Unibet Champion Hurdle Tips
- 14/03/2023
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Our Unibet Champion Hurdle tips for the 2023 renewal at the Cheltenham Festival deliver the best insights about this Grade 1 headline race for punters.
Closer to the start of this year’s Festival and when the final declarations are made, the Champion Hurdle tips will be ready for punters to scour through, as we put together a firm picture of this year’s lineup.
Honeysuckle made it back-to-back victories in the race last year for trainer Henry de Bromhead and jockey Rachael Blackmore.
Champion Hurdle Tips – Overlooked Outsiders
The Grade 1 Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy has produced a run of three straight favourites taking the glory.
Honeysuckle was the latest to land the win in this top fixture. But while there will naturally be the focus on the front-runners in the Champion Hurdle betting market, our Cheltenham racing tips will also be looking at the longer-priced entrants.
Sometimes they do get their nose in front, as impressive 16/1 winner Espoir D’Allen did in the 2019 edition of the Champion Hurdle. He bolted up to win by 15 lengths in a stunning display.
That was a big year for the underdogs in this particular fixture as well, with Melon taking the runner-up spot at 20/1, while Silver Streak, who was at 80/1, came home third by a neck.
So overlooked outsiders will be part of our Champion Hurdle Tips for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. They can’t be dismissed, even though the Champion Hurdle does trend towards those at the head of the market.
Look out for our Champion Hurdle dark horse recommendations.
A look at this year’s underdogs will be available closer to the race.
2023 Champion Hurdle Runners + Odds – Tuesday 14th March 3:30
| Horse/Form | Silks | Jockey/Trainer | Odds |
| Constitution Hill
111-11 |
 |
J: Nico de Boinville
T: Nicky Henderson |
1/3 |
| State Man
1-1111 |
 |
J: Paul Townend
T:Willie Mullins |
3/1 |
| Vauban
11-123 |
 |
J: Danny Mullins
T: Willie Mullins |
11/1 |
| I Like To Move It
520-16 |
 |
J: Sam Twiston-Davies
T: Nigel Twiston-Davies |
14/1 |
| Zanahiyr
3DF-7P5 |
 |
J: Davy Russell
T: Gordon Elliott |
66/1 |
| Jason The Militant
/73-49 |
 |
J: Joe Williamson
T: Philip Kirby |
150/1 |
| Not So Sleepy
155-35 |
 |
J: Jonathan Burke
T:Hughie Morrison |
150/1 |
There will be detailed Champion Hurdle betting tips for the Cheltenham Festival arriving when the markets have been thoroughly assessed closer to the time of the race. But there is also some value in scanning the ante-post market in racing odds.
When following horse racing news, you can pick up clues as to which contenders the top yards will be sending to this significant Grade 1 contest. After landing her second successive victory in the race twelve months ago, Honeysuckle could bid to equal the record of three wins in the race if she chooses to line up here.
It’s a title defence in the Champions Hurdle that she would be looking for after taking a three and a half-length margin victory over rival Epatante in 2022. The latter could be targeting another assault on the Champion Hurdle for trainer Nicky Henderson.
However, the biggest danger will undoubtedly come from Nicky Henderson’s new star – Constitution Hill. Currently 5/5 over hurdles, he bolted up in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at last years’ Festival and has since won two Grade 1’s this season. He looks set to go off as an odds-on favourite here and he will be one of the ‘bankers’ of the Festival for many punters.
Be sure to watch out for the latest Champion hurdle betting tips from our experts as we draw ever nearer to the big off on Tuesday, 14th March 2023.
How to pick a Champion Hurdle winner
If you are pondering how to pick a Champion Hurdle winner for the Cheltenham Festival, then a good place to always start is trends. That, combined with form, are the critical elements of how our experts pull together the top Champion hurdle betting tips.
While the list of runners for this year’s Champions Hurdle is still to be finalised, previous trends from editions of the race can offer some valuable insights for this top Champion Hurdle 2m trip.
This is one of the Cheltenham Festival races where favourites perform very well. Seven of the last ten renewals of this Grade 1 Champion Hurdle have been won by the favourite.
Within that, there are trends, with no winner bigger than 9/2 having landed the contest in the last 20 editions. Each of the previous 20 winners had all taken a win within the last 180 days and had all competed in a Grade 1 fixture before the victory.
Last 10 Champion Hurdle winner odds
- 2022 Honeysuckle 8/11F
- 2021 Honeysuckle 11/10F
- 2020 Epatante 2/1F
- 2019 Espoir D’Allen 16/1
- 2018 Buveur D’Air 4/6F
- 2016 Annie Power 5/2G
- 2015 Faugheen 4/5F
- 2014 Jezki 9/1
- 2013 Hurricane Fly 13/8F
Two trainers have pretty much dominated the Champion Hurdle landscape in recent years. Nicky Henderson (5) and Willie Mullins (4) have taken 9 of the last 20 editions between them. Of course, those top yards tend to load the field, but there are clear indicators here from a betting perspective. The only other trainers besides those two to have run the race more than once in the last 20 years are Dessie Hughes, who won it with Hardy Eustace in 2004 + 2005, and Henry De Bromhead, who has won the last two renewals with Honeysuckle (2021 + 2022).
The only jockey to have won any of the last 20 Champion Hurdle editions more than once is Rachael Blackmore, who has won the last two renewals on board Honeysuckle. Interestingly, jockey Paul Townend, who often pairs up with trainer Willie Mullins, has failed to win in 10 previous attempts in the Champion Hurdle.
Keep an eye out for the top Champion Hurdle betting tips coming up for the big contest on the Festival’s opening day. We’ll be digging through some of the above trends and many more in our recommendations.
All About The Champion Hurdle: Past and Present
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 fixture at the Cheltenham Festival. This race is just a tiny shade over 2m on the Old Course turf. The Champion Hurdle has a special place in UK National Hunt racing because it is part of hurdling’s Triple Crown following on from the Fighting Fifth and the Christmas Hurdle.
Bookmaker Unibet currently sponsor the race and has produced some fantastic memories since its inaugural run in 1927. There are eight hurdles in the Champion Hurdle, held on the opening day of the Festival.
How Do Horses Qualify For the Champion Hurdle Race?
The Cheltenham Hurdle is open to four-year-olds and up, and there is a weight requirement of 11 st 3 lb for 4-year-olds, while any other entrant is set at 11 st 10 lb. Fillies and mares can claim a 7lb allowance for this most prestigious of hurdles races.
What is the Champion Hurdle Prize Money in 2023?
In 2022 the prize purse for the Champion Hurdle was £442,665, and the lion’s share of that went to the winner Honeysuckle. First past the post collected £253,215. The rest of the winning scale went as follows: 2nd £95,400, 3rd £47,745, 4th £23,850, 5th £11,970, 6th £5,985, 7th £2,970, 8th £1,530.
Champion Hurdle Past Winners
Given that this is such a high profile race, it has produced some legends throughout the years. The last time a horse won the Champion Hurdle three times was the great Istabraq in 2000.
Some of the Cheltenham Festival greats have shown up in the Champion Hurdle, such as Annie Power and two-time winners Buveur d’Air and Honeysuckle.
Henry De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore made it back-to-back victories with the superstar mare Honeysuckle.
| Year | Horse | Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2022 | Honeysuckle | 8/11F | Rachael Blackmore | Henry De Bromhead |
| 2021 | Honeysuckle | 11/10F | Rachael Blackmore | Henry De Bromhead |
| 2020 | Epatante | 2/1F | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson |
| 2019 | Espoir D’Allen | 16/1 | Mark Walsh | Gavin Cromwell |
| 2018 | Buveur D’Air | 4/6F | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson |
| 2017 | Buveur D’Air | 5/1 | Noel Fehily | Nicky Henderson |
| 2016 | Annie Power | 5/2F | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2015 | Faugheen | 4/5F | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2014 | Jezki | 9/1 | Barry Geraghty | Mrs John Harrington |
| 2013 | Hurricane Fly | 13/8F | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2012 | Rock On Ruby | 11/1 | Noel Fehily | Paul Nicholls |
| 2011 | Hurricane Fly | 11/4F | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2010 | Binocular | 9/1 | Tony McCoy | Nicky Henderson |
Other Races on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival
The Champion Hurdle is the headlining act of the first day of the Cheltenham Festival, and for 2023 it is scheduled for a 15:30 start. Here is the full card for Day 1 of the Festival.
13:30 The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
14:10 The Arkle Challenge Trophy
14:50 The Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase
15:30 The Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy
16:10 The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
16:50 The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race
17:30 The National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Steeple Chase