Champion Hurdle

Inaugurated in 1927, the Champion Hurdle is run over an advertised distance of two miles and half a furlong on the Old Course at Prestbury Park, where it forms the feature race on the first day of the four-day Cheltenham Festival, staged annually in March. A weight-for-age conditions contest, worth £450,000 in total prize money, the Champion Hurdle is, as the name suggests, the most prestigious race of its kind run in Britain and, indeed, anywhere in the world.

Unsurprisingly, the roll of honour for the Champion Hurdle reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of two-mile hurdling talent down the years and includes the likes of Hatton’s Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, See You Then and Istabraq, all of whom won the race three years running. Nicky Henderson, who trained See You Then, is the leading trainer in the history of the Champion Hurdle, while John Patrick ‘J.P.’ McManus, who owned Istabraq, is the leading owner; both men have nine wins to their names.

Along with the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, run at Newcastle in late November or early December, and the Christmas Hurdle, run at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, the Champion Hurdle constitutes the so-called ‘Triple Crown of Hurdling’. Consitution Hill, trained by the aforementioned Nicky Henderson, won all three races in 2023 and, having won the Christmas Hurdle again on his comeback in 2024, is a shade of odds-on to win what could be a vintage renewal of the Champion Hurdle in 2025. His potential opponents could include Lossiemouth, second at Kempton, Brighterdaysahead and defending champion State Man.