Cheltenham Festival Races

The Stayers’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 hurdle race run over 2 miles, 7 furlongs and 213 yards on the New Course at Cheltenham in March. Open to horses aged four years and upwards, and worth $325,000 in total prize money, the Stayers’ Hurdle is the feature race on the third day of four-day Cheltenham Festival. The race was inaugurated, in its current guise, in 1972, when it replaced the Spa Hurdle, which was a part of the Festival programme between 1946 and 1967, and again in 1971.

Throughout its modern existence, the Stayers’ Hurdle has had various sponsors, namely Lloyds Bank, Waterford Crystal, Bonusprint, Sun Bets, Sun Racing and Paddy Power. Between 2005 and 2015, Ladbrokes took over sponsorship and changed the race title to the ‘World Hurdle’, although the ‘Stayers Hurdle’ title was restored when the sponsorship came to an end in 2016.

Ditcheat trainer Paul Nicholls is the most successful handler in the history of the Stayers’ Hurdle, thanks solely to the exploits of the prolific Big Buck’s who won the staying crown four times, in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, as part of an 18-race winning streak. Looking ahead to the 2023 renewal, scheduled for 3:30pm on Thursday, March 16, the ante-post market is well formed, with the 2020 and 2021 winner, Flooring Porter, unsurprisingly at the head of affairs. Again, not-altogether-surprisingly, Irish-trained horses fill the first seven places in the ante-post betting, with Buzz, trained by Nicky Henderson, the shortest-priced of the home contingent, at 14/1.

Statistics-wise, Henderson has a dismal record, though, having saddled a total of 17 losers, and no winners, in the last 20 renewals of the Stayers’ Hurdle. Prospective punters might like to bear in mind that the majority of winners in that period had made fewer than five starts during the current season and had previously been placed, at least, in Grade 1 company.

For aficionados of National Hunt racing, the Queen Mother Champion Chase probably requires little or no introduction. However, for the uninitiated, the Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 steeplechase run over 1 mile, 7 furlongs and 199 yards on the Old Course at Cheltenham in March. Open to horses aged five years and upwards, the race is considered to be the championship race of the season in the two-mile steeplechasing division and forms the highlight of day two of the Cheltenham Festival.

The Queen Mother Champion Chase was inugurated, as the National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase, in 1959, but was renamed in 1980 to celebrate the eightieth birthday of the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. As might be expected, the roll of honour features some of the highest-rated minimum-distance steeplechasers in history, including Flyingbolt, Moscow Flyer and Sprinter Sacre, to name but three.

The most successful horse in the history of the Queen Mother Champion Chase was Badsworth Boy – trained by Michael Dickinson and subsequently by his mother, Monica – who completed an unprecedented hat-trick in 1983, 1984 and 1985. Tom Dreaper, trainer of Flyingbolt, Nicky Henderson, trainer of Sprinter Sacre, and Paul Nicholls jointly hold the record as the most successful handlers, having saddled six winners apiece.

The 2023 renewal of the Queen Mother Champion Chase is scheduled for 3.30pm on Ladies’ Day, Wednesday, March 15, but the ante-post market is already well formed, with defending champion Energumene, unsurprisingly, at the head of affairs. Shiskin, who flopped dismally when odds-on favourite for the 2022, is on a retrieval mission, while other leading fancies include former Weatherbys Champion winner Ferny Hollow, who remains unexposed over obstacles.

This is the final race of the Cheltenham Festival, the seventh race on the fourth day -Friday 16^th March 2018 at 17.30 GMT. Run on the New Course at Prestbury Park, this race for horses aged five and upwards, over a distance of two miles and half a furlong, is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase.

 

2017 winner was Rock The World (10/1), second place went to Gardefort (20/1) and third place Theinval (9/1). Statistics state that 8 out of the last 14 winners had previously won on the same course, but as it’s the final race of the Cheltenham Festival, and with 14 of the last 39 winners coming in at odds of 10/1 or less, you won’t get too much back for your stake.

 

Don’t Touch It by Jessica Harrington is favourite for 2018 at 10-1, while Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson are the trainers to keep an eye open for on the British side.

 

In true racing fashion, the Festival finishes with one of the most challenging races of the week. While many horses will enter the race thinking they have a chance of victory, this is a race with a very competitive handicap. The horses taking part need to not only be able to keep up a strong pace, but also to be able to jump well, which gives the crowd plenty of excitement and drama throughout the race. What a fantastic race to end the week at the Cheltenham Festival.

 

 

Named after one of the greatest horse trainers of recent times, Martin Pipe, who has since handed over the licence of the race to David, his son. This competitive event at Cheltenham, has proved to be a stepping stone to greater things in the National Hunt event calendar.

 

The handicap hurdle takes place in 2018 on 16^th March, at 4.50pm GMT. With a distance of 2 miles and 4 and a half furlongs over 14 fences, this Class 2 event is run on the New Course, for horses ages four years and older. Total Prize money stands at £70,000.

 

This hurdle race for conditional jockeys, was won in 2017 by Champagne Classic (12/1) with jockey JJ Slevin for Gordon Elliot. Second place was awarded to Verni (25/1) and third place Runfordave at (9/1). No jockey or horse has won the race more than once, although trainer Willie Mullins has had three victories with Killultagh Vic in 2015, Don Poli in 2014 and Sir Des Champs in 2011.

 

As there a large number of horses racing (currently around 141 listed) the winning entrants need to have the speed to maintain a decent position, yes also need to be able to keep going for the whole distance of over 2 miles and 4 and a half furlongs. Flawless Escape is the 2018 favourite to date, ( at 6-1f).