Aintree Hurdle

The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 race over two and a half miles at the Grand National meeting in April.

The race often features a clash between horses that ran well in the Champion Hurdle and the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. Notable past winners include Dawn Run (1984), Istabraq (1999) and Buveur d’Air (2017).

Morley Street made this race his own in the early nineteen-nineties with a remarkable four successive victories from 1990 to 1993.

Find out more about the Aintree Hurdle:

Race Overview – The Aintree Hurdle

The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race for horses aged four and up.

It is run at Aintree racecourse over a distance of approximately 2 miles and 4 furlongs, with eleven hurdles to be cleared during the race.

It takes every year in early April as part of the Grand National Festival.

If you are searching for more horse racing tips for events held at Aintree then check out our Aintree Racecourse betting tips guide.

For all Aintree races, our finest racing tipsters give free horse racing tips!

Famous Aintree Hurdle Winners

The Aintree Hurdle was first run in 1976 when it was won by Champion Hurdler Comedy of Errors.

The following season produced a dramatic dead-heat between Night Nurse and Monksfield, both dual Champion Hurdle winners. Monksfield went on to complete a hat-trick of Aintree Hurdle wins in  1978 and 1979. He was the first of several multiple winners.

Trainer Toby Balding had won the race with Beech Road in 1989 and proceeded to claim the prize for the next four years with the prolific Morley Street. Besides his great success at Liverpool, he also won the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle (1991) and two Breeders’ Cup Steeplechases (1990, 1991).

Al Eile won this race for trainer John Queally and jockey Timmy Murphy in 2005, 2007 and 2008.

Other multiple winners include Daring Run (1981, 1982), Danoli (1994, 1995) and Oscar Whisky (2011, 2012).

Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Dawn Run (1984) and three times Champion hurdler Istabraq (1999) were other famous winners of this race.

The fine record of Champion Hurdle winners continued with Jezki (2015), Annie Power (2016) and Buveur D’Air (2017).

Key Aintree Hurdle Trials

The Aintree Hurdle over two and a half miles is a tempting engagement for both two-milers and the top-staying hurdlers.

The flat track at Aintree gives Champion Hurdle horses every chance of staying the extra distance and that race has proved to be the best guide over the years. A remarkable eight of the last eleven winners ran in the Champion Hurdle prior to winning this race. Only Annie Power (2016) and Buveur d’Air (2017) had won the Champion Hurdle from that group with three placed while Abacadabras (2021) had fallen at the third flight.

The next best guide is the Stayers’ Hurdle over three miles which has produced three winners during the same period. Oscar Whisky (2012), L’Ami Serge (2018) and Supasundae (2019) were all well beaten in the Stayers Hurdle before dropping back in distance to win at Aintree.

The Punchestown Festival is the only logical target at the end of the season for winners of the Aintree Hurdle. Solwhit (2009) won the Punchestown Champion Hurdle and Jezki (2015) won the World Series Hurdle at Punchestown. However, both Supasundae (2019) and Abacadabras (2021) were beaten.

Aintree Hurdle Previous Winners

Check out the previous winners for this race:

Aintree Hurdle 2023 Result

Check out the latest result from this race:

Aintree Hurdle Betting Trends

Although shock results are few and far between in this race, favourites have a modest recent record with only three wins in the past eleven renewals. By coincidence, all three returned the same SP of 4-9 favourite; The New One (2014), Annie Power (2016) and Buveur D’Air (2017).

Only Zarkandar (2013) managed to win this race from outside the first three in the Aintree Hurdle betting between 2008 and 2021.

For surprise winners you have to go right back to Bimsey (1997) at 14-1 and Mister Morose (2000) at 16-1.

Most recent winners had been in action at the Cheltenham Festival prior to coming here.

The Aintree Hurdle is usually won by an experienced hurdler with at least one Grade 1 victory.

Previous Aintree form is also a positive factor with seven of the last eleven having raced at least once at the course, four of them achieving at least one previous win at Liverpool.

An official rating of 158 or higher is usually required to win this race. Abacadabras (2021) was right on that mark while the highest rated winner in recent years was Khyber Kim (2010) on 169.

Horses aged six to eight have the best recent record in this race, although Supasundae won at the age of nine in 2019.

The oldest winner in the history of the race was the Mister Morose (2000) who won at the age of ten.

Irish raiders Al Eile (2005) and Solwhit (2009) both won the Aintree Hurdle as five-year-olds.

Aintree Hurdle – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Toby Balding’s five successive wins from 1989 to 1993 has yet to be matched in this race.

Nicky Henderson is just one behind him now on four victories following Oscar Whisky (2011, 2012), Buveur D’Air (2017) and L’Ami Serge (2018).

Jessica Harrington and Nigel Twiston-Davies have also enjoyed success in this race in recent years. Harrington won with Jezki (2015) and the versatile Supersundae (2019). Twiston-Davies claimed the prize with Khyber Kim (2010) and The New One (2014).

Ruby Walsh remains the most successful rider in the history of the event with five winners; Ilnamar (2002), Sacundai (2003), Asian Maze (2006), Zarkandar (2013) and Annie Power (2016). That eclipsed the previous record of four winners set by Charlie Swan; Danoli (1994, 1995), Urubande (1996) and Istabraq (1999).

Betting on the Aintree Hurdle

The Aintree Hurdle is usually a competitive race with top-quality hurdlers dominating the betting. The ante-post market does not really sort itself out until the week of the race as running plans are finalised.

Champion Hurdle form is always well represented, although Punchestown offers a tempting alternative.

The form invariably holds up well in this race and it pays to concentrate on the first three in the betting for your Aintree Hurdle tips.

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Aintree Hurdle Facts

• The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older.
• It is run on the Grand National course at Aintree Racecourse over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are eleven hurdles to be jumped.
• The race is scheduled to take place each year in early April.
• The event was established in 1976.
• The Christmas Hurdle and Fighting Fifth is often a good pointer to the winner.

Summary of the Aintree Hurdle

The Aintree Hurdle is one of the highlights of the hurdles season and is held at the Grand National meeting. 

It often attracts a high-class if small field. Typically run on good ground and at a decent pace, it is often a fair clash. The mid-distance of 2 miles 4 furlongs often sets up some intriguing races with 2 milers stepping up in trip and 3 milers stepping down.

The Aintree Hurdle is one of our favourite races of the jumps season.

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