Champion Hurdle

The centre-piece event of the first day of the Cheltenham Festival is the Champion Hurdle, a race of two miles and ½ furlong for horses aged four years and older. The runners jump eight hurdles in the course of the race.

Horses who race over hurdles are a mix of animals who had their initial racing experience on the Flat (often starting as 2yos) and those who are purpose-bred for the winter game, only coming to the track at four years of age and racing over Jumps from the start of their careers. Broadly speaking, the former group tend to be associated with class and speed and the latter with scope and endurance.

The most successful horse in the Champion Hurdle in recent times was the ex-Flat racer Istabraq, champion from 1998 to 2000. The Jumps-bred Hardy Eustace won the race in consecutive years, 2004 and 2005. Dawn Run became the first mare to win the race in 1984 and she subsequently increased her fame by becoming the first, and still only, Champion Hurdle winner to go on and win a Cheltenham Gold Cup (1986). The Champion Hurdle also has a link to another Gold Cup, the marathon Flat race at Royal Ascot. Royal Gait first past the post, but disqualified, at Ascot in 1986, went on to win at Cheltenham in 1988.

As its name suggests the Champion Hurdle goes a long way towards settling which horse will be classed the champion hurdler in any season. This is especially the case since there is no similarly significant two-mile race at the later Grand National meeting at Aintree. The race has an especially strong record for repeat winners and the first point of reference for form analysis in any year is usually the previous year’s result.