The return of Windsor races on New Year’s Day 2026 for the first card on 1 January in almost three decades is something to celebrate. Fellow Berkshire tracks Ascot and Newbury have had their turns to host festive fixtures, but it now comes to the course by the River Thames. Headlining this meeting is the £100,000 New Year’s Day Handicap Hurdle.
With that sort of cash up for grabs, some smart horses head here. The supporting card isn’t too shabby either. This includes a staying novice hurdle, mares only handicap hurdle, a couple of handicap chases and one more for novices. Royal Windsor Racecourse will hopefully have a good turnout on the first day of 2026 as there’s something for everyone.
There’s an early start with the opening novices’ limited handicap hurdle due off before midday. Such action from Windsor races on New Year’s Day was something we just had to ask our experts about. At such a busy time for this sport, their knowledge of form and what’s on offer from online horse racing bookmakers should reveal the right runners to back if you fancy a flutter.
Looking back on past performances and seeking out horses with the potential to do better is what our experts do every single day of the year. They start as they mean to go on, then, with a detailed looked at the best of the action from Berkshire. Read all about the shortlisted runners for the main bulk of this card below…
Windsor Races New Year’s Day 2026 Preview
12:24 – 2m 6f Class 3 Novice Hurdle
Harry Derham runs two of the five in penalised Worcester winner Ignore The Door and Firm But Fair, who has an alternative engagement at Uttoxeter on New Year’s Eve. It’s not this pair that appeals, however, with the eye drawn to Rebecca Curtis mare POTTERSVILLE. She bolted up around Exeter last time with Jamie Brace again taking the ride and 5lb off with his claim.
In total, then, Pottersville receives 12lb from Ignore The Door and fellow penalty carrier Fountains Blenheim. He too didn’t build on a win at Fontwell when turned over at odds-on around Plumpton last time for Anthony Honeyball. Fountains Blenheim sets a far from insurmountable standard off a mark of 120 here.
Jonjo O’Neill and sons combine with Assertive Walk, who makes his hurdling bow after more than 400 days off the track since his sole bumper outing. This one clearly hasn’t been easy to train, but wasn’t disgraced when third to the 129-rated Sinnatra at Chepstow. The runner-up hasn’t done much to advertise that bumper form, however.
12:59 – 2m 4f Class 4 Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (0-120)
Nurse Susan wins the last! 🔵🟡
Victory for Harry and Dan Skelton in The BetMGM App Mares’ Handicap Hurdle 🥇#ITVRacing | @DSkeltonRacing | @harryskelton89 pic.twitter.com/yYQ6OGSaiX
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) December 13, 2025
Lets Go To Vegas defied a racecourse absence of 665 days to score around Haydock for Alastair Ralph on her return. Up 4lb for that, there is a danger she might bounce. The best form at Windsor races on New Year’s Day here belongs to topweight GAME COLOURS. Ben Clarke’s mare has two placed efforts at Cheltenham on her CV in 2025.
Game Colours now drops markedly in class from the latest of those in December. Clarke now books conditional jockey Toby McCain-Mitchell for the ride and he takes 5lb off with his claim. The return to a sounder surface could also help I Spy A Diva on the comeback trail. This is her fourth run of the campaign following long absences. Isabelle Ryder takes 7lb off her back.
In a race with few in-form females lining up, Jasmine d’Airy has two wins in her last three for Derham and Ben Sutton, who claims 5lb. Her placed efforts in Point-to-Points read particularly well in relation to this level. Stepping Jasmine d’Airy back up in trip can only help her. The others don’t look particularly well-treated, but Honeyball sends Easy Love handicapping for the first time.
Her third to Conman John from Cheltenham in the autumn suggests dropping back in distance will benefit her. Easy Love pulled up at Exeter when sent off favourite in a novice last time, but a positive frontrunning ride like she got when making all around Fontwell in May might be the answer.
1:34 – 2m 37y Class 4 Novices’ Handicap Chase (0-120)
An emphatic win for Chuggy to give @DSkeltonRacing a double at the track with success in the Aztec Aerosols Spray Some Joy Novices’ Handicap Chase pic.twitter.com/zbzwzoUV9Z
— Warwick Racecourse (@WarwickRaces) December 11, 2025
Only four runners, but NORN IRON is the pick of this quartet at Windsor races on New Year’s Day for Derham and Brendan Powell. He bumped into Chuggy on chase debut around Warwick and, although that one suffered defeat at odds-on just the other day on Boxing Day, the third home came out and scored at Newbury since.
Norn Iron receives 4lb from topweight Admiral Stewart, whose opening mark of 122 looks a guess. Jamie Snowden’s runner has a walkover and a pulled up over fences under his belt, so must be purely handicapped on hurdles form and his relative proximity to Jet To Vegas up at Ayr last January. Admiral Stewart won an Irish Point, so he could improve in this sphere.
Paul Nicholls and The Owners Group combine with Bond Broker, but he hasn’t seen out his three steeplechase outings so far. Jay Tidball deputises for Harry Cobden and takes 5lb off, Two of Bond Broker’s last three wins have come under claimers. Koukeo makes his reappearance and bow over fences for the O’Neill family here, but is surely best watched.
2:09 – 2m 4f 42y Class 3 Handicap Chase (0-125)
An emphatic victory for Mister Cessna, who jumped the last three flights with ease to run away from the rest, Bond Broker was second and An Bauchaill Rua a distant third@JohnnyBurke2 | @FOBRacing pic.twitter.com/omAGp2fbq7
— Ludlow Racecourse (@LudlowRaceClub) April 2, 2025
Some of these have won over much further, so it’s a tricky contest to assess. Open to the most progress over fences in the line-up is Fergal O’Brien runner MISTER CESSNA. As a five-year-old, he’s the youngest in the field and perhaps the soft going last time blunted the speed he showed in wins around Ludlow and Uttoxeter in the spring and autumn.
Mister Cessna could also benefit from stepping up in trip at Windsor races on New Year’s Day. Kalif d’Airy split Joe Cotton and Toothless around Wincanton when the trio finished third, fourth and fifth last time. Gary & Josh Moore fit their horse with blinkers for the first-time to try and smarten up his jumping. Joe Cotton fared best of the trio on that occasion, but couldn’t go the pace.
Shantou Lucky is 3lb well-in on future assignments following a narrow second at Fakenham just before Christmas. Despite being well-treated and going well under 3lb conditional jockey Nathan Howie, this course and distance could be on the sharp side for James Owen’s charge. Similar comments apply to the O’Neill runner Yes Day, while Tax For Max frames the handicap on his first chase start for well over two years.
2:50 – 2m 4f Class 2 New Year’s Day Handicap Hurdle
Tight finish! 😬
Wellington Arch hangs on to take the William Hill Handicap Hurdle 🥇#ITVRacing | @JJONeillJnr pic.twitter.com/ZLpfjiQod5
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 4, 2025
Many in with chances for the feature contest here. Olly Murphy books 5lb claimers Shane Fenelon and McCain-Mitchell for rides on Chepstow Silver Trophy scorer Rambo T and Act Of Authority respectively. Neither fired on soft ground at Aintree on Boxing Day, but the return to better going is a plus for the former who has topweight. Act Of Authority, meanwhile, has been eased 1lb by the assessor.
That may help his cause in a bid to get closer to re-opposing second Stream Of Stars. Aged 11 now and racing on a sounder surface, the Twiston-Davies runner looks vulnerable. Guard Duty and Hartington finished first and second over course and distance during the Winter Million meeting here last January. Both have also run well in defeat since, but are up 5lb and 6lb for their respective seconds.
Instead, the reappearing WELLINGTON ARCH might be the one for O’Neill family at Windsor races on New Year’s Day here. Never out of the first three all campaign last season, he kept on into third in a Listed handicap during the Punchestown Festival. The runner-up, Impose Toi, has improved no end since by hitting a hat-trick that culminated in Grade 1 glory in Ascot’s Long Walk Hurdle before Christmas.
Wellington Arch could thus be well-treated if fully tuned up for this. Provided he’s no worse for falling at Doncaster, Castle Carrock could go well for Alan King here too. Snowden’s Idy Wood landed both his starts this season either side of his fourth to Rambo T from Chepstow. He books Ryder to take 7lb off. Dan Skelton has Listentoyourheart on a career low mark now, so the mare could be lurking.
