THE CHAMPION HURDLE 2022
The Champion Hurdle is one of the most prestigious hurdling events on the National Hunt calendar and is run on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.
The Champion Hurdle is one of the most prestigious hurdling events on the National Hunt calendar and is run on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.
The latest antepost odds for horses running in the 2022 Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in the Cheltenham Festival. It is run on the Old Course over a distance of two miles and 110 yards (3,319 metres) with eight hurdles to be jumped. It will take place on Tuesday 15th March 2022 | Time 15:05
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In Detail
Sometimes referred to as the Unibet Champion Hurdle due to sponsorship, this race is 2 miles and half a furlong long. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham racecourse and for runners who are aged four years or older. The race is always on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.
It is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race and it is the biggest hurdling event of the year. Some of the sports greatest ever hurdlers have won the Champion Hurdle. On top of this, it makes up the final part of the Triple Crown of Hurdling. The other two races of this are the Fighting Firth Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle.
The race has been going since 1927 and once in 1932 it had a field of just three horses, the smallest it’s ever had. The shortest ever priced winner of the Champion Hurdle Sir Ken, who on his second time of winning the race, was priced at 2/5!
With this being the most prestigious hurdle event in the racing calendar, it brings it a big purse. Last year’s total prize fund was £450,000 and £253,215 of that went to Espoir D’Allen for winning the 2019 Champion Hurdle for trainer Gavin Cromwell, owner JP McManus and with jockey Mark Walsh on board.
When the race was first run back in 1927, Blaris was the winner at 11/10 and was rode by George Duller. Winning this race earned them £365, which is way off now but still a fantastic amount then.
Horse owner JP McManus won his first Champion Hurdle back in 1998 with three-time winner Istabraq. They went into the race at the 3/1 favourite and won by 12 lengths. This landed him a staggering £137,420!
Hatton’s Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, See You Then and Istabraq are all notable winners. 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 2015.
Another well-known winner of the Champion Hurdle is Hurricane Fly. He won this race twice in 2011 and in 2013. 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 2019 when Winx overtook him.
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.
In terms of the most successful horse, that’s split between five different horses. All have won the race on three consecutive occasions. Hatton’s Grace was the first to win in 1949-1951. The most recent three time winner was Istabraq in 1998-2000.
The leading jockey is another shared accolade in this race. Tim Molony won it four times, once with Hatton’s Grace and three times with Sir Ken. Ruby Walsh is the other four time winner. He won it with Hurricane Fly twice, Faugheen and Annie Power.
Nicky Henderson was the leading trainer. He has won it a staggering seven times with See You Then, Punjabi and Buveur D’air. His first win came in 1985 and his second in 2018, spanning a period of 33 years.
As mentioned before JP McManus has won it eight times, including three times with the legendary Istabraq. This firmly puts him as the leading owner.
Guide to
Trainer Willie Mullins has won this four times with Hurricane Fly twice, Faugheen in 2015 and Annie Power in 2016. But it’s trainer Nicky Henderson who holds the record with seven wins. Henderson trained See You Then who is only one of five horses to have won the Champion Hurdle three times. He also trained the more recent winner Buveur d’Air to wins in 2017 and 2018.
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 1998, 1999 and 2000. His bid for an unprecedented fourth successive win was cut short in 2001 when the entire Cheltenham Festival was cancelled because of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. He ran again in 2002 but failed to complete the race and was then retired.
1st Hurdle
2nd Hurdle
8th Hurdle
3rd Hurdle
4th Hurdle
5th Hurdle
6th Hurdle
7th Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt Hurdle race run on the Old Course.
The Champion Hurdle is run over a distance of two miles and 110 yards (3,319 metres)
During its running there are 8 hurdles to be jumped.
JP McManus is the leading Owner with eight wins from Istabraq, Binocular, Jezki, Buveur d’Air and Espoir d’Allen.
Most successful horse recently with 3 wins is Istabraq – 1998, 1999, 2000 but Hatton’s Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War and See You Then also have 3 wins.
The Champion Hurdle was worth £450,000 in 2020 with the winner, Epatante, earning £253,000.
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Read On
Champion’s Day
Time | Race | Distance | Type |
---|---|---|---|
13:20 | Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle Race | 2m abt ½f | Hurdle |
13:55 | Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase | abt 2m | Chase |
14:30 | Ultima Handicap Chase | 3m abt 1f | Chase |
15:05 | Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy | 2m abt ½f | Hurdle |
15:40 | Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle | 2m abt 4f | Hurdle |
16:15 | Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Abt 2m ½f | Hurdle |
16:50 | National Hunt Challenge Cup | 3m 6f | Chase |