Entries for the 2025 Champion Hurdle have been made today with 16 names featuring for the race in the early stages. All of the expected big names appear, with Constitution Hill among them in his quest to regain the crown he won in 2023.

Nicky Henderson’s star only ran once last season, but after a whole year off the track, he reappeared with a roof-raising success in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day. He was made an odds-on favourite to win his second Champion Hurdle off the back of that encouraging display.
Defending champion State Man could have something to say about that, however. He is also among the entries, though has suffered a difficult start to this season, twice being comprehensively beaten by Gordon Elliott’s impressive mare Brighterdaysahead. The Gigginstown-owned six-year-old claimed the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Hurdle by a whopping 30 lengths, though connections have hinted the Mares’ Hurdle may still be the aim.
State man’s stablemate Lossiemouth could also run in the mares only event. She won that race in 2024, but the Champion Hurdle has long seemed her destiny, albeit she was beaten by Constitution Hill at Christmas. Nevertheless, her options remain open too.
Mullins could also rely on a further quartet to boost his claims. Anzadam is very much a dark horse for this contest having made such a striking impression on his stable debut in November. He is now uneaten in three career starts either side of the English Channel, while Kargese, one of last season’s top juvenile hurdlers, Kitzbuhel who, like Anzadam, is owned by the Donnellys and won on his first start for Closutton, and distant Neville Hotels runner-up Winter Fog could also take their chance for the champion trainer.
Nicky Henderson has caused a few raised eyebrows by also entering Sir Gino. The Fighting Fifth winner proved a more than able deputy for Constitution Hill at Newcastle, but begun his novice chasing career in supreme fashion at Kempton when winning the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase, thrashing Ballyburn in the process. However, he could be a backup for Constitution Hill again here, or potentially State Man given he is in the same ownership.
There could be an unusually global flavour to this year’s Champion Hurdle after the initial entries too, as All The World appears in the entries for Japan. It would seem at first glance to be a speculative entry given he has won only one of his six starts, but his declaration would add some glamour to the occasion.
Other names on the list are largely British-based, with Greatwood Hurdle winner Burdett Road perhaps the standout. He ran a big race when third in the Christmas Hurdle to Constitution Hill and is on the upgrade. Brentford Hope and Nemean Lion have been nominated by Harry Derham and Kerry Lee respectively while Mares’ Novices’ heroine Golden Ace, who beat Brighterdaysahead to success at last year’s Festival, has also been entered by Jeremy Scott.
Ireland’s last two nominees are King Of Kingsfield, a stable and ownermate of Brighterdaysahead and Vincent Laurence Halley’s Senecia, a habitual outsider in big races.
Champion Hurdle 2025 Entries
Number | Horse | Trainer |
1 | All The World | Kazuya Nakatake |
2 | Anzadam | Willie Mullins |
3 | Brentford Hope | Harry Derham |
4 | Burdett Road | James Owen |
5 | Constitution Hill | Nicky Henderson |
6 | King Of Kingsfield | Gordon Elliott |
7 | Kitzbuhel | Willie Mullins |
8 | Nemean Lion | Kerry Lee |
9 | Senecia | Vincent Laurence Halley |
10 | Sir Gino | Nicky Henderson |
11 | State Man | Willie Mullins |
12 | Winter Fog | Willie Mullins |
13 | Brighterdaysahead | Gordon Elliott |
14 | Golden Ace | Jeremy Scott |
15 | Kargese | Willie Mullins |
16 | Lossiemouth | Willie Mullins |
