Champion Hurdle
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The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for four-year-old and above horses. It is run over a distance of 2 miles 110 yards (3,319 m) on the Old Course at Cheltenham Racecourse on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival in March. Prior to 1980 the distance was about 110 yards (100 m) further. There are eight hurdles to be jumped in the race.
It was first run in 1927, and is the most prestigious hurdle race in the United Kingdom.
Contents |
[edit] Records
- Most successful horse - Hatton's Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, See You Then, Istabraq, 3 wins each
- Most successful jockey - Tim Molony, 4 wins (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954)
- Most successful trainer - Peter Easterby, 5 wins (1967, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981)
- Most successful owner - Dorothy Paget, 4 wins (1932, 1933, 1940, 1946)
- Fastest winning time - 3m 48.1s, Istabraq (2000)
- Smallest field - 3 runners (1932)
- Largest field - 24 runners (1964, 1991)
[edit] Winners
- Amateur jockeys indicated by "Mr".
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
| 1927 | Blaris | 6 | George Duller | Bill Payne |
| 1928 | Brown Jack | 4 | Bilbie Rees | Aubrey Hastings |
| 1929 | Royal Falcon | 6 | Dick Rees | Bob Gore |
| 1930 | Brown Tony | 4 | Tommy Cullinan | Jack Anthony |
| no race 1931 * | ||||
| 1932 | Insurance | 5 | Ted Leader | Basil Briscoe |
| 1933 | Insurance | 6 | Billy Stott | Basil Briscoe |
| 1934 | Chenango | 7 | Danny Morgan | Ivor Anthony |
| 1935 | Lion Courage | 7 | Gerry Wilson | F. Brown |
| 1936 | Victor Norman | 5 | Frenchie Nicholson | Morgan Blair |
| 1937 | Free Fare | 9 | Georges Pellerin | Ted Gwilt |
| 1938 | Our Hope | 9 | Perry Harding | Roderic Gubbins |
| 1939 | African Sister | 7 | Keith Piggott | Charles Piggott |
| 1940 | Solford | 9 | Sean Magee | Owen Anthony |
| 1941 | Seneca | 4 | Ron Smyth | Vic Smyth |
| 1942 | Forestation | 4 | Ron Smyth | Vic Smyth |
| no race 1943-44 * | ||||
| 1945 | Brains Trust | 5 | Fred Rimell | Gerry Wilson |
| 1946 | Distel | 5 | Bobby O'Ryan | Charles Rogers |
| 1947 | National Spirit | 6 | Danny Morgan | Vic Smyth |
| 1948 | National Spirit | 7 | Ron Smyth | Vic Smyth |
| 1949 | Hatton's Grace | 9 | Aubrey Brabazon | Vincent O'Brien |
| 1950 | Hatton's Grace | 10 | Aubrey Brabazon | Vincent O'Brien |
| 1951 | Hatton's Grace | 11 | Tim Molony | Vincent O'Brien |
| 1952 | Sir Ken | 5 | Tim Molony | Willie Stephenson |
| 1953 | Sir Ken | 6 | Tim Molony | Willie Stephenson |
| 1954 | Sir Ken | 7 | Tim Molony | Willie Stephenson |
| 1955 | Clair Soleil | 6 | Fred Winter | Ryan Price |
| 1956 | Doorknocker | 8 | Harry Sprague | Charlie Hall |
| 1957 | Merry Deal | 7 | Grenville Underwood | Arthur Jones |
| 1958 | Bandalore | 7 | George Stack | Stan Wright |
| 1959 | Fare Time | 6 | Fred Winter | Ryan Price |
| 1960 | Another Flash | 6 | Bobby Beasley | Paddy Sleator |
| 1961 | Eborneezer | 6 | Fred Winter | Ryan Price |
| 1962 | Anzio | 5 | Willie Robinson | Fulke Walwyn |
| 1963 | Winning Fair | 8 | Mr Alan Lillingston | George Spencer |
| 1964 | Magic Court | 6 | Pat McCarron | Tommy Robson |
| 1965 | Kirriemuir | 5 | Willie Robinson | Fulke Walwyn |
| 1966 | Salmon Spray | 8 | Johnny Haine | Bob Turnell |
| 1967 | Saucy Kit | 6 | Roy Edwards | Peter Easterby |
| 1968 | Persian War | 5 | Jimmy Uttley | Colin Davies |
| 1969 | Persian War | 6 | Jimmy Uttley | Colin Davies |
| 1970 | Persian War | 7 | Jimmy Uttley | Colin Davies |
| 1971 | Bula | 6 | Paul Kelleway | Fred Winter |
| 1972 | Bula | 7 | Paul Kelleway | Fred Winter |
| 1973 | Comedy of Errors | 6 | Bill Smith | Fred Rimell |
| 1974 | Lanzarote | 6 | Richard Pitman | Fred Winter |
| 1975 | Comedy of Errors | 8 | Ken White | Fred Rimell |
| 1976 | Night Nurse | 5 | Paddy Broderick | Peter Easterby |
| 1977 | Night Nurse | 6 | Paddy Broderick | Peter Easterby |
| 1978 | Monksfield | 6 | Tommy Kinane | Des McDonogh |
| 1979 | Monksfield | 7 | Dessie Hughes | Des McDonogh |
| 1980 | Sea Pigeon | 10 | Jonjo O'Neill | Peter Easterby |
| 1981 | Sea Pigeon | 11 | John Francome | Peter Easterby |
| 1982 | For Auction | 6 | Mr Colin Magnier | Michael Cunningham |
| 1983 | Gaye Brief | 6 | Richard Linley | Mercy Rimell |
| 1984 | Dawn Run | 6 | Jonjo O'Neill | Paddy Mullins |
| 1985 | See You Then | 5 | Steve Smith Eccles | Nicky Henderson |
| 1986 | See You Then | 6 | Steve Smith Eccles | Nicky Henderson |
| 1987 | See You Then | 7 | Steve Smith Eccles | Nicky Henderson |
| 1988 | Celtic Shot | 6 | Peter Scudamore | Fred Winter |
| 1989 | Beech Road | 7 | Richard Guest | Toby Balding |
| 1990 | Kribensis | 6 | Richard Dunwoody | Michael Stoute |
| 1991 | Morley Street | 7 | Jimmy Frost | Toby Balding |
| 1992 | Royal Gait | 9 | Graham McCourt | James Fanshawe |
| 1993 | Granville Again | 7 | Peter Scudamore | Martin Pipe |
| 1994 | Flakey Dove | 8 | Mark Dwyer | Richard Price |
| 1995 | Alderbrook | 6 | Norman Williamson | Kim Bailey |
| 1996 | Collier Bay | 6 | Graham Bradley | Jim Old |
| 1997 | Make a Stand | 6 | Tony McCoy | Martin Pipe |
| 1998 | Istabraq | 6 | Charlie Swan | Aidan O'Brien |
| 1999 | Istabraq | 7 | Charlie Swan | Aidan O'Brien |
| 2000 | Istabraq | 8 | Charlie Swan | Aidan O'Brien |
| no race 2001 * | ||||
| 2002 | Hors La Loi III | 7 | Dean Gallagher | James Fanshawe |
| 2003 | Rooster Booster | 9 | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs |
| 2004 | Hardy Eustace | 7 | Conor O'Dwyer | Dessie Hughes |
| 2005 | Hardy Eustace | 8 | Conor O'Dwyer | Dessie Hughes |
| 2006 | Brave Inca | 8 | Tony McCoy | Colm Murphy |
| 2007 | Sublimity | 7 | Philip Carberry | John Carr |
| 2008 | Katchit | 5 | Robert Thornton | Alan King |
* The 1931 race was cancelled due to persistent frost.
* The 1943 and 1944 races were cancelled because of World War II.
* The 2001 race was cancelled because of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth crisis.
[edit] Notes
- 1947 - The runner-up, Le Paillon, went on to win the 1947 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
- 1963 - The champion was the one-eyed Winning Fair, trained in County Tipperary in Ireland by George Spencer, father of champion flat jockey Jamie Spencer.
- 1966 - Flyingbolt finished third the day after winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
- 1984 - Dawn Run went on to win the 1986 Cheltenham Gold Cup, becoming the only horse to date win both races.
- 1988 - Celtic Shot went on to be favourite for the 1990 Arkle Challenge Trophy and 1991 Cheltenham Gold Cup but finished outside the top five in both.
- 1992 - Winner Royal Gait had passed the post first in the 1988 Ascot Gold Cup but was relegated to last place following a Stewards' Inquiry.
- 1993 - Winner Granville Again was the full-brother to the 1991 winner Morley Street.
- 1994 - Flakey Dove became the second mare to win the race - Dawn Run was the first in 1984. Favourite in 1994 was Oh So Risky despite him not winning a hurdles race for three years.
- 1996 - Winning jockey Graham Bradley only got the ride by accident. His alarm clock had failed to go off one day. This meant that he missed schooling favourite Alderbrook and wasn't offered the ride in the race. Jamie Osborne was offered the ride on Collier Bay but decided to ride Mysilv instead leaving Brad free to ride the horse.
- 1997 - Make a Stand was the most recent novice to win the race.
- 1999 - Theatreworld came second for the third successive year.
- 2003 - Rooster Booster is the latest of four grey horses to win the race and the most recent English-trained winner.
- 2004 - Dessie Hughes, trainer of Hardy Eustace, became the fourth person to have both ridden and trained a Champion Hurdle winner. The other three were Gerry Wilson, Fred Rimell and Fred Winter.
- 2007 - Sublimity, formerly trained on the flat by Sir Michael Stoute, returned at a winning SP of 16/1, but had been bet at odds of 600/1 by his connections in the months before the race.
- 2008 - Katchit became the first five-year-old hurdler to win since See You Then in 1985 and the first Triumph Hurdle winner to win the following season's Champion Hurdle since Persian War in 1968.
