County Handicap Hurdle

The County Handicap Hurdle is the second race on the final day of racing at the Cheltenham Festival. It is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle that was first run in 1920. The race used to be the final race at the festival but a change to the schedule in 2009 saw it moved to the second race on the fourth day. It had held Grade 3 status until 2022 when it was reclassified as a Premier Handicap by the British Horseracing Authority for the 2023 meeting.

County Handicap Hurdle Overview

The County Handicap Hurdle is a handicap run over 2 miles and 179 yards on the new course on the fourth and final day of the Festival, normally as the second race on the card. During the race, there are eight hurdles to be jumped with the winner’s prize winner likely to be in the region of £56,000.

County Handicap Hurdle Betting Trends and Statistics

• Willie Mullins is very much the trainer to follow here having won 7 of the past 15 runnings. However, the best of the British counterparts is Dan Skelton who has trained four of the past nine renewals and anything he saddles is noteworthy.
• Ireland has a very good record and has taken 12 of the past 18 runnings.
• Novices or second-season hurdlers have won 19 of the last 24 renewals including last year’s winner Absurde.
• Horses that have run on the flat seem to do well here with 14 of the past 21 winners ex-flat racers.
• The optimum age appears to be 5 or 6 years of age with 19 of the past 26 winners falling into that age bracket.
• Nicky Henderson has a poor record in the race which reads 0-35 this century whilst Gordon Elliott is 0-24 in the last 13 years.
• Two favourites have obliged in the last five years but there have been plenty of big-priced winners over the years.

County Handicap Hurdle History

The County Handicap Hurdle was first run in 1920. The legendary Irish trainer Vincent O’Brien who retired in 1994 had his name added to the title in honour of his career between 1995 and 2016. The race was for many years the traditional last race of the Festival but following a new running order in 2009 was moved to its current spot as second race on the final day.

County Handicap Hurdle Winners