Champion Hurdle Trends for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival

By James Stoddart

Feb 16th, 2026 11:59 AM EST

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2026 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle Trends

Need some help finding the winner at Cheltenham betting sites of the 2026 edition of the Champion Hurdle? Well, look no further because our team of experts at Bookies.com have done the hard work for you by pinpointing the most critical trends and pointers from the last 10 renewals, in order to help you find the winner of the Cheltenham Festival's hurdling showpiece.

The last 10 winners:

• Were aged between 5 and 9.
• Had no headgear.
• Won on their last start.
• Had five or more lifetime runs over hurdles.

Nine of the last 10 winners:

• Had previously run at Cheltenham (Espoir d'Allen).
• Had taken part in a Grade 1 contest (Golden Ace).
• Last ran between 27 and 78 days ago (Golden Ace - 24 days).
• Were unbeaten that season (Golden Ace).
• Had run at least twice that season (Annie Power).

Eight of the last 10 winners:

• Had won a Grade 1 (Golden Ace, Espoir d'Allen).

Seven of the last 10 winners:

• Were the betting favourite (Golden Ace, Espoir d'Allen, Buveur d'Air).

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Last 10 Champion Hurdle Winners

Key Trials From the Last 10 Years

The Christmas Hurdle at Kempton has thrown up three winners in the last 10 years (Epatante, Buveur D'Air and Constitution Hill). The Nicky Henderson-trained Constitution Hill won this in 2023 but missed 2024 because of injury. Sir Gino impressively won the 2025 contest but will miss the Champion Hurdle though injury.

The Matheson Hurdle, run at Leopardstown over the festive period, is also a strong Grade 1 hurdle. Sharjah, who went on to finish second in the 2020 and 2021 Champion Hurdles (brought down mid race in 2019), has won it four times but was beaten by Willie Mullins-trained stablemate State Man in 2022. He won in 2023 too. Brighterdaysahead took the spoils in December 2024 but was second to Lossiemouth in 2025.

The Irish Champion Hurdle in February has thrown up three winners in the last five years (Honeysuckle twice and State Man), both of those horses are three-time winners of that race. Brighterdaysahead won the 2026 renewal reversing the form with Lossiemouth.

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Trainer Trends

• Nicky Henderson is the man to follow in the Champion Hurdle with nine victories in his career, four of which have come since 2017.
• Willie Mullins has won the race five times and has also saddled the runner-up in five of the last eight renewals.
• Henry De Bromhead won the race in consecutive years with Honeysuckle, whilst Gavin Cromwell (Espoir d'Allen) and Jeremy Scott (Golden Ace) are the only other trainers to have won the race in the last 10 years.

Jockey Trends

• Paul Townend, who is stable jockey at Willie Mullins' all-powerful yard, will get first choice on that yard’s biggest chance after riding State Man to victory in 2024, and to the final flight in 2025.
• Rachael Blackmore became the first female rider to win the event in its 94-year history when winning on Honeysuckle in 2021, and repeated the feat in 2022.
• Nico de Boinville rode Constitution Hill home in 2023 but whether that particular horse will take up a Champion Hurdle spot is anybody's guess.

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How Did the Trends do Last Year?

The trends, like most of the favourites, ended up all over the floor last year as Golden Ace picked up the pieces to win the Champion Hurdle. As you would expect when a 25/1 outsider wins she didn't really fit the bill. However, she did come into the race on the back of a win, fit the age and experience profile and wasn't wearing headgear. We aren't going to pretend we picked her out.

2025 Champion Hurdle Result

Who Fits The Trends Best In 2026?

In what is becoming a recurring theme, Nicky Henderson would have the odds on favourite for the race but for injury. Sir Gino was an impressive winner of the Christmas Hurdle and he fits the trends, but unfortunately we won't see him for the rest of the season.

Brighterdaysahead again looks a strong fit having won one of the key trials for the race and finishing second in another heading into Cheltenham. With no State Man, Sir Gino and possibly no Constitution Hill in the line up she has a much better chance this year compared to 2025, even more so if Lossiemouth heads to the Mares' Hurdle. She fits all the major trends for age and experience, and will in all likelihood go off favourite for the race.

2026 Champion Hurdle Odds

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About the Author

James Stoddart

More About James

Born in Liverpool, James is an LFC fan and season ticket holder. He's got an interest in playing and watching most sports including golf, darts, football and horse racing. As a keen punter, he's always on the lookout for value and loves spotting something at a big price that fits the trends. He applies this to online casino too, and is always looking to beat the house.

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