The Mares Hurdle is a Grade 1 race for four-year-old mares and upwards over two and a half miles. It was introduced to the Cheltenham Festival in 2008 and was originally known as the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle.
The Mares Hurdle will run on the 14th of March2024.
The inaugural running was won by Whiteoak, trained in England by Donald McCain Jnr. Incredibly the next six renewals were all won by Quevega, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh. She surpassed the previous record of five consecutive Cheltenham Festival victories set by Golden Miller (1932-1936).
Mullins extended his monopoly of the race to eight seasons before Apple’s Jade won for Gordon Elliott in 2017.
Benie Des Dieux made it nine for Mullins in 2018 but the most famous winner to date has to be Honeysuckle in 2020. She went on to win the Champion Hurdle the following season for Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore.
The Mares Hurdle, previously known as the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle and now the Close Brothers Mares Hurdle, is a relatively new but hugely popular race at the Cheltenham Festival, it is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race.
It is run over a distance of around 2 miles and 4 furlongs on the Old Course at Cheltenham, and there are ten hurdles to take during the race.
Mares Hurdle 2023 Odds
The odds for this race will be published nearer the date of the race.
Mares Hurdle Tips 2023
Our teams will release the tips in due course.
Many Mares 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 Racecourse then look at our Cheltenham racing tips page.
Famous Mares Hurdle Winners (Close Brothers Mares Hurdle)
Quevega will forever be associated with this race after her record-breaking six consecutive victories. Her success was even more remarkable for the fact that she rarely raced between jump racing festivals, running almost exclusively at Cheltenham and Punchestown.
A feature of her Cheltenham successes was the ease with which she moved through the field to challenge before the last flight. It became a tradition at Cheltenham to cheer Quevega to victory in the Mares Hurdle, a race in which she started favourite on all six occasions. She was eventually retired to the paddocks after being beaten by Jetson when attempting a fifth consecutive win in the World Series Hurdle at Punchestown in 2014.
Glens Melody was a fortuitous winner in 2015 in a race which will be remembered for the last flight fall of hot favourite Annie Power. Ruby Walsh had set sail for home and looked certain to chalk up a fourth win on the day for the Mullins stable after Douvan, Un De Sceaux and Faugheen had all won comfortably. Annie Power would go on to make amends in the Champion Hurdle the following year.
History repeated itself in 2019 when Benie Des Dieux, again representing Mullins and Walsh, crashed at the last to present victory to Roksana. Benie Des Dieux had won the race the year before and would end her career in this race in 2020. Her market rival was none other than subsequent Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle who got the better of a terrific duel to win by half a length
Mares Hurdle Previous Winners
Here are the previous winners for the Mares Hurdle.
Year
Winner
Age
Jockey
Trainer
2013
Quevega
9
Ruby Walsh
Willie Mullins
2014
Quevega
10
Ruby Walsh
Willie Mullins
2015
Glens Melody
7
Paul Townend
Willie Mullins
2016
Vroum Vroum Mag
7
Ruby Walsh
Willie Mullins
2017
Apple’s Jade
5
Bryan Cooper
Gordon Elliott
2018
Benie Des Dieux
7
Ruby Walsh
Willie Mullins
2019
Roksana
7
Harry Skelton
Dan Skelton
2020
Honeysuckle
6
Rachael Blackmore
Henry de Bromhead
2021
Black Tears
7
Jack Kennedy
Denise Foster
2022
Marie’s Rock
7
Nico de Boinville
Nicky Henderson
2023
Honeysuckle
9
Rachael Blackmore
Henry de Bromhead
Mares Hurdle Previous Result
Check out the latest result from this race:
😊 Honeysuckle soars home to win the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle!
Statistics on trial races are a bit patchy because of the unusual nature of Quevega who would often come here after almost a year off the track.
Glens Melody had won the Listed Mares Hurdle at Warwick prior to winning here and Benie Des Dieux had won a similar event at Naas.
Honeysuckle prepared for this race in none other than the Irish Champion Hurdle! She beat Darver Star by half a length but her owners resisted the temptation to run in the 2020 Champion. Darver Star finished third to Epatante so Honeysuckle would have been placed at the very least.
Close Brothers Mares Hurdle Betting Trends
Quevega started favourite for all six of her victories but only Vroum Vroum Mag has been a winning favourite since. In fact, you could be forgiven for thinking there was something of a jinx at work with the heavily-backed Annie Power and Benie Des Dieux both crashing out at the last hurdle.
Having said that, only 10-1 chance Roksana was outside the first three in the betting.
The longest-priced winner in Mares Hurdle history was Whiteoak at 20-1 in the inaugural running in 2008.
Since Quevega’s sixth and final victory in 2014, five seven-year-olds have been successful.
Apple’s Jade (2017) was the third five-year-old to win but the first since Quevega’s first victory in 2009.
Eleven of the last twelve winners had at least three previous wins over hurdles including at least one in a Grade 1 to 3 race.
An official rating of 147 or higher is usually required to win the Mares Hurdle, only Roksana (142) falling below that figure in the same period.
Punchestown has been the next target for winners of this race with Quevega (four times), Vroum Vroum Mag, Apple’s Jade and Benie Des Dieux all enjoying further success at the April festival meeting.
Mares Hurdle – Top Trainers and Jockeys
The incredible run of six victories for Quevega means it is impossible to look beyond Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh in this race.
Mullins has of course gone on to win the race on a further three occasions to take his tally to nine, courtesy of Glens Melody, Vroum Vroum Mag and Benie Des Dieux. Walsh has one less because of Annie Power’s fall.
It has been very difficult for anyone else to get a look in, although Gordon Elliott did win with Apple’s Jade (2017) and certainly had plenty of input in the success of Black Tears (2021). The latter was credited to Denise Foster while Elliott was serving his suspension.
British trainers have only managed two victories since the race was created; Whiteoak (2008) and Roksana (2019).
Betting on the Mares Hurdle
The Mares Hurdle has quite a strong ante-post betting market, despite not being one of the feature races at the Cheltenham festival. Runners from the Christmas Hurdle often fare well.
Quevega’s presence provided added interest, particularly for multiple bets on the Mullins-trained runners. That trend has continued with the likes of Vroum Vroum Mag and Benie Des Dieux and the latter’s duel with Honeysuckle in 2020 also attracted plenty of betting turnover.
Bookmakers have started offering “non-runner – no bet” on the Mares Hurdle during the run-up to the Cheltenham Festival in recent years.
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Popular Questions
What distance is the Mares Hurdle?
The Mares Hurdle is 2 miles, 3 furlongs and 200 yards long.
How many hurdle are there in the Mares Hurdle?
There is a total of 10 hurdles to be jumped in the Mares Hurdle.
Mares Hurdle Facts
The Mares Hurdle is a National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to mares aged four years or above.
It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs (4,023 metres), and during its running there are ten hurdles to be jumped.
The race is for female horses only and was first run in 2008.
Summary of The Mares Hurdle
The Mares Hurdle is a relatively new addition.
It’s been made famous by the super-mare Quevega who dominated in the early days, cementing herself as a Cheltenham legend.
It is a popular race with punters, although fortunes have been mixed over the years with a few unlucky stories.
Brandy Love will be a tough nut to crack this year.
Other Cheltenham Related Articles
If you have enjoyed this Cheltenham Mares Hurdle page, here are some other articles related to Cheltenham betting you may also like:
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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.
