Mares' Hurdle Trends For The 2025 Cheltenham Festival

2025 Cheltenham Mares' Hurdle Trends

Need some help finding the winner of the 2025 edition of the Cheltenham Festival Mares’ 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 this Grade 1 contest when using your Cheltenham free bets.

The last 10 winners:

• Rated 140 or higher.
• At least four starts over hurdles.
• At least two wins over hurdles.
• At least two wins on a galloping track.
• Had run in the last 52 days.

Nine of the last 10 winners:

• Were not bred in Britain (exception Black Tears).
• Won at a left-handed track (Vroum Vroum Mag).
• Had run at least six times over hurdles (Vroum Vroum Mag ran four times).
• Last ran in a hurdle race (Benie Des Dieux).
• Had won over 2m4f before (Lossiemouth).

Eight of the last 10 winners:

• Had won a Graded race before (exceptions Marie's Rock and Benie Des Dieux).
• Trained in Ireland (Roksana and Marie's Rock).

Mares' Hurdle Free Bet Offers

Key Trials from the last 10 years

The Warwick Mares' Hurdle in February has thrown up two winners in Glens Melody and Marie's Rock in the last 10 years. However, Glens Melody was very fortunate to win her renewal. 

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). Take No Chances won the 2025 edition and is a single-figure price currently at horse racing betting sites.

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. July Flower took the Leopardstown race this season and looks like a good prospect for the race.

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. Lossiemouth took in the Triumph Hurdle instead of the Mares' Novices' Hurdle in her previous campaign.

Trainer Trends

Willie Mullins has dominated this race since its inception in 2008, training 10 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 six winners. Elliott has saddled four runners and one winner, with Black Tears coming from his stable too, while temporarily trained by Foster.

Irish trainers have saddled 13 of the race's 16 winners

Jockey Trends

Given the record of Willie Mullins in this race, it goes without saying that his stable number one, Paul Townend, will generally have a great chance in the race. His chances will be further improved should Lossiemouth choose to swerve the Champion Hurdle. It is worth noting that the winning trainer has had the jockey recognised as the number one for the stable riding his charge. The only exception in the last 10 years being Glens Melody ridden by Paul Townend, who benefitted from Annie Power's last fence fall when miles behind.

Harry Skelton is another jockey worth noting. A winner when riding Roksana in 2019, with two further placed efforts from five rides in the race.

How Did the Trends Do Last Year?

Lossiemouth ticked all the key trends. She hadn't won one of the key trials, but instead won a better standard prep race when contesting the International Hurdle at Cheltenham. The only real negative was she had not yet won over 2m4f. There was a lot of talk around her stamina in the build up to the race, but Lossiemouth has now won over that distance or further three times in her career.

Who Fits The Trends Best In 2025?

The betting is dominated by Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth, with both of them not certain to turn up. As they are both very high class mares, neither of them have form in one of the key trials, something that can be ignored if either of them turn up on the day. July Flower won the Leopardstown E.B.F. Mares Hurdle, which is probably the key single piece of form outside of the top two in the betting.

Lossiemouth now ticks all the boxes as she has shown a capability to win over 2m4f on multiple occasions. With her jockey and trainer combination, there is no reason to oppose her on trends. However, you can make much the same argument for Brighterdaysahead. Gordon Elliott has sent out winners of the race, and the only trend she doesn't fit is that she will not have run in the last 52 days. Considering she has won on every appearance after a break, that's not really cause for concern. 

If either of those two turn up, they should win bar accidents.

The rest all fail to meet the trends in certain aspects. Kargese hasn't won over 2m4f, is rated 139, and only has one win to her name at a galloping track. July Flower also does not have the requisite wins to her name but has at least won over the distance. The most intriguing horse outside the top two is Jade De Grugy. She has a lofty rating of 147, has twice won at a galloping track, has also won left-handed, and has a 2m4f win to her name. She has been off the track for an extended period of time but is certainly one to watch if Paul Townend decides to ride her.