Cheltenham 2025: Stayers' Hurdle Trends You Should Consider

The Stayers’ Hurdle is the feature race on Day Three of the Cheltenham Festival, and many will be banking on the favourite with betting sites, Teahupoo, making it successive wins in the race.

Run over three miles, the Grade One contest is a test of stamina and slick jumping ability. Potential winners need to possess these attributes and a steely determination to get up the Cheltenham Hill.

As with all of the big Cheltenham races, some trends have also been formulated over the years.

Here, we look at the top five to keep in mind for the Stayers' Hurdle.

Age Is Important

Like most championship races at Cheltenham, the Stayers' Hurdle favours horses aged between six and eight in their prime. 

In the past 32 renewals, 29 winners have emerged from this age bracket. This is no surprise, as National Hunt horses are usually at their best during that period.

You have to go back to 1951 for the last five-year-old winner of the race, while no 10-year-old has ever won.

Only three 11-year-olds have won the Stayers’ Hurdle, the most recent being Sire Du Berlais in 2023.

A Recent Win Is Crucial

A winning performance leading up to the Festival is a huge positive when finding winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

Thirteen of the last 17 winners secured victory in their preparation race preceding the Stayers' Hurdle. 

This trend shows the importance of entering the race in winning form, a stat that Teahupoo fans would want to ignore.

He is the Evens favourite with betting apps but was a disappointing second on his most recent start in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse in December.

Prestbury Park Form

Cheltenham is a unique course and horses that have run well at Prestbury Park throughout their career tend to return and do the same at the Festival.

Eleven of the past 12 winners had at least one previous run at Cheltenham, and six of those winners had already won at the venue.

This is a stat that Rocky’s Diamond and July Flower will have to overcome as they have never raced at the track.

Don’t Discount Outsiders

The Stayers’ Hurdle is one of those races at Cheltenham that is known for throwing up a surprise or two.

In the past 10 years, half of the winners were double-figure odds with horse racing betting sites, including some huge-priced winners such as Lisnagar Oscar in 2020 at 50/1 and Sire Du Berlais in 2023 at 33/1.

Only three of the last 12 winners were favourites so it has paid to look past the obvious here.

Irish Dominance

The British used to have a strong hold on this race, but that has all changed in recent years.

Irish trainers have won six of the past eight runnings, with Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Gavin Cromwell all winning the race twice in back-to-back years.

This year's renewal looks like it could go to the Emerald Isle, too, with five of the top six in the Stayers' Hurdle betting being trained in Ireland.