Horse Racing

83% Champion Hurdle Trend Brighterdaysahead Must Overcome To Beat Constitution Hill

Andy Newton Sports Editor

Published10 Mar 2025

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If you are debating taking on the red-hot Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill with talented mare Brighterdaysahead – you might want to think again. This is because there is a BIG 83% Champion Hurdle trend that last season’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle runner-up will need to overcome first.

You can also see Andy Newton’s best Cheltenham bets and hot stats for ALL the DAY ONE Festival races.

83% Of The Last 24 Champion Hurdle Winners Had Raced In The Last 60 Days

Of the Champion Hurdle trends listed below, there are, of course, many that the Gordon Elliott-trained Brighterdaysahead ticks.

Like winning last time out – just like 35 of the last 41 winners did.

However, there is a big stat that this exciting mare will need to overcome.

This Champion Hurdle trend in question for the day two Cheltenham Festival feature surrounds having had a run that calendar year.

In short – horses that HAVE HAD a run in either January or February before heading to the festival in March.

Since 2000, ONLY FOUR winners of the Champion Hurdle HADN’T raced that same year.

Something the Gordon Elliott-trained Brighterdaysahead will also need to overcome if she’s to topple the 2023 hero Constitution Hill – who is the favourite with the best horse racing betting sites in the UK.

Only Constitution Hill (2023), Epatante (2020), Faugheen (2015) and Rock On Ruby (2012) have won the Champion Hurdle off this lay-off.

Brighterdaysahead Last Ran 72 Days Ago On 29th December 2024

See below the last run by Brighterdaysahead, which was a facile success in the Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown – with the 2024 Champion Hurdle winner State Man well back.

This run will be 72 days ago by the time the Champion Hurdle comes around on Tuesday 11th March – meaning she’ll be looking to become only the fifth horse since 2000 to win having NOT raced that season year.

We’ve listed the last 24 Champion Hurdle winners and their last races below.

The Last 24 Champion Hurdle Years and Date The Winner Last Raced

2024 – 4th Feb 2024 – State Man
2023 – 26th Dec 2022 (Constitution Hill)
2022 – 6th Feb 2022 – Honeysuckle
2021 – 6th Feb 2021 – Honeysuckle
2020 – 26th Dec 2020 (Epatante)
2019 – 27th Jan 2019 – Espoir d’Allen
2018 – 3rd Feb 2018 – Buveur d’Air
2017 – 4th Feb 2017 – Buveur’d’Air
2016 – 17th Feb 2016 – Annie Power
2015 – 26th Dec 2014 (Faugheen)
2014 – 26th Jan 2014 – Jezki
2013 – 27th Jan 2013 – Hurricane Fly
2012 – 26th Dec 2011 (Rock On Ruby)
2011 – 23rd Jan 2011 – Hurricane Fly
2010 – 6th Feb 2010 – Binocular
2009 – 14th Feb 2009 – Punjabi
2008 – 16th Feb 2008 – Katchit
2007 – 27th Jan 2007 – Sublimity
2006 – 29th Jan 2006 – Brave Inca
2005 – 12th Feb 2005 – Hardy Eustace
2004 – 14th Feb 2004 – Hardy Eustace
2003 – 1st Feb 2003 – Rooster Booster
2002 – 21st Feb 2002 (Hors La Loi III)
2001 – No Race
2000 – 23rd Jan 2000 (Istabraq)

Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown Have Never Won The Champion Hurdle

Another of the Champion Hurdle trends that Brighterdaysahead will need to overcome is that trainer Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud are yet to win the day one feature.

Elliott, who has sent out 40 winners at the Festival, has won the Gold Cup and Stayers’ Hurdle – but is still to get his hands on the Champion Chase and Hurdle.

The same applies to Gigginstown House, but the pair did have high hopes back in 2019 with another mare – Apple’s Jade. But despite being sent off as the 7/4 favourite that day could only manage 6th behind Espoir D’Allen.

Champion Hurdle 2025 Race Details

📅Date: Tuesday 11th March 2025
⌚Time: 4:00pm
🏇Racecourse: Cheltenham
🔄Trip: 2m 1/2f
💷Winning Purse: £253,215
📺 TV: ITV / Racing TV

Other Key Champion Hurdle Trends 2025

Positive Champion Hurdle Trends

10 of the last 15 winners had raced no more than 10 times over hurdles
35 of the last 41 won their last race
Horses unbeaten that season do well (12 of last 14)
The Irish and Nicky Henderson have won 22 of the last 26 runnings between them
11 of the last 16 winners came from the Henderson or Willie Mullins yards
The Irish have won 16 of the last 26 renewals
29 of the last 35 winners were aged 6 or 7 years-old (12 of last 17)
16 of the last 26 winners had won at the Festival in the past
27 of the last 40 winners were placed in the first 4 at the previous season’s festival
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle has been a good guide (5 winners, 6 places in last 17 runnings)
14 of the last 29 winners started off as flat horses
The last 10 winners were unbeaten that term
Horses that have raced at least once that calendar year do well
JP McManus has won 6 of the last 15 (9 in total)
Willie Mullins has won 4 of the last 13 runnings (5 in total)
Nicky Henderson has won the race 9 times, including 4 of the last 8 years
7 of the last 16 winners ran in the Christmas Hurdle (Kempton)
Mares are 4 from 10 during last 9 runnings
9 of the last 12 favourites won

Negative Champion Hurdle Trends

Avoid horses that didn’t finish in the top three in their last race
5 year-olds are just 2 from 113 since 1985, but the 2019 winner was a 5 year-old
Since 1927, just 2 winners aged 10 or older (0-31 in the last 42 runnings)
Only 2 of the last 18 winners had raced more than 12 times over hurdles
Christmas Hurdle (Kempton, 26^th Dec) winners are just 5 from 33, but – Epatante 2020 & 2023 Constitution Hill) – did the Christmas Hurdle/Champion Hurdle double.
Only 2 horses have regained the race since 1975
International Hurdle winners are 0-from-13 (last 21 years)
Only 2 of the last 26 winners hadn’t raced at the Festival in the past
The last Supreme Novice’ Hurdle winner to win the Champion Hurdle the following season was Constitution Hill (2023), but before that was 53 years ago (Bula)

Recent Champion Hurdle Winners

2024 – State Man (2/5 fav)
2023 – Constitution Hill (4/11 fav)
2022 – Honeysuckle (8/11 fav)
2021 – Honeysuckle (11/10 fav)
2020 – Epatante (2/1 fav)
2019 – Espoir D’Allen (16/1)
2018 – Buveur D’Air (4/6 fav)
2017 – Buveur D’Air (5/1)
2016 – Annie Power (5/2 fav)
2015 – Faugheen (4/5 fav)