The County Hurdle is a Grade 3 handicap on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival in March. It is one of the most competitive two-mile hurdles of the National Hunt season.
The County Hurdle is held on the 15th of March 2024.
Notable recent winners include Rooster Booster (2002), Wicklow Brave (2015) and Arctic Fire (2017).
The race has proved extremely difficult for punters with Saint Roi (2020) being the first winning favourite since 2007. There have been plenty of long-priced winners including Silver Jaro (2008) at 50-1, Mohaayed (2018) and Belfast Banter (2021) at 33-1.
The County Handicap Hurdle is a hurdle race held at Cheltenham Racecourse as part of the Cheltenham Festival. It is open to horses aged five and up.
This Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle is run over a distance of around 2 miles and 1 furlong on the New Course at Cheltenham, and there are eight hurdles to jump during the race.
The County Hurdle was first run in 1920 with victory going to Trespasser. The race title was changed to the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle between 1995 and 2016, in honour of the legendary Irish trainer. The race held its traditional spot at the very end of the Cheltenham Festival until 2009.
Popular winners in the 1980s include the David Elsworth trained pair, Robin Wonder (1983) and Floyd (1985). The latter was a prolific winning handicapper who progressed to Grade 1 level, winning the Long Walk Hurdle in 1990. His other career wins included the Imperial Cup at Sandown in 1985 and the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in 1987 and 1988.
Toby Balding’s Neblin won in 1987 having already won the valuable Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury.
1989 winner Willsford went on to win the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter in 1990 and then became the oldest winner in the history of the Scottish Grand National in 1995.
Martin Pipe and Tony McCoy teamed up to win with the heavily-backed Blowing Wind in 1998.
Another gamble was landed two years’ later when Tony Dobbin won on Master Tern, owned by JP McManus and trained by Jonjo O’Neill.
2002 winner Rooster Booster was a popular grey trained by Philip Hobbs. He would go on to win the 2003 Champion Hurdle by 11 lengths under Richard Johnson.
In more recent years the Irish have enjoyed increased success in this event. Spirit Leader (2003) was a high-class winner under 11st 7lbs for Jessica Harrington. Katie Walsh struck on 20-1 chance Thousand Stars in 2010 for Willie Mullins, the first of a record five winners for the trainer. These include Wicklow Brave (2015) and Arctic Fire (2017), the latter defying 11st 12lbs. Arctic Fire had been second in this race in 2014 and improved out of all recognition, finishing a length and a half-second to stable companion Faugheen in the 2015 Champion Hurdle.
Many County Hurdle horses will race in more races throughout the years. Stay updated on the horses and place ante-post bets if you want to wager on them.
If you are looking for more racing tips for events taking place at Cheltenham then check out our Cheltenham betting tips page.
The most significant trials for the County Hurdle have been the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury and the Ladbroke Hurdle (now the Liffey Handicap Hurdle) at Leopardstown. However, it is rarely the winner of these races that is the one to note for the County Hurdle.
Likewise, while 7 of the last twelve winners had previous form at Cheltenham only one of them was a course winner.
The future form of past winners is usually quite good with five of the last ten County Hurdle winners successfully stepping up in class next time. 2020 winner Saint Roi won the Horse & Jockey Hotel Hurdle at Tipperary while 2021 winner Belfast Banter won the Top Novices Hurdle at Aintree.
County Hurdle Betting Trends
The County Hurdle has been a poor race for market leaders with only Saint Roi successful in the past twelve seasons. The only other winners in the top three in the betting during that period were Ted Veale (2013) and Superb Story (2016).
Long-priced winners include Mohaayed (2018) and Belfast Banter (2021) at 33-1 and Wicklow Brave (2015) at 25-1.
The age of the winning horse has been spread fairly evenly from five to eight.
The oldest winners in modern times were Barna Boy (1997) and Pedrobob (2007) as nine-year-olds, although Approval won it at the ripe old age of 13 back in 1959.
Nine of the last twelve winners carried 11st 1lb or less. The exceptions were Wicklow Brave (2015) 11st 4lbs, Arctic Fire (2017) 11st 12lbs and Ch’tibello (2019) 11st 5lbs.
Ten of those winners had at least two previous victories over hurdles and a rating of 134 or higher is usually required to win this race.
Arctic Fire was by the far the highest-rated recent winner, scoring off a mark of 158. The closest to that figure was Ch’tibello (146). Belfast Banter (129) was the lowest-rated winner in recent years but proved it was no fluke by following up at Aintree.
County Hurdle – Top Trainers and Jockeys
Ruby Walsh remains the most successful rider in the history of the County Hurdle with four winners; Sporazene (2004), Desert Quest (2006), American Trilogy (2009) and Final Approach (2011).
Harry Skelton and Paul Townend have each ridden two apiece in the last seven years. Skelton rode Superb Story (2016) and Ch’tibello (2019) for his brother, Dan, who also won it with Mohaayed in 2018, ridden by Bridget Andrews.
Willie Mullins moved one ahead of Paul Nicholls with five winners when Saint Roi landed a gamble in 2020. Nicholls had provided the first three of Ruby Walsh’s winners and his most recent success came with Lac Fontana in 2014.
Betting on the County Hurdle
The County Hurdle is one of the most popular betting races at the Cheltenham Festival.
The ante-post market is strong but the race is always heavily over-subscribed and many fancied runners fail to make the final cut.
With bookmakers now offering “non-runner – no bet” on all Cheltenham Festival races from the end of January, this is a more attractive betting proposition.
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You should also look out for enhanced each-way terms on the County Hurdle with bookmakers sometimes paying out down to sixth or even seventh place.
County Hurdle Facts
The County Hurdle is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older.
The race is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 1 furlong, and during its running, there are eight hurdles to be jumped.
It is a Grade 3 race and it is scheduled to take place each year in March.
Summary of The County Hurdle
The County Hurdle is one of the most hotly contested hurdle races of the season.
The winners are usually high-class and go on to prove themselves in Championship races.
Previous winners are a blend of top-class proven performers and those with untapped potential.
It is one of the most tricky races at the Festival to pick the winner of.
Other Cheltenham Related Articles
If you have enjoyed this County Hurdle review page, here are some other articles related to Cheltenham betting you may also like:
Keywords and subjects covered in our county handicap hurdle guide – wide open horse racing market and racing bets, the McCoy Contractors County hurdle held on the fourth and final day of the Festival.
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Betfair bet £10 and get £30 is a decent offer if you are opening an account for Cheltenham betting. Betfair is one of the best bookmakers around and is highly recommended for betting on the Cheltenham Festival as well as other top sporting events. Find out more about them today.
The bet365 Cheltenham offer is one of the best out there. As one of the top UK bookies we would expect this. The offer is a current deposit £10 and get £30 in free bet credits, for information and T&Cs follow the links below.
The Betfred offer is a great one -deposit £10 and get up to £40 in bet bonuses. These can be used on a variety of betting markets including racing, football and other sports. For more information on this leading UK bookmaker read our full view.
Get the 888Sport Bet £10 and get £30 Cheltenham offer today. For full terms and conditions or to claim this great free bet credit for the Cheltenham Festival simply follow the link now.
Coral is another hugely popular bookmaker and a high-street name. This deal for new customers is a good one, for more information on this free bets credit either follow the link or check out our bespoke review. As with all betting offers certain terms and conditions will apply.
Take advantage of the very best Cheltenham betting offers and free bets at the Parimatch sportsbook website with great sportsbook sign up bonuses for new horse racing bettors at the Cheltenham Festival
Bet £10 and get £30 in free bet credits with William Hill for the Cheltenham races. These can be used on all the big races at the Festival including the Gold Cup, Champion Chase and Champion Hurdle. Certain deposit restrictions may apply.
Bet £5 and get £20 with Ladbrokes is a good deal for punters who want to wage a small amount of their money but see a decent amount of free bet credits. As one of the leading and most respected bookies in the UK there are lots of benefits to opening an account whether for Cheltenham betting or at other times of the year.
The Unibet offer is a bit different from other bookies and is your money back as a free bet credit if your horse finished in second. This takes away some of the pain of just missing out! Unibet are great Cheltenham bookmaker and currently sponsors the Champion Hurdle, check out our full review for more info.
The Mr Play Cheltneham offer of bet £10 and get £15 is not one of the best on the market. However, this new bookmaker is hugely popular for punters looking for a new betting site. We have reviewed all of the best features, read our review or follow the link for more info.
A different Cheltenham offer from 32Red is their 100 profit boost! This one is definitely worth checking out as its totally different from the type of Cheltenham offered by other leading bookmakers. Read their full T&Cs to find out more.
Betway’s £70 in free bets for the countdown to 2023 Cheltenham Festival is an impressive sign up bonus
A good new offer for Paddy Power customers, basically bet £20 and you’ll be refunded in cash if you lose. This is a great Cheltenham offer from this leading Irish bookmaker. For information on them including BOG, live streaming of Cheltenham races and more, follow the links.
There’s a BetUK Cheltenham Offer to claim that requires you to just deposit and wager £20 and get £60 in Cheltenham Festival free bets.
A Cheltenham double-the-odds promotion from Grosvenor is good and Cheltenham offer with a difference. New to the UK gambling scene Grosvenor is growing in popularity, check out the perks in our full review.
The livescorebet Cheltenham free bet made our top list of hand-selected Cheltenham Festival special offers for horse racing punters looking to wager bets in the UK or Ireland
Take advantage of the Matchbook £50 free bets for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival
Boylesports Bet 10 Get 60 Cheltenham Offer is for Ireland Customers Only
QuinnBet has multiple Cheltenham Offers from £35 free bets on Cheltenham Festival or the bet 10 get 60 betting promotion for Irish punters
Kwiff Cheltenham Betting offer of a free £20 bet is good who sportsbook punters who also enjoy playing casino online
Claim your SBK Cheltenham Offer when you deposit £10 and get £20 in Cheltenham Festival free bets.
Use code COMMFREE to trade with 0% for 60 days for Cheltenham Festival Free Bets. Minimum £10 first deposit only using Debit Card or Instant Banking. 18+. BeGambleAware.org. Full T&Cs apply.
