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, 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 the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The Stayers' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain. It is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles, with twelve hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
John Joseph "Jonjo" O'Neill is an Irish National Hunt racehorse trainer and former jockey. He is a native of Castletownroche, County Cork in Ireland. Based at the Jackdaws Castle training establishment in England. O'Neill twice won the British Champion Jockey title and won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on the mare, Dawn Run who became the only horse to complete the double of winning the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival. He won 900 races as a jockey.
The Christmas 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 at Kempton Park over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is the second leg of the Triple Crown of Hurdling and is scheduled to take place each year during the King George VI Chase meeting on Boxing Day.
The Formby Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in December. From 2011 to 2018 the race was sponsored by online casino 32Red and was run as the 32Red Hurdle between 2011 and 2013. Since 2023 it has been sponsored by William Hill
The Scilly Isles Novices' Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain, which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of around two miles and four furlongs. During its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late January or early February. It was sponsored by The Tote in 2011 and run as the Totepool Challengers Novices' Chase, and by Betfair in 2012 and run as the Betfair Novices' Chase. The 2013 running was sponsored by Betfred and run as the Betfred Mobile Lotto Challengers' Novice Chase. The Scilly Isles name was restored to the race title from 2014.
The Rendlesham Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ a furlong, and during its running there are twelve hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in February.
The Adonis Juvenile Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late February.
Gordon Elliott is a County Meath-based National Hunt racehorse trainer. After riding as an amateur jockey, he took out a trainer's licence in 2006. He was 29 when his first Grand National entry, the 33 to 1 outsider Silver Birch, won the 2007 race. In 2018 and 2019 he won the Grand National with Tiger Roll, ridden by Davy Russell and owned by Gigginstown House Stud, the first horse since Red Rum to win the race twice. In 2018 he also won the Irish Grand National, with General Principle. On two occasions, in 2017 and 2018, he was the top trainer at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Liverpool 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 at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlong, and during its running there are thirteen hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year at the Grand National meeting in early April.
The David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle, is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to mares aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are ten hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Annie Power is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A National Hunt horse specialising in hurdle racing, she won fifteen of her seventeen races including the Johnstown Novice Hurdle, Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle, Ascot Hurdle, Doncaster Mares' Hurdle and Mares Champion Hurdle. In 2016, she became the first mare for twenty two years to win the Champion Hurdle.
The New One was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. In a career running from November 2011 to December 2018 he ran in 40 races, winning 20 times, being placed a further nine times and earning over £1,000,000 in win and place prize money. In the 2011/2012 National Hunt season he won three of his four races when competing in National Hunt Flat races including the Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race at Aintree Racecourse. In the following year, competing over hurdles, he won four of his six starts including the Leamington Novices' Hurdle and the Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. In the following season he won the International Hurdle and finished third in Champion Hurdle before winning the Aintree Hurdle. In the 2014/15 season he won his first four races including a second International Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle Trial. He went on to win three more Champion Hurdle Trials, a third International Hurdle and a Welsh Champion Hurdle. The New One was retired after being pulled up in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham on 15 December 2018.
Albertas Run was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. He won two National Hunt Flat races and became a successful hurdler, winning the National Hunt Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final and the John Smith's Extra Cold Handicap Hurdle in 2007. He became more successful as a Steeplechaser, winning four Grade I races: the Royal and SunAlliance Chase, the Melling Chase and two runnings of the Ryanair Chase. His other wins included the Reynoldstown Novices' Chase, the Amlin 1965 Chase and the Old Roan Chase.
The Wetherby Mares' Hurdle is a Listed National Hunt horse race in Great Britain which is open to mares aged four years or older. It is run at Wetherby over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late October or early November.
The Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to mares aged four years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs (3,621 metres) and during the race there are ten hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late January or early February.
The Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle, run as the Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle for sponsorship purposes, is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to fillies and mares aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Mark Walsh is an Irish jockey who competes in National Hunt racing. Walsh comes from Clane, County Kildare and rode his first winner on Shrug at Punchestown in September 2002. He frequently rides for owner J. P. McManus and has achieved major wins for McManus on Jezki in the World Series Hurdle, Carlingford Lough in the Irish Gold Cup and Espoir d'Allen in the Champion Hurdle.
Native River is an Irish-bred, British-trained, retired Thoroughbred racehorse who raced under National Hunt rules. He was a specialist long-distance steeplechaser known for his front-running style and apparently inexhaustible stamina. He won three minor hurdle races in the 2014/15 season and started his chasing career in the 2015/16 season, winning the Worcester Novices' Chase and the Mildmay Novices' Chase. He emerged as a top-class steeplechaser in the following season when he won the Hennessy Gold Cup, Welsh Grand National and Denman Chase as well as finishing third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. In the 2017/18 season he won a second Denman Chase before recording his biggest win in the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup. In the 2019/20 season he won the Many Clouds Chase and achieved a record third win in the Denman Chase. His last win came in the Cotswold Chase in February 2021 and he was retired after a disappointing run in the 2021 Welsh Grand National. He is the most recent British-trained Cheltenham Gold Cup winner.
Epatante is a French-bred AQPS racehorse best known for her performances in Hurdle races. After winning two of her three races in her native country, she was transferred to race in England and showed further promise by winning two of her three starts in the 2018/2019 National Hunt season. In the following season she emerged as a top-class performer, winning the Ladbrokes Intermediate Hurdle, Christmas Hurdle and Champion Hurdle
