Tips For The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle 2023 – How To Pick A Winner

The Stayers’ Hurdle is open to four year olds or older and is run on the new course over a distance of three miles. There are a dozen fences to be jumped in a race that ususally takes in and around six minutes to complete.

Seven of the last nine winners of this race were second season hurdlers and three of the last five winners have all competed in the previous season’s Albert Bartlett.

The Cleeve Hurdle is an important trial for this with eight of the last sixteen winners having contested it earlier that season.

British Bred horses tend to fare a bit better in this race and three of the last nine winners were previously trained for a career on the flat.

Previous winners usually run well in this the following year.

Previous Winners of the Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle

Runners To Watch

Below are selected runners who hold entries for the Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle 2023.

Karl Hedley provides some recent form notes to help point you in the right direction of identifying the winner.

BLAZING KHAL – CHARLES BYRNES

Unbeaten in his last five starts including when making his seasonal appearance at Navan last month following more than a year off the track. The seven-year old is 2-2 at Cheltenham so he has a wealth of experience to draw upon.

Whilst this will take another significant step forward, others here have more experience under their belts this season. He will likely be fitter having won that race last race and he has to be high on any shortlist.

MARIE’S ROCK – NICKY HENDERSON

Connections don’t seem to want to run her over three miles on testing ground and she is a doubtful runner at this stage. She has improved from last season right through to this and is now looking for her seventh win in just nine runs.

She took the notable scalp of Dashel Drasher at this track in the Relkeel Hurdle but that was over half a mile shorter. If she runs it will be her first time at the trip but with the ground sitting as it is, she will probably not take her chance.

TEAHUPOO – GORDON ELLIOTT

An incredibly consistent horse who never gets the plaudits that he deserves. He is a seven-time winner over hurdles from just ten starts and has really started to come into his own this year. He caused a seismic shock in December when reversing form with Honeysuckle from the Champion Hurdle.

He followed that up with a fifteen-length win over Summerville Boy in the Galmoy Hurdle. He absolutely loves it when the mud is flying so expect a bold show if the rains descend.

FLOORING PORTER – GAVIN CROMWELL

Has been ultimately disappointing this season. He hinted that he was coming back to himself with a better effort at Leopardstown when fourth to Home By The Lee.

A return to this track to defend his crown for the third year could prove to be an epiphany for him and conjure him back to near his best. From what we have seen so far this season he needs to or it will be game over in no uncertain circumstances.

HOME BY THE LEE – JOSEPH O’BRIEN

Has proven a bit tricky in the past but Joseph O’Brien seems to have unlocked further improvement from his eight-year-old. He has now recorded back to back wins for the first time in over two years and one of those was a Grade 2 race.

He is another that really enjoys himself when the mud is flying and the ground is soft. No surprise to see him confirm recent form with Flooring Porter.

KLASSICAL DREAM – WILLIE MULLINS

Cannot be ruled out of this given that he won the Irish version at Punchestown less that 12 months ago. He has been a credit to connections and has maintained his form well throughout the year.

Still only relatively lightly raced but it seems as though he has been around for quite some time. Three miles on this track on soft ground should enable him to run his race and no surprise to see him in the first three.

PAISLEY PARK – EMMA LAVELLE

Was firmly put in his place by Gold Tweet in the Cleeve Hurdle here back in January and having proved a marvellous servant to Emma Lavelle, he now seems to be regressing.

A winner of this race in 2017 he has never been able to follow it up and there have been easier opportunities than this. He will have his followers of course but at the age of eleven now it seems extremely unlikely.

ASHDALE BOB – JESSICA HARRINGTON

Has been beaten on multiple occasions by many of these but often runs his race and manages a place.

This race does look hot this year and he looks sure to struggle against those who have overpowered him in recent starts including Teahupoo and Home By The lee. His form is just not good enough to win this and he will have brighter days ahead of him.

Ticks The Right Boxes?

2023 Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle Tips & Key Trends

This race looks wide open this year with many of the main protagonists having questions to answer.

After a successful comeback Blazing Khal was all the rage for this but others will have been better prepared.

Teahupoo has yet to prove himself fully effectively round here but he would be a massive threat on soft ground.

Flooring Porter is attempting to win this for the third year in a row but his form so far this season is not good enough.

A chance is therefore taken on Klassical Dream each-way, who is rated higher than most of these and is versatile in relation to ground conditions.

He sees out the trip well and he did win the Irish equivalent last season.

Key Trends

• 20 of the last 23 winners were first or second last time out
• 14 of the previous 25 winners had won or been placed at a previous Festival
• 12 of the last 16 winners were rated 160+

Odds With Paddy Power – correct at time of publication

• 3/1 Blazing Khal
• 10/3 Teahupoo
• 9/2 Flooring Porter
• 11/2 Home By The Lee
• 9/1 Klassical Dream
• 9/1 Gold Tweet
• 12/1 Paisley Park