Champion Hurdle
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The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for four-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 2 miles 110 yards (3,319 metres) at Cheltenham Racecourse on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival in March. Prior to 1980 the distance was about 110 yards further. There are eight hurdles to be jumped in the race.
It was first run in 1927, and is the most prestigious hurdle race in the United Kingdom.
[edit] Trivia
- 1932 The smallest ever field for the race - 3 runners.
- 1946 Distel provided owner Dorothy Paget with her fourth win in the race - the most successful owner.
- 1954 Tim Molony's third win on Sir Ken was his fourth victory in the race overall - the most successful jockey.
- 1966 Flyingbolt finished third the day after winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
- 1981 Sea Pigeon's second victory was Peter Easterby's fifth win in the race - the most successful trainer.
- 1988 Celtic Shot went on to be favourite for the 1990 Arkle Challenge Trophy and 1991 Cheltenham Gold Cup but finished outside the top five in both.
- 1991 There were 24 runners, equalling the record set in 1964 for the largest ever field.
- 1993 Winner Granville Again was the full-brother to the 1991 winner Morley Street.
- 1994 Flakey Dove became the second mare to win the race - Dawn Run was the first in 1984. Favourite in 1994 was Oh So Risky despite him not winning a hurdles race for three years.
- 1996 Winning jockey Graham Bradley only got the ride by accident. His alarm clock had failed to go off one day. This meant that he missed schooling favourite Alderbrook and wasn't offered the ride in the race. Jamie Osborne was offered the ride on Collier Bay but decided to ride Mysilv instead leaving Brad free to ride the horse.
- 1999 Theatreworld came second for the third successive year.
- 2000 Istabraq set a new record time for the race, 3m 48.1s, beating the previous best of 3m 48.4s by Make a Stand in 1997.
- 2003 Rooster Booster is the latest of four grey horses to win the race.
- 2004 Dessie Hughes, trainer of Hardy Eustace, became the fourth person to have both ridden and trained a Champion Hurdle winner.
[edit] Winners
- Amateur jockeys indicated by "Mr".
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1927 | Blaris | 6 | George Duller | Bill Payne |
| 1928 | Brown Jack | 4 | Bilbie Rees | Aubrey Hastings |
| 1929 | Royal Falcon | 6 | Dick Rees | Bob Gore |
| 1930 | Brown Tony | 4 | Tommy Cullinan | Jack Anthony |
| 1931 race cancelled because of persistent frost | ||||
| 1932 | Insurance | 5 | Ted Leader | Basil Briscoe |
| 1933 | Insurance | 6 | Billy Stott | Basil Briscoe |
| 1934 | Chenango | 7 | Danny Morgan | Ivor Anthony |
| 1935 | Lion Courage | 7 | Gerry Wilson | F Brown |
| 1936 | Victor Norman | 5 | Frenchie Nicholson | Morgan Blair |
| 1937 | Free Fare | 9 | Georges Pellerin | Ted Gwilt |
| 1938 | Our Hope | 9 | Perry Harding | Roderic Gubbins |
| 1939 | African Sister | 7 | Keith Piggott | Charles Piggott |
| 1940 | Solford | 9 | Sean Magee | Owen Anthony |
| 1941 | Seneca | 4 | Ron Smyth | Vic Smyth |
| 1942 | Forestation | 4 | Ron Smyth | Vic Smyth |
| 1943 & 1944 races cancelled because of World War II | ||||
| 1945 | Brains Trust | 5 | Fred Rimell | Gerry Wilson |
| 1946 | Distel | 5 | Bobby O'Ryan | Charles Rogers |
| 1947 | National Spirit | 6 | Danny Morgan | Vic Smyth |
| 1948 | National Spirit | 7 | Ron Smyth | Vic Smyth |
| 1949 | Hatton's Grace | 9 | Aubrey Brabazon | Vincent O'Brien |
| 1950 | Hatton's Grace | 10 | Aubrey Brabazon | Vincent O'Brien |
| 1951 | Hatton's Grace | 11 | Tim Molony | Vincent O'Brien |
| 1952 | Sir Ken | 5 | Tim Molony | Willie Stephenson |
| 1953 | Sir Ken | 6 | Tim Molony | Willie Stephenson |
| 1954 | Sir Ken | 7 | Tim Molony | Willie Stephenson |
| 1955 | Clair Soleil | 6 | Fred Winter | Ryan Price |
| 1956 | Doorknocker | 8 | Harry Sprague | Charlie Hall |
| 1957 | Merry Deal | 7 | Grenville Underwood | Arthur Jones |
| 1958 | Bandalore | 7 | George Stack | Stan Wright |
| 1959 | Fare Time | 6 | Fred Winter | Ryan Price |
| 1960 | Another Flash | 6 | Bobby Beasley | Paddy Sleator |
| 1961 | Eborneezer | 6 | Fred Winter | Ryan Price |
| 1962 | Anzio | 5 | Willie Robinson | Fulke Walwyn |
| 1963 | Winning Fair | 8 | Mr Alan Lillingston | George Spencer |
| 1964 | Magic Court | 6 | Pat McCarron | Tommy Robson |
| 1965 | Kirriemuir | 5 | Willie Robinson | Fulke Walwyn |
| 1966 | Salmon Spray | 8 | Johnny Haine | Bob Turnell |
| 1967 | Saucy Kit | 6 | Roy Edwards | Peter Easterby |
| 1968 | Persian War | 5 | Jimmy Uttley | Colin Davies |
| 1969 | Persian War | 6 | Jimmy Uttley | Colin Davies |
| 1970 | Persian War | 7 | Jimmy Uttley | Colin Davies |
| 1971 | Bula | 6 | Paul Kelleway | Fred Winter |
| 1972 | Bula | 7 | Paul Kelleway | Fred Winter |
| 1973 | Comedy of Errors | 6 | Bill Smith | Fred Rimell |
| 1974 | Lanzarote | 6 | Richard Pitman | Fred Winter |
| 1975 | Comedy of Errors | 8 | Ken White | Fred Rimell |
| 1976 | Night Nurse | 5 | Paddy Broderick | Peter Easterby |
| 1977 | Night Nurse | 6 | Paddy Broderick | Peter Easterby |
| 1978 | Monksfield | 6 | Tommy Kinane | Des McDonogh |
| 1979 | Monksfield | 7 | Dessie Hughes | Des McDonogh |
| 1980 | Sea Pigeon | 10 | Jonjo O'Neill | Peter Easterby |
| 1981 | Sea Pigeon | 11 | John Francome | Peter Easterby |
| 1982 | For Auction | 6 | Mr Colin Magnier | Michael Cunningham |
| 1983 | Gaye Brief | 6 | Richard Linley | Mercy Rimell |
| 1984 | Dawn Run | 6 | Jonjo O'Neill | Paddy Mullins |
| 1985 | See You Then | 5 | Steve Smith Eccles | Nicky Henderson |
| 1986 | See You Then | 6 | Steve Smith Eccles | Nicky Henderson |
| 1987 | See You Then | 7 | Steve Smith Eccles | Nicky Henderson |
| 1988 | Celtic Shot | 6 | Peter Scudamore | Fred Winter |
| 1989 | Beech Road | 7 | Richard Guest | Toby Balding |
| 1990 | Kribensis | 6 | Richard Dunwoody | Michael Stoute |
| 1991 | Morley Street | 7 | Jimmy Frost | Toby Balding |
| 1992 | Royal Gait | 9 | Graham McCourt | James Fanshawe |
| 1993 | Granville Again | 7 | Peter Scudamore | Martin Pipe |
| 1994 | Flakey Dove | 8 | Mark Dwyer | Richard Price |
| 1995 | Alderbrook | 6 | Norman Williamson | Kim Bailey |
| 1996 | Collier Bay | 6 | Graham Bradley | Jim Old |
| 1997 | Make a Stand | 6 | A. P. McCoy | Martin Pipe |
| 1998 | Istabraq | 6 | Charlie Swan | Aidan O'Brien |
| 1999 | Istabraq | 7 | Charlie Swan | Aidan O'Brien |
| 2000 | Istabraq | 8 | Charlie Swan | Aidan O'Brien |
| 2001 race cancelled because of foot and mouth crisis | ||||
| 2002 | Hors La Loi III | 7 | Dean Gallagher | James Fanshawe |
| 2003 | Rooster Booster | 9 | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs |
| 2004 | Hardy Eustace | 7 | Conor O'Dwyer | Dessie Hughes |
| 2005 | Hardy Eustace | 8 | Conor O'Dwyer | Dessie Hughes |
| 2006 | Brave Inca | 8 | A. P. McCoy | Colm Murphy |
