Champion Hurdle Trends – Cheltenham Festival Betting

Jessica Lamb

February 4th, 2021

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BEST 2021 CHAMPION HURDLE TRENDS

• Won in last three runs
• Won racing left-handed twice
• Won on galloping track
• Run at least twice that season
• Last ran no more than 80 days ago

Betting On Cheltenham's 2021 Champion Hurdle? Follow These Trends

Above are THE top five trends to follow when looking for the winner of the 2021 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle.

We've analysed in detail the last 15 runnings of the Champion Hurdle, taking deep dives into the form of the winners and placed horses, looking at their past runs, their breeding, and every other statistic we could think of.

What we found are very strong markers that will steer you towards the winner of this year's Champion Hurdle. Scroll down to find out how the trends did last year, and full details of all the other Champion Hurdle trends beyond the top five.

Get the latest Champion Hurdle Odds here

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Did Trends Win The Last Champion Hurdle?

On the trends, the 2020 Champion Hurdle shortlist consisted of Epatante, Call Me Lord, Darver Star and Silver Streak - two filling the podium in the Cheltenham Festival's first championship race.

Epatante was rightly favourite. She ticked all the 'Top 5' and 'Last 10 Winner' trends, and came from a stable with a fantastic record in the race.

She had also soundly beaten many of her rivals in a race that features highly in the ‘Key Race Trends' (see below).

Having finished third last year, Silver Streak also ticked all the key trends, and boasted far better Cheltenham form that Epatante, but he had just been beaten five lengths by her.

Call Me Lord, from the same stable as Epatante, had one negative: he lacked winning form racing left-handed. But he had won well at Sandown, and form on galloping tracks is also a really big trends pointer.

Third Darver Star had finished just half a length second on his Grade 1 debut last time out. He was a strong trends pick, the one negative being that most of his form before that Grade 1 was on sharper tracks.

Second Sharjah failed to make the trends shortlist because he was so far beaten on his last outing. He did fit the bill aside from that.

KEY CHAMPION HURDLE TRENDS

15-year-trends

The last 15 winners…

• Finished in the first two in one of their last three starts
• Had won on a galloping track
• Had won two or more races left-handed
• Were running within 80 days of their last start
• Finished in the first four last time out

10-year-trends

The last 10 winners…

• Had run in a Grade 1 contest
• Were aged no older than nine
• Had run no more than twice since last winning
• Had five or more career runs over hurdles
• Last ran between 26 and 78 days ago
• Had run at least twice that season - winning at least once

Nine of the last 10 winners…

• Wore no headgear

Eight of the last 10 winners…

• Won last time out
• Were officially rated 162+
• Had run at Cheltenham before
• Had won a Grade 1 - exceptions Espoir D'Allen & Rock On Ruby

The last 30 win and place positions

30/30 placed horses

• Were officially rated 154+
• Had run in five or more hurdle races
• Had won on a left-handed track
• Had won on a ‘very undulating’ track

29/30 placed horses

• Were officially rated 156+
• Had two or more seasonal starts to their name
• Finished in the first two in one of their last three starts
• Finished in the first four last time out

28/30 placed horses

• Had last run no more than 90 days before the Champion Hurdle
• Had last run in a hurdle race

26/30 placed horses

• Includes officially the highest-rated horse(s) in the race - five winning, five finishing third, and one second (the exceptions fell, finished fourth and sixth)

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KEY RACE TRENDS (10 years)

(Last Graded race contested prior to the Champion Hurdle)

KEY TRAINER TRENDS (10 years)

How Epatante Won 2020's Champion Hurdle

Epatante stormed to a three-length win in the 2020 Champion Hurdle, representing the championship race's winning-most trainer and owner.

Her victory over Sharjah gave trainer Nicky Henderson his eighth win in the Grade 1, and owner JP McManus his ninth, with jockey Barry Geraghty equalling Tim Molony and Ruby Walsh's record of four successes.

3.30 CHELTENHAM – 2019 CHAMPION HURDLE RESULT

1. Epatante 2/1f
2. Sharjah 16/1
3. Darver Star 17/2

It was a welcome return to form for the second, who had been well-beaten Cheltenham Mares' Hurdle star Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time out, and solid effort from Darver Star.

Trainer Gavin Cromwell had won the race with Espoir D'Allen in 2019, and seen Darver Star earn his place with second on his Grade 1 debut last time out.

He had been performing on much sharper tracks, and didn't quite have the stamina to get to the leaders, weakening out of second on the run-in.

Cheltenham 2021 Tuesday Schedule

13:30 Supreme Novices' Hurdle

14:10 Arkle Challenge Trophy

14:50 Ultima Handicap Chase

15:30 - CHAMPION HURDLE

16:10 David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle

16:50 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

17:30 National Hunt Novices' Chase