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.
Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey.
The Triple Crown of Hurdling is awarded to a horse that wins all three of the open, two-mile Grade 1 Hurdling races in any given English National Hunt season:
- The Fighting Fifth Hurdle, held at the Newcastle Racecourse
- The Christmas Hurdle, held at Kempton Park Racecourse
- The Champion Hurdle, held at Cheltenham Racecourse
World Bet Exchange (WBX) was a person-to-person betting exchange based in Notting Hill Gate, London in the United Kingdom, and licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. WBX.com was founded in 2002 by Malcolm Gray but did not officially launch until November, 25th, 2006. In an interview prior to launch, Gray was quoted as saying: "In an industry where the current market leader has a virtual monopoly, we believe the arrival of WBX will put every exchange player back in control. We will continually seek to offer a vibrant, exciting and innovative alternative to Betfair, and we hope this will promote healthy rivalry." On 16 March 2015 the company announced that it was shutting, effective 5pm the same day.
Kribensis was an Irish thoroughbred racehorse, born to sire, Henbit and dam, Aquaria. The horse was owned by Sheikh Mohammed and trained by Sir Michael Stoute. Kribensis gave Sheikh Mohammed his first Cheltenham Festival win when he won the Triumph Hurdle in 1988.
Sublimity was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse whose Flat racing and hurdling career was highlighted in 2007 when he won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. By Selkirk and out of Fig Tree Drive, Sublimity is owned by the late Bill Hennessy and trained by his son Robert Alan Hennessy in Ratoath, County Meath, Ireland.
Katchit was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse, the peak of whose flat racing and hurdling career came in 2008 when, against the odds, he won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Katchit was a moderate flat racer, winning only once in sixteen races. In his first two seasons as a hurdler however, he showed great improvement, winning ten times between September 2006 and March 2008. He won the Triumph Hurdle in 2007 and the Championship a year later. No Triumph Hurdle winner had gone on to win the Champion Hurdle since Kribensis in 1990, and 73 five-year-olds had been beaten in the race since See You Then registered the last five-year-old success in 1985. His later career was affected by injury and he never won again.
Straw Bear is an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. He was trained in England throughout his career and was notable for his performances in hurdle races. He won two Grade I events, the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle.
Harchibald is a retired French-bred, Irish-trained thoroughbred racehorse.
Go Native was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse, born to sire Double Eclipse and dam Native Idea. He was owned by Docado Syndicate, trained by Noel Meade, and his primary jockey has been Paul Carberry. He was purchased by the Docado Syndicate for £25,000 from horse dealer Martin Cullinane. As of March 21, 2009, Go Native’s career record stands at 8 wins, 4 places and 0 shows, with 3 of his wins coming in Grade 1 Hurdle races. He has amassed £310,254 in lifetime earnings.
The Docado Syndicate is a six person horse racing ownership group from Ireland. The syndicate includes Eamon Doyle and Kitty Carr, owners of the Park House Hotel in Galway City for the past 34 years. Doyle and Carr are also the owners of the Galway Restaurant, also located in Galway City. Along with Doyle and Carr, the Docado Syndicate ownership group also includes Carr’s sister Maura, her husband Sylvie Dowd and their children Tom and Ann Marie. The Syndicate’s name, Docado, is formed by using the first two letters of the principal owners’ last names: DOwd, CArr, DOwd.
Noel Meade is a horse trainer from Castletown, Co. Meath, Ireland. He established Tu Va Stables in Co. Meath, Ireland as a place to train his horses.
Tu Va Stables in Co. Meath, Ireland is an Irish thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding business that was established by Noel Meade, a prominent National Hunt racing horse trainer.
Binocular, foaled on 17 March 2004 in France, is a French thoroughbred retired racehorse. He was sired by Enrique out of the mare Bleu Ciel Et Blanc. He is owned by J. P. McManus and trained by Nicky Henderson. His primary jockey is Tony McCoy.
Aces Four, foaled on March 30, 1999, in Ireland, is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse.
The French Furze is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse, born to sire, Be My Guest and dam, Exciting. He is owned by Jim Ennis and was trained by Nicky Richards. Throughout his time as a racehorse, he was ridden by several famous jockeys, including Brian Harding, Tony Dobbin and Tony McCoy among others. At the time of his retirement, The French Furze had amassed a career record of 11 wins, 12 places and 8 shows while accumulating £232,499 in lifetime earnings.
Solwhit was a French-bred, Irish-trained thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist hurdler, he competed in National Hunt races. He died on 7 November 2014 following a fall whilst schooling in Tipperary.
Macs Joy was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who won several important hurdle races including three at Grade I level between 2004 and 2006. He was also known for his long series of races against the Champion Hurdler Brave Inca. He was put down after breaking a leg in a race at Cheltenham in December 2007.
Darlan was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. In a nine-race career that lasted from April 2011 until February 2013, he won six times, finished second once and fell twice. After winning his only National Hunt Flat race, he was one of the leading novice hurdlers of the 2011/2012 season, winning four races including the Top Novices' Hurdle. In the following year, he established himself as a leading contender for the Champion Hurdle by winning the Christmas Hurdle, but was killed in a fall in his next race.
Intersky Falcon is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. He won eleven hurdle races and one steeplechase in a thirty-six race career which lasted from February 2001 until July 2006. He recorded his first major win when taking the Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park Racecourse in May 2002. He went on to win the John James McManus Memorial Hurdle in Ireland in 2002 and 2003 and the Fighting Fifth Hurdle in 2002. Intersky Falcon's most notable achievement was to record back-to-back victories in the Christmas Hurdle, decisively defeating the reigning Champion Hurdler on each occasion. He never won at Cheltenham, but ran in four consecutive renewals of the Champion Hurdle, finishing fifth, third, sixth and eleventh.
