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Curious about previous Champion Hurdle winners at Cheltenham Festival and possible Champion Hurdle trends that could help with your bets? Read through this breakdown right now.
Champion Hurdle Winners and Trends – Quick Overview
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Ready for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival? We certainly are, and we’ve already looked ahead to the biggest races that are scheduled for the opening days. More specifically, we looked into the top events that are scheduled for day 1. And it’s clear that the Champion Hurdle is one of the most prestigious of the bunch. Therefore, we figured it was appropriate to discuss some of the previous Champion Hurdle winners ahead of the race on Tuesday, March 14th.
Not only that, but for those who are thinking of betting on this race, we’ve also covered some Champion Hurdle trends that will help you with your decisions. All of this is discussed throughout the remaining sections.
Champion Hurdle Winners Worth Noting
Did you know that the first Champion Hurdle event took place more than 90 years ago? That’s pretty staggering to think about! And since the race started back in 1927, there have been some rather impressive Champion Hurdle winners. This is true for both horses and jockeys, which is why we’ve covered both below:
Most Successful Horse – Five With Hat-Tricks
That’s right – a total of 5 horses have managed to complete the hat-trick in terms of Champion Hurdle winners. The first of these was completed from 1949-1951, as achieved by a horse named Hatton’s Grace. And amazingly, the next horse to achieve the hat trick did so immediately afterwards (1952-1954).

Check out the entire list of hat-trick winners right here:
- Hatton’s Grace – 1949-1951
- Sir Ken – 1952-1954
- Persian War – 1968-1970
- See You Then – 1985-1987
- Istabraq – 1998-2000
Most Successful Jockey – Three With 4x Wins
Of the many Champion Hurdle winners there have been throughout the years, only three jockeys have ever achieved four wins in total. Nobody has ever won the Champion Hurdle five times – yet! And if you are eager to learn who these jockeys are, please see the list below:
- Tim Molony – 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954
- Ruby Walsh – 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016
- Barry Geraghty – 2009, 2014, 2018, 2020
Most Recent Champion Hurdle Trends
When looking at Champion Hurdle trends, it’s best to keep things somewhat recent. This way, the information that you digest will be relative and usable for the upcoming Champion Hurdle race. So on that note, the main trends that we’ve highlighted below relate to the previous 10 winners of the Champion Hurdle. With that confirmed, let’s now highlight the most relevant trends going into the 2023 race.
Aged 5-9
Much like the other races held during the Cheltenham Festival, there is no maximum age on the horses for the Champion Hurdle. However, all horses must be at least 4 years old to compete. This brings us to the first trend – the last 10 winners have all fallen within the 5-9 age bracket.
5 or More Runs Over Hurdles in Lifetime
As the name suggests, the Champion Hurdle is a race that requires participants to clear hurdles on their way to the finish line. And when it comes to experience, this is an important trend. Basically, all of the last 10 winners had participated in 5 or more hurdle races in the past before winning this one.
Won Within Previous 3 Races
As is the case with any sport, form is important going into the Champion Hurdle. That’s why punters look back through recent races to see how a horse is performing. And on that note, all of the last 10 winners had picked up a win within the previous three races prior to the Champion Hurdle.
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