Champion Hurdle

The Champion Hurdle is the Grade 1 feature race on the opening day of action at the Cheltenham Festival. It is widely considered to be the race that includes the best hurdlers in the world with some of the greatest horses of all time present on the past winners list such as National Spirit, Persian War, Hurricane Fly, and Constitution Hill.

Champion Hurdle Overview

The Champion Hurdle is a Grade One hurdle for horses aged four or older. Run over two miles and 87 yards of the old course with eight hurdles to be jumped. It takes place on the opening day of the Festival on Tuesday, normally as the feature race on the card.

First-place prize money is likely to be around the £252,000 mark. It features the best two-mile hurdlers from the UK and Ireland (and occasionally France) and is the most prestigious hurdling event in the National Hunt calendar. The winner and placed horses are likely to go on and renew rivalry at Aintree or Punchestown.

Champion Hurdle Betting Trends and Statistics

• The two most recent successful trainers for this blue riband affair are Nicky Henderson (6) and Willie Mullins (5) winning collectively 11 of the past 15 winners.
• The only other trainer to win more than one Champion Hurdle in recent years is Henry De Bromhead who scored twice in 2011-12 with the great mare Honeysuckle.
• 12 of the past 14 winners came into the race unbeaten that season including last year’s winner State Man with 30 of the last 35 winners winning last time out.
• The best age over the years has been six or seven with 30 of the past 42 winning.
• Mares have an excellent recent record in the race with a 7lb allowance seemingly a big advantage. Over the past 9 years, their record stands at four winners from just ten runners.
• Market favourites have a superb record in the race with ten outright favourites winning in the last thirteen years including the last five.
• Leading owner J P McManus has an excellent record in the race winning it on nine occasions since 1998 from only 36 runners with many placed horses to add to his tally (though his only runner last year Iberico Lord did pull up).

Champion Hurdle History

The first Champion Hurdle was run in 1927 with the winner awarded prize money of £365. Three horses have won the race a record three times. They are Hattons Grace (1949, 1950, 1951), Sir Ken (1952, 1953, 1954), Persian War (1968, 1969, 1970), See You Then (1985, 1986, 1987) and Istabraq (1998, 1999, 2000).

Some of the greatest hurdlers ever have won the race as well as the five named above including Hurricane Fly (2011 & 2013), Faugheen (2015), Honeysuckle (2021 & 2022) and Constitution Hill (2023).

Champion Hurdle Winners