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42-613: The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong (2 miles and 87 yards, or 3,298 metres), and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is the last leg of the Triple Crown of Hurdling and is scheduled to take place each year on

84-408: A different track each year. The 'National Hunt Meeting' established itself in the racing calendar, in turn moving around such courses as Sandown, New market, Derby, Liverpool, Hurst Park, Lincoln, Leicester and many others. In 1904 and 1905, Cheltenham hosted the meeting, and although Warwick was awarded it for five years after that, it then returned to Cheltenham which became the permanent home of

126-647: A distance of 5,100 metres (about 3 miles and 1½ furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June. The race was first run on May 25, 1874, the same day as the inaugural running of the Grand National de France (now the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris ). It was originally open to horses aged four or older, and it was initially contested over 4,000 metres. This was increased to 4,800 metres in its second year, and to 5,000 metres in 1880. The race

168-492: A record attendance at that time of 30,000 racing fans. The winner National Spirit became the second horse to retain the hurdling crown while the runner-up to him, a bay horse called Le Paillon trained by Alec Head 's father, went on to race on the flat and won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe the same year. As National Spirit was winning his second Champion Hurdle, the horse down the field, Hatton's Grace , trained by one of

210-516: A sponsorship agreement with the online gambling operator Unibet , the race is now known as the Unibet Champion Hurdle. The first Champion Hurdle was run in 1927, and its inaugural winner, Blaris, was awarded prize money of £365. In its second year the event was won by Brown Jack , who subsequently became a prolific winner of long-distance flat races . The Champion Hurdle was abandoned in 1931 due to persistent frost, and in 1932 it

252-504: A whole host of other important races have been added to the National Hunt racing season, although many of these are geared towards generating betting turnover in the form of competitive handicaps that attract large numbers of runners. Given the sport's origins, Irish-bred and trained horses remain a dominant force in national hunt racing today. In 2005 and 2006, Irish-trained horses captured the three main prizes at Cheltenham and won

294-603: Is run after the Gold Cup over the same distance and is often referred to as the amateur Gold Cup. "Point to Point" racing is steeplechase racing for amateurs. Grande Course de Haies d%27Auteuil The Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil , sometimes referred to as the French Champion Hurdle , is a Group 1 hurdle race in France which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Auteuil over

336-461: Is run over 4.3 miles (6.9 km). Notably, the 'Liverpool Grand Steeplechase' (to give its original name) was actually initiated in 1836, although the three earliest runnings have been overlooked in many historical chronicles. Organising steeplechasing in Britain, began with annual events being staged cross country over a number of fields, hedges and brooks, the earliest most notable of these being

378-612: Is the Grand National , run at Aintree in April each year. The race is a different sort of contest from the Gold Cup: it is a Grade 3 race, it is run over a distance of more than 4 miles (6.4 km), there are up to 40 runners, the course at Aintree is essentially flat, and the horses are handicapped (the best horses carry the most weight). Perhaps the most fundamental difference is that the Grand National fences are far bigger than

420-678: Is the shortest-priced horse to have won the race. The 1970s produced another golden era of hurdling with the third Champion Hurdle triple winner Persian War and the exploits of double champions in Night Nurse , Monksfield , Bula and Comedy of Errors , who was the first horse to win two non-consecutive titles. The Racing Post declared the 1977 running to be the "strongest of fields ever assembled", with Night Nurse beating two other subsequent dual Champion Hurdle winners in Sea Pigeon and Monksfield . The 1984 winner, Dawn Run , became

462-589: The Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in England. She returned to Auteuil to attempt a repeat victory in 1986, but during the race she misjudged a hurdle, fell, and died almost instantly. In 2010, the race was won by flat jockey Christophe Soumillon . Leading jockey (4 wins): Leading trainer (8 wins): Leading owner (6 wins): * Mr Quilp finished first in 1902 but

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504-831: The Scottish Grand National at Ayr Racecourse ; the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse ; the Welsh National at Chepstow Racecourse ; and the Irish National at Fairyhouse Racecourse . National Hunt racing originated in Ireland , particularly in the southern counties. Early races were mainly two-horse contests known as "pounding races" that became popular in the early 18th century. These involved long trips across country where horses were required to jump whatever obstacles

546-447: The UK , national hunt racing is divided into two major distinct branches, hurdling and steeplechase , as well as flat races called " bumpers ". Hurdling involves horses jumping over hurdles , while steeplechase involves the horses jumping over a variety of different obstacles that includes plain fences , water jump or an open ditch. Some of the biggest National Hunt events of the year in

588-756: The United States . In Ireland, National Hunt racing receives much higher attendances than flat racing, while in Great Britain, it is more balanced, but the different seasons (there is little top-class flat racing in Britain from November to March) mean that most fans of the sport can enjoy both forms of racing at their pleasure. National Hunt horses are often bred for jumping, while others are former flat horses but they do not have to be Thoroughbreds : many French-bred jumpers are Selle Français or AQPS . Many horses begin their racing careers in amateur point-to-pointing where they compete over steeplechase races of three miles (4.8 km). The two main highlights of

630-538: The 2002 running, but on this occasion he failed to complete the race, and he was retired thereafter. Commercial sponsorship of the Champion Hurdle began in 1978, and it was initially backed by Waterford Crystal . The Smurfit (now known as the Smurfit Kappa Group), began supporting the race in 1991 and from 2010 to 2017 was sponsored by StanJames.com . Stan James's parent company Unibet became

672-690: The Cheltenham Festival is the Gold Cup . All races run at Cheltenham finish with a long uphill run-in in front of the stands. The Gold Cup is a Grade 1 race, run over a distance of 3 miles 2 + 1 ⁄ 2  furlongs (5.3 km). All horses carry the same weight in the Gold Cup. On numerous occasions the hill at the finish has found out the brave. Famous winners of the Gold Cup include Dawn Run (mare, ridden by Jonjo O'Neill), Arkle , Golden Miller, Best Mate, Desert Orchid & Kauto Star . The highest profile National Hunt race

714-550: The Grand National. Best Mate who captured the Cheltenham Gold Cup three successive times between 2002 and 2004, was Irish-bred, but trained and owned in England . In recent years, French-bred horses have also come to the forefront with horses such as Master Minded becoming the highest rated horse in Britain after winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Kauto Star who won the Gold Cup in 2007, 2009 and

756-738: The Grande Course de Haies was extended to 5,100 metres in 1969. This was cut to 4,100 metres in 1975, and then restored to 5,100 metres in 1979. Four horses have won both this event and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. These are Blagueur II, Loreto, Ubu III and Mid Dancer. The 1947 winner of the Grande Course de Haies, Le Paillon, later won the most prestigious flat race in France, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe . The 1984 winner, Dawn Run (a mare trained in Ireland), also won both

798-495: The National Hunt calendar are the Cheltenham Festival meeting and the Grand National meeting. The Cheltenham Festival is held at Cheltenham Racecourse over four days in the second week of March. On Friday, it features eleven grade one races, culminating in the Cheltenham Gold Cup , the most prestigious Chase race in the world. The Grand National meeting is held at Aintree over three days every April. Many of

840-658: The St Albans Steeplechase (first run in 1830). For some years, there was no regulation of steeplechasing . The sport gained a reputation as being a bastard relation of flat-racing and consequently fell into decline. A breakthrough came in the 1860s with the formation of the National Hunt Committee, and the running of the National Hunt Steeplechase. This steeplechase would form part of an annual race-meeting staged at

882-605: The UK are the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup . The National Hunt season primarily occurs during the winter months when softer ground conditions make jumping safer for horses. The horses are significantly cheaper compared to sport horses for other equestrian sports, reason being the majority are geldings and have no breeding value. Jump Racing primarily takes place in France , Great Britain and Ireland , with some events also taking place in Australia , Canada and

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924-578: The best horses come to these festivals, which are watched by a huge television audience worldwide. Hundreds of millions of pounds are gambled on these festivals . Other important festivals are: the Galway Races – a hugely popular mixed (NH and flat) meeting in Ireland; Punchestown Festival – the Irish equivalent of the Cheltenham Festival; The Tingle Creek at Sandown Park Racecourse ;

966-408: The established day for the Champion Hurdle from 1946 to 1960, with the exception of the postponed races in 1947 (Saturday) and 1955 (Wednesday). From 1961 to 1979 the race was always run on a Wednesday, except in 1964 when it took place on Friday for the only time in its history. In 2023 Zanahiyr became the first horse to be disqualified. After finishing third in the 2022 running ahead of Saint Roi, he

1008-471: The fences at Cheltenham and a number of fences incorporate significant drops. The best known fence is Becher's Brook which is 5 ft (1.5 m) high, but has a 7 ft (2 m) drop on landing and is often regarded as the biggest challenge on the course. Winners of the Grand National include Red Rum (won 3 times:1973, 1974, 1977), runner up twice (1975, 1976)); Mr Frisk (1990, the last winner to date to be ridden by an amateur jockey and still holds

1050-514: The first 3 of a Grade 1 or 2 chase in the previous season from taking part. The two biggest Hunter Chases are the Aintree Fox Hunters' Chase and Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase . The Aintree Fox Hunters' is run as the feature race on the first day of the Grand National meeting over one circuit of the Grand National course. This gives amateur riders the chance to jump these famous fences before the professionals. The Cheltenham Foxhunter

1092-560: The fixture. Further prestigious races were added to the card during the 1920s, such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle. As steeplechasing entered its modern era, the Cheltenham Festival became the pinnacle of the season, providing a series of championship races at which virtually all top horses would be targeted. With the introduction of sponsorship (starting with the Whitbread Gold Cup in 1957),

1134-458: The landscape threw in their way. The first recorded race of this nature is traditionally said to have taken place between the towns of Buttevant and Doneraile in the north of County Cork in 1752. The distance of the race was 4.5 miles (7.2 km). The start and finish were marked by the church steeple in each town, hence the term " steeplechase ". Point-to-point races, amateur steeplechases normally run on farmland, remain hugely popular in

1176-667: The list of Grade 1-3 National Hunt races and the list of Group 1-3 Flat races . The capital of National Hunt racing in the UK is Cheltenham Racecourse , in the Cotswolds , which hosts the Cheltenham Festival in the third week of March each year, as well as other important fixtures during the NH calendar. There are numerous well-known trainers operating in the Cotswolds including Jonjo O'Neill , Richard Phillips, Tom George, Nigel Twiston-Davies, and latterly Kim Bailey. The highlight of

1218-400: The most important figures in horse racing Vincent O'Brien , was about to make history and improved for the next seasons to become the first hat-trick winner of the race. The achievement of Hatton's Grace was soon to be matched by Sir Ken, who recorded three successive victories in the 1950s. Before the second of these Sir Ken was given a starting price of 2/5 (a £5 bet would have won £2). He

1260-479: The mêlée occurred is now named "Foinavon Fence"). Other NH races of note include the King George VI Chase , run at Kempton Park on 26 December and the Hennessy Gold Cup run at Newbury at the end of November. Hunter chases take place at national hunt racecourses but are only open to horses that have hunter certificates. Hunter certificates are issued to horses that have hunted for at least four days in

1302-478: The opening day of the Cheltenham Festival in March. As its title suggests, the Champion Hurdle is the most prestigious hurdling event in the National Hunt calendar. Its list of winners features many of the most highly acclaimed hurdlers in the sport's history, and several of these, such as National Spirit , Istabraq , Hatton's Grace , Persian War and Lanzarote , have had races named in their honour. As part of

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1344-458: The race was Honeysuckle , the winner of the 2021 and 2022 renewals. The last triple winner of the Champion Hurdle was Istabraq , whose successes came in 1998, 1999 and 2000. In the early weeks of 2001 he was the odds-on favourite to win the race again, for an unprecedented fourth time. However, this opportunity was lost as the entire Cheltenham Festival was cancelled that year because of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease . Istabraq returned for

1386-405: The record for the fastest time); Aldaniti (1981, ridden by Bob Champion shortly after he had recovered from cancer. His story was made into a film); and Foinavon (1967, won at odds of 100/1 after a mêlée at the 23rd fence resulted in the majority of the field falling or refusing. Foinavon was far enough behind at that point to avoid the confusion and ran on to win by 20 lengths. The fence where

1428-429: The same region and in many parts of rural Ireland and Great Britain , today. The first use of the term steeplechase on an official racecard was in Ireland in the early 19th century. The 'official' first running of the Grand National , held annually at Aintree in England, took place in 1839 and was won by an Irish horse, Lottery . The "National", as it is known, was run over 4.5 miles (7.2 km), but since 2013

1470-598: The season before racing starts in January. In addition, the jockey must be an amateur who has obtained a certificate from the hunt secretary. Unlike point-to-points , licensed trainers as well as amateur trainers may have runners in Hunter Chases. This often causes controversy when big name trainers run former Grade 1 horses in Hunter Chases as amateur trainers feel they are unable to compete. New rules which took effect in 2009, will prevent horses which have finished in

1512-604: The second mare to win the Champion Hurdle. In the same year she also won the Irish and French versions of the event, and two seasons later she won the most prestigious chase in National Hunt racing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup . She remains the only horse to have completed the Champion Hurdle-Gold Cup double. From 1985 to 1987 the Champion Hurdle was dominated by See You Then , who became the event's fourth three-time winner. The sixth and most recent mare to win

1554-791: The title sponsor from the 2018 running. The race is the final leg of the Road to Cheltenham , a series of high-class hurdles races consisting of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle , the International Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle Trial . The Champion Hurdle has been continually run on a Tuesday since 1980. The 1927 race was run on a Wednesday, followed by a Thursday in 1928 and then Tuesday from 1929 to 1939. The race moved to Wednesday for 1940 and 1941 followed by rare Saturday runnings in 1942 and 1945. Tuesday became

1596-473: Was contested by just three horses – the smallest field in its history. The race was cancelled twice during World War II , in 1943 and 1944. The 1947 renewal paved the way for a golden era in the Champion Hurdle with just 3 winners until 1955 – National Spirit , Hatton's Grace and Sir Ken , all of them etched into the list of greatest ever hurdlers. Even though it was postponed twice because of winter snows, taking place in mid-April, it proved most popular with

1638-408: Was disqualified and placed last by a British Horseracing Authority tribunal in early 2023 after a banned substance was discovered in a sample taken on race day. Saint Roi was awarded third place and all other runners were promoted by one place. Most successful horse (3 wins): Leading jockey (4 wins): Leading trainer (9 wins): Leading owner (9 wins): National Hunt racing In

1680-681: Was given a new date in 1882 – it was moved to the Wednesday after the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, which continued to be run on the last Sunday in May. The following year saw the launch of a new steeplechase at Auteuil, the Prix des Drags, and this was scheduled for the Friday of the same week. This week of top class jump races became known as the Grande Semaine d'Auteuil . The Grande Course de Haies

1722-504: Was run as a handicap until 1889, but since then it has held weight for age conditions. The race was abandoned throughout World War I , with no running from 1915 to 1918. During World War II it was cancelled only once, in 1940. The minimum age was raised to five in 1961, when a new hurdle race, the Grande Course de Haies des 4 Ans (later titled the Prix Alain du Breil), was introduced specifically for four-year-olds. The distance of

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1764-486: Was second in 2008 is also French bred. Races are graded depending on their health and mental status. The most prestigious are Grade 1, then Grade 2, Grade 3, Listed, Handicaps, to Bumpers the least prestigious. The more highly graded races attract more prize money and better horses. (In flat racing the more prestigious races are Group 1, 2, and 3, then Listed). All National Hunt races are also classified in classes 1-7 (class 1 best). Graded and listed races are class 1. See

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