The 2012 Champion Hurdle is the highlight of Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival and is a Grade 1 hurdle race open to horses aged 4 years old or older. Like the previous day 1 races it is run on the Cheltenham Old Course over 2 miles and 110 yards with 8 hurdles to jump.

The first Champion Hurdle was run in 1927 and was won by Blaris, who was awarded £365 in prize money. The 2012 Cheltenham Festival has a prize purse of over £370000. The Champion Hurdle is also the final leg of the WBX Hurdling Triple Crown, a competition that awards a £1million prize to any horse which wins the Fighting Fifth Hurdle (run at Newcastle), the Christmas Hurdle (run at Kempton Park) and the Champion Hurdle in the same season.

2012 Champion Hurdle Trends

• Many horses have won this race three times with the last being Istabraq in 1998,1999 and 2000.
• Only one five year old horse has won the race in the last 25 years (Katchit in 2008).
• Only 2 mares have ever won the Champion Hurdle (Dawn Run in 1984 and Flakey Dove in 1994
• Runners that have raced Cheltenham before and finished in the top 2 in their race make up 16 of the last 18 winners
• 22 of the last 26 winners won on their last trip out

2012 Champion Hurdle Race Card

                  Name                                                  Form     Trainer                                 Jockey                 

Hurricane Fly                   CD          1111-1   WP Mullins

Binocular                           CD          14-321   N Henderson

Grandouet                         C D         B-1F11  N Henderson

Zarkandar                           C D         111-       P Nicholls

Rock On Ruby                    C D         223-12   P Nicholls

Oscar Whiskey                  C D         31-F11   N Henderson

Unaccompanied               D             12-411   DK Weld

Thousand Stars                 C D BF   22112    WP Mullins

Peddlers Cross                 C D BF   27-122   D McCain

Oscars Well                                       14-323   Mrs J Harrington

So Young                              D             3-6111   WP Mullins

Zaidpour                               D             227-11   WP Mullins

Celestial Halo                   C D         8-1311   P Nicholls

Overturn                             D             11123    D McCain

Starluck                 CD          23134-   D Arbuthnot

Staying Article                   D             11-21     EJ O’Grady

Brampour                            CD          9-1130   P Nicholls

Final Approach                 C D         1-6541   WP Mullins

Mikael D’Haguenet        C D         483111  WP Mullins

Topolski                               D             111-0P  D Arbuthnot

Bobby Ewing                                      1141/     D Pipe

Flat Out                                D             2/11U-  WP Mullins

Clerk’s Choice                    CD          462-74   O Sherwood

Dare Me                              D             62/11-   P Hobbs

Olofi                                       C D BF   38-42F   T George

Kalann                                   CD          8-1312   SJ Harty

Spirit Son                            D             11121-   N Henderson

2012 Champion Hurdle Tips

Tbc

Previous Winners

2007 – Sublimity (John G Carr) 16/1

2008 – Katchit (A King) 10/1

2009 – Punjabi (N Henderson) 22/1

2010 – Binocular (N Henderson) 9/1

2011 – Hurricane Fly (W Mullins) 11/4f