Horse racing fans are collectively sitting tight and waiting for further updates on Nicky Henderson’s Champion Hurdle hero Constitution Hill – but how many times has Seven Barrows trained the winner of Tuesday’s feature race?
Trainer Nicky Henderson Has Won The Champion Hurdle 9 Times
No horse racing trainer has won the Champion Hurdle more times than Nicky Henderson.
The six-time champion jumps trainer has won the Cheltenham Festival day one feature nine times over the years and double digits can’t be far away with Constitution Hill bidding for further glory in 2024.
The first of the Nicky Henderson Champion Hurdle winners came way back in 1985 with See You Then, who was mounted that day by Steve Smith-Eccles.
With further triumph in 1986 and 1987, See You Then became the fourth horse to win three consecutive Champion Hurdles despite being bred to be a Group horse on the flat.
It wasn’t until 2009, and the rise of Punjabi, that saw Nicky Henderson win his fourth Champion Hurdle.
After 22 years without a success in the day one feature race at the Cheltenham Festival, the floodgates opened once again for Seven Barrows to enter the history books.
Punjabi Added Another Champion Hurdle Win For Nicky Henderson In 2009
In the build-up to the Champion Hurdle in 2009, all the talk was regarding Henderson’s 6/4 favourite Binocular – and not 22/1 shot Punjabi who ended up winning the race under jockey Barry Geraghty.
The six-year-old held off an impressive challenge from Paul Nicholls’ Celestial Halo who enjoyed a typically brilliant ride from Ruby Walsh and Binocular was only good enough for third.
Binocular Soon Made Amends With Unexpected Champion Hurdle Glory In 2010
Despite originally being ruled out of the Champion Hurdle due to a muscle problem and drifting out to as high as 999/1 to win the race, owner JP McManus and Henderson declared Binocular fit to run on the opening day of the festival.
He was sent off at 9/1 and denied 4/1 favourite Go Native the chance to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown of Hurdling – who had previously landed the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle and Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
Betfair later revealed that six small-stakes punters had backed Binocular for a total of £26 at the bookmaker’s ceiling price of 999/1 four weeks prior to the race.
Buveur d’Air became Seven Barrows’ second back-to-back Champion Hurdle winner in 2017 and 2018
Buveur d’Air began the 2016/17 National Hunt season competing in novice chases but following the injury of several leading hurdlers and Henderson already training Altior – a leading chaser in the division – the decision was made to return him to hurdles for the rest of the campaign.
He was sent off a 5/1 second favourite in the 2017 Champion Hurdle and won by over four lengths. A year later in 2018, he justified 4/6 favouritism to land back-to-back prizes at Cheltenham.
Buveur d’Air won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle in 2017/18 too, which saw him become the second horse to win the Triple Crown.
Epatante Lands Eighth Champion Hurdle Trophy For Nicky Henderson In 2020
JP McManus’ Epatante started the 2/1 favourite for the 90th running of the Champion Hurdle in 2020 and the impressive mare made all the running to win by three lengths from Sharjah.
Barry Geraghty won the race for the fourth time and despite concerns over the horse’s health in the build-up, she travelled beautifully throughout and cruised to an effortless win.
Epatante became the fifth mare to win the Champion Hurdle and made up for a disappointing performance in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle a year prior at the festival.
A Star Was Born As Constitution Hill Won What Is Probably The First Of Many Champion Hurdles In 2023
Constitution Hill is considered one of the greatest racehorses of all time and the Seven Barrows star extended his unbeaten record to justify 4/11 favouritism in the 2023 Champion Hurdle.
The seven-year-old, who is hoping to record consecutive victories in the race this year if he can recover from an untimely respiratory infection, claimed the Triple Crown in 2023 for owner Michael Buckley.
Full List Of Nicky Henderson Champion Hurdle Winners
- See You Then (1985, 1986, 1987)
- Punjabi (2009)
- Binocular (2010)
- Buveur D’Air (2017, 2018)
- Epatante (2020)
- Constitution Hill (2023)
Other Trainers With Four (or more) Champion Hurdle Winners
- 5 – Peter Easterby
- 4 – Willie Mullins
- 4 – Fred Winter
- 4 – Vic Smyth
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