2027 Champion Hurdle

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 is the biggest hurdling event of the year. Some of the sport's 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 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 used to be Sir Ken who won the race three times in the 1950s. He went off in 1953 priced at 2/5!

However, in 2023, Constitution Hill went off on odds of 4/11, which is marginally shorter than Sir Ken.

PRIZE MONEY

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 as the 3/1 favourite and won by 12 lengths. This landed him a staggering £137,420.

With this being the most prestigious hurdle event in the racing calendar, it brings it a big purse. The 2019 total prize fund was £450,000 and £253,215 of that went to the connections of the winner, Espoir D'Allen.

Owned by JP McManus, he notched up his fourth consecutive win in the race with Epatante in 2020. The prize money had increased slightly with the winner taking home £264,609.

However, the prize fund was reduced in 2021 due to racing being held behind closed doors. It totaled £337,500 from which the winner, Honeysuckle, earned £189,911.

With the prize pot back up to £450,000 in 2022, Rachael Blackmore guided the legendary Honeysuckle to victory for trainer Henry De Bromhead. The yard took home £253K for the win.

The pot remained unchanged for the 2023 race which was won by Nicky Henderson's Constitution Hill, ridden by Nico De Boinville.

FAMOUS WINNERS

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.

More recently, Honeysuckle won back-to-back races in 2021 and 2022, under the guidance of Rachael Blackmore.

ISTABRAQ

Istabraq's reign over the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham from 1998 to 2000 remains one of the most captivating chapters in the Festival's history. Trained by the masterful Aidan O'Brien and ridden by the legendary Charlie Swan, he became a true icon of National Hunt racing with his hat-trick of victories.

Each triumph showcased a different facet of his brilliance: his maiden victory in 1998 announced his arrival as a superstar, overcoming a strong field with a devastating turn of foot. The 1999 renewal saw him dominate from the front, a tactical masterclass that left his rivals floundering.

His final victory in 2000 was perhaps the most emotional, as he battled back from a mid-race stumble to surge clear up the famous Cheltenham hill, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest hurdlers of all time.

Istabraq's blend of speed, stamina, and jumping prowess, combined with his distinctive white blaze and the roar of his adoring public, created moments of sporting excellence that still resonate through the Cotswolds today.

SEE YOU THEN

See You Then is celebrated for his remarkable achievement of winning the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle three consecutive times in 1985, 1986, and 1987.

Trained by Nicky Henderson, the horse overcame significant challenges, including persistent tendon issues, to cement his place in racing history.

His first victory in 1985 was unexpected, as he capitalised on a mishap by the favourite, Browne's Gazette, to secure a commanding seven-length win under jockey Steve Smith-Eccles.

He then dominated the Champion Hurdle in the following two years. In 1986, he defeated Gaye Brief, and in 1987, he held off the American contender Flatterer to complete his hat-trick.

PERSIAN WAR

Persian War made racing history by winning the prestigious Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham for three consecutive years in 1968, 1969, and 1970. This remarkable feat established him as one of the greatest hurdlers of all time, joining an elite group of only three horses to achieve this triple crown at that point.

Persian War's versatility was evident in his ability to triumph on various ground conditions, securing victories on both firm and heavy going. His success was not limited to Cheltenham, as he also claimed other major races such as the Triumph Hurdle, Schweppes Gold Trophy, and Welsh Champion Hurdle.

Despite facing challenges, including injuries and frequent changes in trainers due to his owner's decisions, Persian War's talent and determination shone through, earning him a place among the highest-rated hurdlers in Timeform history.

CHAMPION HURDLE RECORDS

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 is the leading trainer. He has won it a staggering NINE times with See You Then (1985, 1986, 1987), Punjabi (2009), Binocular (2010), Buveur D'Air (2017, 2018), Epatante (2020) and Constitution Hill (2023.

His first win came in 1985 and his latest in 2020, spanning a period of 38 years.

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.

He also owned the wonderful Espoir d'Allen, who took the race in 2019. His 15-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.