on average over the last 19 renewals of the Melrose Heritage Handicap, the over-round has been 125%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £125 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Melrose Heritage 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 Melrose Heritage Handicap Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Melrose Heritage Handicap races over the last 19 renewals:
- Ghostwatch (2:53.87) in 2018
- Soulcombe (2:55.85) in 2022
- Hamish (2:56.08) in 2019
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 19 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Melrose Heritage Handicap next time out, then you would have backed a total of 5 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -3.62. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Melrose Heritage Handicap.
Over the last 19 renewals, it was Ghostwatch, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, who set the fastest winning time in the Melrose Heritage Handicap. That runner won the race in a time of 2:53.87 in 2018. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer James Given and jockey Jamie Mackay with Trick Or Treat who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 3:03.88 in the 2006 renewal.
Melrose Heritage Handicap Past Winners
Here are the Melrose Heritage 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 Melrose Heritage Handicap are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 2:59.71 | Tarriance (GB) 3yo 9-9 (12 of 12) 5/1 | Colin Keane Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2024 2:57.85 | Tabletalk (IRE) 3yo 9-3 (4 of 16) 12/1 | Rossa Ryan Tom Clover (GB) |
| 2023 2:56.63 | Middle Earth (GB) 3yo 9-3 (9 of 13) 9/2F | Oisin Murphy John & Thady Gosden (GB) |
| 2022 2:55.85 | Soulcombe (GB) 3yo 8-4 (11 of 13) 3/1F | Hollie Doyle William Haggas (GB) |
| 2021 2:56.50 | Valley Forge (GB) 3yo 8-8 (16 of 22) 10/1 | David Probert Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2020 3:02.77 | Coltrane (IRE) 3yo 8-8 (8 of 14) 12/1 | Oisin Murphy Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2019 2:56.08 | Hamish (GB) 3yo 9-3 (6 of 12) 7/1 | James Doyle William Haggas (GB) |
| 2018 2:53.87 | Ghostwatch (IRE) 3yo 8-13 (1 of 16) 10/1 | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2017 2:57.27 | Secret Advisor (FR) 3yo 9-2 (13 of 19) 5/1F | James Doyle Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2016 2:56.94 | Wall Of Fire (IRE) 3yo 9-6 (4 of 13) 16/1 | William Buick Hugo Palmer (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Melrose Heritage Handicap have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 41 placings from 267 runners
- IRE: 1 winner with an additional 6 placings from 17 runners
- HK: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 Melrose Heritage Handicap Replay
Melrose Heritage Handicap Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Melrose Heritage Handicap over the last 19 renewals, with both Andrew Balding and William Haggas, who have both won the race three times. Andrew Balding's winners have been with Coltrane (2020), Valley Forge (2021) and Tarriance (2025). William Haggas winners have been with Guarantee (2012), Hamish (2019) and Soulcombe (2022). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Melrose Heritage Handicap is Charlie Appleby (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 19 renewals in the Melrose Heritage Handicap. Michael Bell (0-13), Sir Michael Stoute (0-12) and Ralph Beckett (0-11) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Melrose Heritage Handicap trainer statistics over the last 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Balding | 21-3-7 | +9.00 | +7.13 |
| William Haggas | 13-3-4 | +9.00 | +2.95 |
| Charlie Appleby | 5-2-2 | +12.00 | +6.38 |
| Hughie Morrison | 8-1-2 | +9.00 | +4.13 |
| Hugo Palmer | 4-1-2 | +13.00 | +8.63 |
| John & Thady Gosden | 4-1-1 | +1.50 | -0.19 |
| Tom Clover | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.50 |
| A J Martin | 1-1-1 | +8.00 | +4.80 |
| Michael Bell | 13-0-3 | -13.00 | -3.37 |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 12-0-3 | -12.00 | -8.12 |
Melrose Heritage Handicap Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the Melrose Heritage Handicap over the last 19 renewals, with William Buick, Oisin Murphy, and James Doyle having all won the race twice. William Buick's winners have been with Wall Of Fire (2016) and Ghostwatch (2018). Oisin Murphy winners have been with Coltrane (2020) and Middle Earth (2023). James Doyle winners have been with Secret Advisor (2017) and Hamish (2019). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Melrose Heritage Handicap; Silvestre De Sousa has ridden 10 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Melrose Heritage Handicap jockey statistics over the last 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Buick | 9-2-5 | +19.00 | +16.63 |
| Oisin Murphy | 6-2-4 | +12.50 | +8.62 |
| James Doyle | 5-2-2 | +9.00 | +4.51 |
| David Probert | 8-1-3 | +3.00 | +3.25 |
| Jamie Spencer | 7-1-5 | -2.00 | +3.38 |
| Richard Kingscote | 4-1-2 | +13.00 | +10.00 |
| Hollie Doyle | 4-1-1 | +0.00 | -1.12 |
| Liam Jones | 2-1-1 | +27.00 | +16.50 |
| Rossa Ryan | 2-1-2 | +11.00 | +8.00 |
| Franny Norton | 2-1-2 | +7.00 | +5.50 |
2026 Melrose Heritage Handicap Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 1, (4, 6), (1, 4, 10, 14), 9, 3, 3, 3, 3, 5, 1, 4, 2, 11, 4, 1, (1, 4), 12, 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.
- 19 / 19 (74%) - Carried 124 - 134lbs (Last Win)
- 19 / 19 (80%) - Break of 7 - 73 days (Last Place)
- 19 / 19 (80%) - Break of 7 - 118 days (Last Win)
- 19 / 19 (82%) - Furthest ran 1m2f - 1m6f
- 19 / 19 (83%) - Off a break of 7 - 44 days
- 19 / 19 (86%) - No bigger than 28/1
- 19 / 19 (87%) - No bigger than 22/1 (Career Place)
- 19 / 19 (87%) - Had 1 - 6 placings (90 Days)
- 19 / 19 (87%) - In a field of 5 - 16 (LTO)
- 19 / 19 (87%) - Had 1 - 4 wins (Season)
- 19 / 19 (88%) - Not BL/BR/GR/RG in colour
- 19 / 19 (88%) - Furthest Won 1m - 1m6f
- 19 / 19 (88%) - Ran in 2 - 9 races (90 Days)
- 18 / 19 (81%) - Won within last 3 starts
- 18 / 19 (88%) - No bigger than 12/1 (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the York racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Melrose Heritage 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 Melrose Heritage Handicap by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
2026 Melrose Heritage Handicap Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2026 renewal of the Melrose Heritage Handicap will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually 48 hours before the race.
Melrose Heritage Handicap Trend Analysis
❌ The worst-performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 2 career starts in the class; when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-49.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 12 (8,10) [12 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 4 (12,2,13) [16 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 9 (7,4) [13 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 11 (13,8) [13 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 16 (17,14,10) [22 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Melrose Heritage Handicap is Goodwood; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Goodwood last time out. The next best courses, which have produced the second most winners, are Ascot and Newmarket (July); there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 17 winners from a total of 265 runners, while female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 21 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Melrose Heritage Handicap:
- Dubawi (2 Wins)
- Frankel (2 Wins)
- Montjeu (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Melrose Heritage Handicap despite multiple attempts:
- Galileo (0 Wins from 18 runners)
- Sea The Stars (0 Wins from 11 runners)
- Golden Horn (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Hernando (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Teofilo (0 Wins from 7 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 19 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Polarisation in 2015, winning for Mark Johnston at odds of 28/1 under the guidance of Liam Jones. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 19 renewals, there have been 5 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 Melrose Heritage Handicap
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Melrose Heritage Handicap. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Tarriance Sandown - 1st of 6 (5/2) | George Lindon-Travers Memorial Handicap |
| 2024 - Tabletalk Ascot - 3rd of 8 (8/1) | John Guest Racing Handicap |
| 2023 - Middle Earth Newmarket (July) - 1st of 7 (3/1) | British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes |
| 2022 - Soulcombe Goodwood - 4th of 13 (9/2) | Glorious Goodwood 1m4f Handicap |
| 2021 - Valley Forge Ffos Las - 1st of 5 (4/11) | vickers.bet Bet 10Get20 Promo Code Ffos Las Maiden Stakes |
| 2020 - Coltrane Newmarket (July) - DSQ of 6 (8/15) | Read Andrew Balding On Betway Insider Handicap |
| 2019 - Hamish Newbury - 3rd of 11 (4/7) | Kennet Centre Novice Stakes |
| 2018 - Ghostwatch Sandown - 2nd of 5 (10/11) | Sri Lanka The Wonder Of Asia Handicap |
| 2017 - Secret Advisor Goodwood - 5th of 14 (5/1) | Glorious Goodwood 1m4f Handicap |
| 2016 - Wall Of Fire Goodwood - 10th of 12 (20/1) | Glorious Goodwood 1m4f 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 Melrose Heritage 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 | Trefor (IRE) 4yo - 7/1 | Charles Hills Kieran Shoemark |
| 14:25 York Acomb Stakes | Gewan (GB) 2yo - 11/2 | Andrew Balding P J McDonald |
| 15:00 York Great Voltigeur Stakes | Pride Of Arras (IRE) 3yo - 12/1 | Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan |
| 15:35 York Juddmonte International Stakes | Ombudsman (IRE) 4yo - 7/4 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
| 16:10 York Ebor Stayers Heritage Handicap | Santorini Star (IRE) 4yo - 100/30 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
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 | Royal Fixation (GB) 2yo - 5/2 | Ed Walker William Buick |
| 14:25 York Harrys Half Million By Goffs | Song Of The Clyde (GB) 2yo - 15/2 | Clive Cox Rossa Ryan |
| 15:00 York Clipper Handicap | Bullet Point (GB) 4yo - 15/8 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
| 15:35 York Yorkshire Oaks | Minnie Hauk (IRE) 3yo - 8/15 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| 16:10 York Galtres Stakes | Charlottes Web (IRE) 4yo - 11/4 | Simon & Ed Crisford Daniel Tudhope |
| 17:20 York Ebor Fillies Heritage Handicap | Royal Velvet (GB) 4yo - 12/1 | William Knight William Buick |
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 | Fifth Column (IRE) 3yo - 11/4 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
| 14:25 York Lonsdale Cup | Trawlerman (IRE) 7yo - 5/6 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
| 15:00 York Gimcrack Stakes | Lifeplan (IRE) 2yo - 13/2 | Declan Carroll Zak Wheatley |
| 15:35 York Nunthorpe Stakes | Asfoora (AUS) 7yo - 11/1 | Henry Dwyer Oisin Murphy |
| 16:10 York Ebor Middle Distance Heritage Handicap | Asgards Captain (IRE) 5yo - 16/1 | Dylan Cunha J F Egan |
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 | King Of Cities (IRE) 3yo - 11/1 | Richard Hannon Sean Levey |
| 14:25 York Melrose Heritage Handicap | Tarriance (GB) 3yo - 5/1 | Andrew Balding Colin Keane |
| 15:00 York City of York Stakes | Never So Brave (IRE) 4yo - 7/2 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| 15:35 York Ebor Handicap | Ethical Diamond (IRE) 5yo - 5/1 | W P Mullins William Buick |
| 16:45 York Roses Stakes | Revival Power (IRE) 2yo - 13/2 | Tim Easterby David Allan |
| 17:20 York Ebor Finale Heritage Handicap | Dain Ma Nut In (IRE) 4yo - 11/1 | Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore Daniel Tudhope |
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 Melrose Heritage 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
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal Races at York Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the York racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in May (Dante Festival)
- Churchill Tyres Handicap
- Jorvik Stakes
- Minster Stakes
- Musidora Stakes
- Dante Stakes
- Hambleton Stakes
- Lindum York Handicap
- Middleton Stakes
- Westow Stakes
- Macmillan Charity Handicap
- Marygate Fillies Stakes
- Michael Seely Memorial Fillies Stakes
- Yorkshire Cup
