Key Trials from the last 10 years

• The Warwick Mares' Hurdle in February has thrown up two winners (Glens Melody and Marie's Rock) and four places in the last 10 years.
• The Warfield Mares’ Hurdle at Ascot is another good quality mares’ race that has thrown up a winner in the last 10 years (Vroum Vroum Mag).
• The Quevega Mares Hurdle at Punchestown was used as a springboard for winners Apple's Jade and Black Tears, and last year's second Queens Brook.
• The Grade 3 Mares’ Hurdle run at Leopardstown over Christmas - and the Cheltenham Mares' Hurdle - has been dominated by Willie Mullins in recent years. His charge Shewearsitwell fell in 2021, but made amends in 2022, beating 8/13 favourite Queens Brook.
• The winner of the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Festival has yet to graduate to Mares' Hurdle winner, but Limini went on to finish third, and the 2021 winner Black Tears had finished fourth in the novice event.

Trainer Trends

• Willie Mullins has dominated this race since its inception in 2008, training nine winners and also having 15 placed-runners.
• Nicky Henderson (2022), Denise Foster (2021), Henry De Bromhead (2020), Dan Skelton (2019), Gordon Elliott (2017), and Donald McCain (2008) have trained the other five winners. Elliott has saddled four runners and one winner, with last year's heroine coming from his stable too, while temporarily trained by Foster.
• Irish trainers have saddled 12 of the race's 15 winners

Jockey Trends

• Given the record of Willie Mullins in this race, it goes without saying that his stable number one, Paul Townend, will have a great chance.
• Harry Skelton is another jockey worth noting with a winner (Roksana in 2019) and two places from five rides in the race.

How did the trends do last year?

Marie's Rock ticked all the key trends, and had won a key trial, but it was a negative that she was trained outside Ireland by Nicky Henderson.

Second Queens Brook had not won left-handed and lacked a Graded win, while third Mrs Milner had won the 3m Pertemps Handicap Hurdle at the previous year's Cheltenham Festival, and seemed suited to longer trips, with no win over 2m4f.

Who Fits The Trends Best In 2024?

It’s understandable that Triumph Hurdle winner Lossiemouth heads the betting as a multiple Grade 1 winner, almost unbeaten over hurdles, but trainer Willie Mullins’s strangehold on this race is no more and she does not hit one key trend; she has not won over 2m4f.

Having never tried that distance, there’s nothing to say she cannot win over it, and she is a prime candidate to buck that trend, but that still doesn’t mean she fits the trends.

A much stronger pick on trends is stablemate Ashroe Diamond, winner of a Grade 2 at Doncaster last time, and successful over 2m4f in a Grade 1 at Fairyhouse last April. She ticks every trends box.

Love Envoi and Marie’s Rock also tick a lot of key trends boxes, while West Balboa could surprise some.

2023 Mares' Hurdle Result

Cheltenham Festival 2024 Trends

Cheltenham Festival Day One Trends

• Supreme Novices' Hurdle Trends
• Arkle Novices' Hurdle Trends
• Ultima Handicap Chase Trends
• Cheltenham Champion Hurdle Trends
• Cheltenham Mares' Hurdle Trends
• Boodles Handicap Hurdle Trends
• National Hunt Novices' Chase Trends

Cheltenham Festival Day Two Trends

• Ballymore Novices' Hurdle Trends
• Brown Advisory Novices' Chase Trends
• Coral Cup Trends
• Cheltenham Champion Chase Trends
• Cheltenham Cross Country Chase Trends
• Grand Annual Chase Trends
• Cheltenham Champion Bumper Trends

Cheltenham Festival Day Three Trends

• Turners Novices' Chase Trends
• Pertemps Final Trends
• Ryanair Chase Trends
• Stayers Hurdle Trends
• Cheltenham Festival Plate Handicap Trends
• Cheltenham Mares' Novice Hurdle Trends
• Kim Muir Handicap Chase Trends

Cheltenham Festival Day Four Trends

• Triumph Hurdle Trends
• County Hurdle Trends
• Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Trends
• Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends
• Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase Trends
• Mares Chase Trends
• Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle Trends