First run in , some legends of the sport have won the title of Champion Hurdler, including Istabraq, See You Then and Persian War. Champion Hurdle Course Map Old Course At 2m ½f, the Champion Hurdle begins at the end of the additional section of track to the north of the course.

Runners take one hurdle before joining the main circuit of the Old Course in front of the stands and completing a full circuit. Two miles and half a furlong is the trip for the Champion Hurdle with eight obstacles standing between the competitors and glory. Open to runners aged four and older, speed and fluency over the smaller obstacles is the name of the game here in a contest which has been won by a number of the true greats of the game.

First run in , with inaugural winner Blaris taking home £ in prize money, the race has only grown in prestige and value over the years, with the biggest hurdle event of the racing year now offering £, in total prize money. Much of this growth can be attributed to the advent of commercial sponsorship which began in with the support of Waterford Crystal.

A number of companies have stepped up to the plate over the lifespan of the race with betting firm Unibet taking over in One of the most appealing aspects of the National Hunt season is the manner in which it steadily builds to a crescendo which reaches a fever pitch at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The structure of the racing calendar provides a number of strategically placed two mile hurdle contests, which — whilst being good races in their own right — are also widely recognised as being key trials for the Champion Hurdle itself. Success in any of the aforementioned races puts the winner well on course for a potentially profitable tilt at the Prestbury Park big one.

Be sure to tune in to these key trials when planning those ante post Champion Hurdle punts. Previous winners have a pretty solid record in this race considering just how highly coveted and hotly contested the prize is year upon year. Up to , 21 of the 93 editions to have taken place had been landed by a horse already successful in the race.

For us though the best of the lot was the most recent three time winner of the race, the mighty Istabraq. He was also the first double winner of the race with another victory in Five thoroughbreds hold the record for most wins with three apiece.

These include: Hatton's Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, See You Then, and Istabraq. Over the past decade, the horse that came closest to also achieving three wins was Hurricane Fly who won in both and The most successful trainer in the history of the Champion Hurdle is Nicky Henderson who won six times starting with See You Then in to BuveurD'Air in He displaced Peter Easterby who held the record previously with five wins from to The fastest times in recorded history were both accomplished over the past five years.

Only two years later in , Annie Power set a new record time of 3 minutes and The title of most successful Champion Hurdle Jockey is jointly held by Tim Moloney and Ruby Walsh, who rode four winners each between and and between and respectively.

Hurdle races are often an opportunity for older racehorses from flat racecourses to continue competing. Below are a few of the best moments provided by top-competitors in the history of the Champion Hurdle - most of which started out as flat-racers as of Hurricane Fly started his career as a flat racer, the gelding had much better success as a jumper with 24 wins from 32 starts.

A record 22 of those wins were Grade One including five Irish Champion Hurdles, four Panchestown Champion Hurdles and two Champion Hurdles. A few decades earlier, double Champion Hurdle winner Bula , was a top competitor in his novice hurdling years with a career hurdle race record of 21 wins from 26 starts.

He is certainly one of the strongest hurdlers to win in recent history. Novice hurdlers rarely take the Champion Hurdle. However, the winner, Royal Gait, made history by being the least experienced novice to win the prestigious race since Doorknocker in Ascot is one of the leading racecourses in the UK.

Check out this page covering the essentials. Place bets on the go straight from your smartphone at these top mobile horse betting apps. All you need to know about race courses on one digestible page. One of the top international races around, held in America on the 1. Home Jump Racing Champion Hurdle Your Guide to the Champion Hurdle Currently sponsored by Unibet, the Champion Hurdle is considered the most prestigious hurdling event of the UK jump season.

A Closer Look at the Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade One race, hosted annually in March during the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse.

fact file location: Cheltenham Racecourse grade: Grade 1 race type: Hurdle.

The Irish Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over The feature race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival is the Champion Hurdle. Run over 2 miles and ½ furlong this is the final leg of the Triple The Unibet Champion Hurdle is, without doubt, the most prestigious hurdle race in the calendar. Run over a distance of two miles and 87 yards, with eight

Champion hurdle - The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong, and during its running there The Irish Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over The feature race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival is the Champion Hurdle. Run over 2 miles and ½ furlong this is the final leg of the Triple The Unibet Champion Hurdle is, without doubt, the most prestigious hurdle race in the calendar. Run over a distance of two miles and 87 yards, with eight

Each five-year-old horse must carry 11stlbs males or 11 st-3lbs females. Four-year-olds must carry 11st-2lbs or 10st-9lbs respectively. location: Cheltenham Racecourse. The Champion Hurdle was inaugurated in and was immediately classed as one of the most desirable races for champion jumpers.

Since , the Champion Hurdle is part of the WBX Hurdling Triple Crown and serves as the final race and grand finale of this great jump racing series. The Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle precede the Champion Hurdle as the first and second leg of the Hurdling Triple Crown.

It is held on the first day, also known as Champion Day, of the Cheltenham Festival. As the premier event of the hurdling season, the Champion Hurdle offers a hefty top prize of £, to the winner from a purse that amounts to £, as of Below are a few of the current records for the Champion Hurdle as of The horse with the widest winning margin is Insurance who won the Champion Hurdle by 12 lengths.

He was also the first double winner of the race with another victory in Five thoroughbreds hold the record for most wins with three apiece. These include: Hatton's Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, See You Then, and Istabraq.

Over the past decade, the horse that came closest to also achieving three wins was Hurricane Fly who won in both and The most successful trainer in the history of the Champion Hurdle is Nicky Henderson who won six times starting with See You Then in to BuveurD'Air in He displaced Peter Easterby who held the record previously with five wins from to They have each won the race three times, a feat the all achieved in consecutive years.

As a result they will go down in history as some of the greatest hurdlers ever. Faugheen is another notable winner. He won the Christmas Hurdle twice as well as the Champion Hurdle. They are two huge hurdle races, showing just how good Faugheen was at his peak.

He was also voted the Irish Horse of the Year in Another well-known winner of the Champion Hurdle is Hurricane Fly. He won this race twice in and in Hurricane Fly was the first horse in 38 years to regain his Champion Hurdle title.

He held the record for the most Grade 1 wins until when Winx overtook him. More recently, Honeysuckle won back-to-back races in and , under the guidance of Rachael Blackmore. As this race is one of the biggest at the Cheltenham Festival there are lots of records. Owners and trainers like to bring horses back to try and win the race multiple times as it is the pinnacle of the hurdling calendar.

All have won the race on three consecutive occasions. The most recent three time winner was Istabraq in The leading jockey is another shared accolade in this race. Ruby Walsh is the other four time winner. He won it with Hurricane Fly twice, Faugheen and Annie Power.

Nicky Henderson is the leading trainer. As mentioned before JP McManus has won it nine times, including three times with the legendary Istabraq.

This firmly puts him as the leading owner. His length victory in the Champion Hurdle was the widest winning margin in the history of the race. He was also only the second five-year-old in 33 years to take the hurdling showpiece at the festival.

Trainer Willie Mullins has won this four times with Hurricane Fly twice, Faugheen in and Annie Power in Henderson trained See You Then who is only one of five horses to have won the Champion Hurdle three times.

Undoubtedly, one of the most well known and famous horses to have won the Champion Hurdle was Istabraq. He is the last triple winner of the race, reigning victorious in , and His bid for an unprecedented fourth successive win was cut short in when the entire Cheltenham Festival was cancelled because of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

He ran again in but failed to complete the race and was then retired. The Champion Hurdle was worth £, in with the winner, Constitution Hill, earning £, Information appearing on HorseRacing.

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Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. Champion Hurdle Course Map Old Course At 2m ½f, the Champion Hurdle begins at the end of the additional section of track to the north of the course. Runners take one hurdle before joining the main circuit of the Old Course in front of the stands and completing a full circuit.

Two miles and half a furlong is the trip for the Champion Hurdle with eight obstacles standing between the competitors and glory. Open to runners aged four and older, speed and fluency over the smaller obstacles is the name of the game here in a contest which has been won by a number of the true greats of the game.

First run in , with inaugural winner Blaris taking home £ in prize money, the race has only grown in prestige and value over the years, with the biggest hurdle event of the racing year now offering £, in total prize money. Much of this growth can be attributed to the advent of commercial sponsorship which began in with the support of Waterford Crystal.

A number of companies have stepped up to the plate over the lifespan of the race with betting firm Unibet taking over in One of the most appealing aspects of the National Hunt season is the manner in which it steadily builds to a crescendo which reaches a fever pitch at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The structure of the racing calendar provides a number of strategically placed two mile hurdle contests, which — whilst being good races in their own right — are also widely recognised as being key trials for the Champion Hurdle itself.

Success in any of the aforementioned races puts the winner well on course for a potentially profitable tilt at the Prestbury Park big one.

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