The Champion Hurdle is the most prestigious two-mile hurdle race of the National Hunt season and is the highlight of the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. There have been five three-time winners of the hurdling crown, the most recent being Istabraq from 1998 to 2000. He was trained by Aidan O’Brien and was denied a tilt at a record fourth victory when the meeting was abandoned due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001.
Over the years, the race has been won by some legends of the sport, including Night Nurse, Monksfield, Sea Pigeon, and Istabraq. The current champion is the magnificent Constitution Hill.
The race thrived during a golden age of hurdling in the late seventies and early eighties when Night Nurse, Monksfield and Sea Pigeon shared six victories between them. Nicky Henderson trained See You Then to three consecutive victories from 1985 to 1987 and took his Champion Hurdle tally to a record eight victories with Epatante in 2020.
The 2024 field can be seen below, in a race won by State Man.
Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1) (GBB Race)
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State ManJ: Paul TownendT: W P Mullins
Champion Hurdle Odds and Entries 2025
The odds show that another match between Constitution Hill and State Man may be on the cards. The latter won the race in the absence of the former in 2024, but racing fans will be desperate to see the two giants of Britain and Ireland take each other on again in 2025.
Betting on the Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle features the best hurdlers in Great Britain and Ireland and ranks second only to the Cheltenham Gold Cup during Festival week. Ante-post odds are available all-year-round and it is one of the top betting races of the week. The market leader for 2024 is Constitution Hill who could become the shortest-priced winner in the history of the race.
Sir Ken started 2-5 favourite when claiming the second of three consecutive victories in 1953. There have been five three-time winners and Constitution Hill may reach the cusp of those past champions if winning a second trophy this season.
Favourites have a very good record in the Champion Hurdle in recent years, winning nine of the last 13 renewals. There have been the occasional shock results in this race, most recently with Punjabi at 22-1 in 2009 and Espoir D’Allen at 16-1 in 2019. The longest priced winners in the history of the race were Kirriemuir (1965) and Beech Road (1989), both returned at 50-1.
Champion Hurdle News
All eyes will be on Constitution Hill on Tuesday as he aims to maintain his 100% winning record and land a second Champion Hurdle victory. However, State Man is the best two-mile hurdler in Ireland and has been in excellent form again this season. The big question, though, is can State Man get closer to Constitution Hill than two years ago and see if there are any chinks in his armour?
It looks like a two-horse race, and with few likely to stand in opposition to the principals, it’s a race that sadly lacks any real each-way value.