COUNTY HURDLE

The County Hurdle is arguably the hottest handicap of the week at the Festival.

Run over the same course and distance as the Triumph Hurdle, luck in running is needed - especially if you've backed a hold-up horse.

Grade 3 | 5yo+ | Friday 14.10
2 miles 1 furlong | 8 hurdles | New Course
Weight: 10st - 11st 12lb (handicap)
Prize money (2024): £98,370 | 1st: £56,270

This ultra-competitive race used to be the last of the week, giving punters the hardest puzzle to solve as the 'getting out' stakes. 

However, it moved to its current position in the Festival schedule in 2009.

From 1995 until 2016 it was called the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle in honour of the great Irish trainer who sent out 23 Festival winners.

Rooster Booster and State Man both won the County Hurdle before going on to win the Champion Hurdle.

Subsequently it was sponsored by Randox Health, McCoy Contractors and now by bookmakers William Hill.

COUNTY HURDLE TRENDS

9 of the last 10 winners were trained by Willie Mullins or Dan Skelton
7 of the last 11 winners had won at Cheltenham previously
15 of the last 19 winners were rated in the 130s
2 of the last 18 favourites won
Updated to include 2024 renewal

Willie Mullins and Dan Skelton have won the nine of the last ten renewals of the County.

Indeed, Mullins has now won the race a total of seven times.

That includes State Man, who went into the 2022 renewal as an unexposed runner, having only run twice over hurdles previously and made a mockery of his 141 rating.

However, new rules mean that horses entered for non-novice handicap hurdles now need to have run at least five times over hurdles previously.

Meanwhile, Dan Skelton trained the 33/1 winner in 2023 with the second string of his two runners.

Paul Nicholls has won it four times, with his last winner coming in 2014.

By contrast, Nicky Henderson and Gordon Elliott have poor recent records in the race, despite throwing plenty of runners at it.

Arctic Fire in 2017, was the first top weight to win the County Hurdle since 1960, while no seven-year-old has won the race since 2003.

LAST 5 WINNERS’ DATA

YEAR
AGE
OFFICIAL RATING
WEIGHT
2024
6
138
10-10
2023
8
134
10-7
2022
5
141
11-1
2021
6
129
10-0
2020
5
137
10-13

RECENT WINNERS

YEAR
WINNER
JOCKEY / TRAINER
SP
2024
Absurde
Paul Townend / W P Mullins
12/1
2023
Faivoir
Bridget Andrews / Dan Skelton
33/1
2022
State Man
Paul Townend / Willie Mullins
11/4f
2021
Belfast Banter
Kevin Sexton / Peter Fahey
33/1
2020
Saint Roi
Barry Geraghty / Willie Mullins
11/2f
2019
Ch'tibello
Harry Skelton / Dan Skelton
12/1
2018
Mohaayed
Bridget Andrews / Dan Skelton
33/1
2017
Arctic Fire
Paul Townend / Willie Mullins
20/1
2016
Superb Story
Harry Skelton / Dan Skelton
8/1
2015
Wicklow Brave
Paul Townend / Willie Mullins
25/1
2014
Lac Fontana
Daryl Jacob / Paul Nicholls
11/1
2013
Ted Veale
Bryan Cooper / Tony Martin
10/1
2012
Alderwood
Tony McCoy / Thomas Mullins
20/1
2011
Final Approach
Ruby Walsh / Willie Mullins
10/1
2010
Thousand Stars
Katie Walsh / Willie Mullins
20/1
2009
American Trilogy
Ruby Walsh / Paul Nicholls
20/1
2008
Silver Jaro
Noel Fehily / Tom Hogan
50/1
2007
Pedrobob
Philip Carberry / Tony Mullins
12/1
2006
Desert Quest
Ruby Walsh / Paul Nicholls
4/1jf
2005
Fontanesi
Timmy Murphy / Martin Pipe
16/1
2004
Sporazene
Ruby Walsh / Paul Nicholls
7/1jf
2003
Spirit Leader
Barry Geraghty / Jessica Harrington
10/1
2002
Rooster Booster
Richard Johnson / Philip Hobbs
8/1
2001

Festival Cancelled

2000
Master Tern
Tony Dobbin / Jonjo O'Neill
9/2f
Scoll down for previous County Hurdle winners

Absurde 2024

Faivoir 2023

State Man 2022

Kevin Sexton rode his first winner aboard Belfast Banter in 2021:

Saint Roi, making his handicap debut and on just his fourth career start, headed home a Mullins 1-2-4 in 2020.

The unexposed five-year-old was heavily backed and proved to be Barry Geraghty's final ever Cheltenham Festival winner:

Ch'tibello secured back-to-back County Hurdle's (and a third victory in four years) for trainer Dan Skelton in 2019.

His brother Harry was in the saddle - who followed up his girlfriend Bridget Andrews' win in the race 12 months earlier:

It was a first Festival win for the 3lb claimer Bridget Andrews in 2018, with 33/1 shot Mohaayed seeing off the 50/1 Remiluc:

Arctic Fire defied top weight on his first start for 418 days in 2017, while Paul Townend won the race for the second time in three years.

The 2015 Champion Hurdle runner-up was carrying almost a stone more than when just beaten in this race three seasons earlier:

Superb Story 2016

Wicklow Brave was a runaway winner for Willie Mullins in 2015:

Lac Fontana 2014

Ted Veale 2013

Final Approach 2011

Thousand Stars 2010

Rooster Booster 2002

PREVIOUS WINNERS

YEAR
WINNER
JOCKEY / TRAINER
SP
1999
Sir Talbot
Timmy Murphy / Jim Old
10/1
1998
Blowing Wind
Tony McCoy / Martin Pipe
15/8f
1997
Barna Boy
Richard Dunwoody / Nicky Henderson
14/1
1996
Star Rage
Dean Gallagher / Jimmy Harris
14/1
1995
Home Counties
James Moffatt / Dudley Moffatt
14/1
1994
Dizzy
Tony Dobbin / Peter Monteith
12/1
1993
Thumbs Up
Richard Dunwoody / Nicky Henderson
16/1
1992
Dusty Miller
Jamie Osborne / Simon Sherwood
9/1
1991
Winnie the Witch
David Bridgwater / Ken Bridgwater
33/1
1990
Moody Man
Peter Hobbs / Philip Hobbs
9/1
1989
Willsford
Michael Bowlby / Jenny Pitman
11/1
1988
Cashew King
Trevor Wall / Bryan McMahon
9/1
1987
Neblin
Richard Guest / Toby Balding
14/1
1986
Jobroke
Jonjo O'Neill / Peter Easterby
6/1f
1985
Floyd
Colin Brown / David Elsworth
5/2f
1984
Hill's Guard
Andrew Stringer / Andrew Scott
6/1
1983
Robin Wonder
Jeff Davies / David Elsworth
10/1
1982
Path of Peace
Jonjo O'Neill / Chris Thornton
4/1
1981
Staplestown
Tommy Ryan / Edward O'Grady
11/2f
1980
Prince of Bermuda
Steve Knight / Bob Turnell
9/1
1979
Monte Ceco
Colin Tinkler / Fred Rimell
6/1
1978

No Race

1977
Kilcoleman
Tommy Kinane / Billy Boyers
14/1
1976
Java Fox
George Jones / Roy Cambidge
16/1
1975

No Race

1974
True Song
Gary Old / Donald Underwood
14/1
1973
Current Romance
David Nicholson / Frenchie Nicholson
20/1
1972
Cold Day
Ron Hyett / Katie Gaze
15/1
1971
Carry Off
David Goulding / Nigel Angus
25/1
1970
Khan
Lord Petersham / Delmer Harty
100/8
1969
Gay Knight
Aly Branford / Les Kennard
100/7
1968
Jolly Signal
Jimmy Uttley / Earl Jones
6/1
1967
Cool Alibi
Roddy Reid / Rodney Bower
20/1
1966
Roaring Twenties
George Milburn / Ken Oliver
10/1
1965
Mayfair Bill
Andrew Turnell / Bob Turnell
33/1
1964
Icy Wonder
Jeff King / Vernon Cross
11/2
1963
Bahrain
Tommy Carberry / Dan Moore
11/2
1962
Sky Pink
Fred Winter / Ryan Price
100/8
1961
Most Unusual
Josh Gifford / Bill Ransom
100/7
1960
Albergo
Doug Page / Clem Magnier
7/4f
1959
Approval
Derek Leslie / Syd Mercer
10/1
1958
Friendly Boy
Liam Brennan / Joe Osborne
3/1f
1957
Flaming East
Peter Pickford / Ricky Vallance
100/6
1956
Pommel
Steve Boddy / John Waugh
100/7
1955

No Race

1954
Bold Baby
Paddy Powell / Michael Dawson
13/8f
1953
Teapot II
Pat Taaffe / Clem Magnier
4/1
1952
Ballymacan
Bryan Marshall / Neville Crump
100/7
1951*
Southwick
George Spann / J. Whiting
100/7
1950
Blue Raleigh
Jimmy Power / Bobby Renton
25/1
1949

No Race

1948
Cape Light
Joe Maguire / Ivor Anthony
2/1f
1947

No Race

1946
Vidi
Don Butchers / Reg Hobbs
6/1


No Race (1943-1945)

1942
Red April
Eric Foley / Lord Stalbridge
100/8
1941
Celibate II
William Hollick / D. Dick
7/1
1940
Sam Brown
Fred Rimell / Private
6/1
1939
Abbot's Own
Frenchie Nicholson / T. O'Sullivan
13/2
1938
Prince Rouge
Mick Prendergast / W. Stubbs
10/1
1937

No Race

1936
Back Isle
Fulke Walwyn / Ben Roberts
7/1
1935
Polly Stephens
Staff Ingham / Len Cundell
2/1f
1934
Jack Grange
William Hollick / Max Barthropp
8/1
1933
Hightide IV
Gerry Wilson / Bertram Bullock
20/1
1932
Fouquet
Billy Stott / F. Wootton
11/4
1931

No Race

1930
Gonedry
Georges Pellerin / Pat Dennis
9/2
1929
Castlederg
Dick Rees / G.S.L Whitelaw
8/1
1928
Truthful James
Billy Parvin / Bay Powell
7/1
1927
Rolie
Howard Cheshire / Tom Rimell
7/1
1926
Checktaker
George Duller / Stanley Harrison
5/2f
1925
Rosecome
J. East / W. McKie
100/7
1924
Argo
George Duller / Tom Coulthwaite
2/1f
1923
Assaroe
F.A Brown / Alfred Newey
6/1
1922
Lukeston
Dick Rees / Stanley Harrison
100/30
1921
Waterbottle
Fred Croney / A. Scott
5/1
1920
Trespasser
George Duller / J.M Bell
4/7f
All County Hurdle winners prior to 2000

* Run at April meeting

Sir Talbot 1999

Barna Boy 1997