The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is a Grade 1 race at Newcastle over an extended two miles.
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle takes place on Saturday 2nd December 2024.
The long odds on shot Constitution Hill looks a banker for Nico De Boinville and Nicky Henderson to secure the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle win against leading fancies Love Envoi and Not So Sleepy.
The race regularly features leading contenders for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
Find out more about the Fighting Fifth Hurdle:
Contents
- 1 Overview – Fighting Fifth Hurdle
- 2 Who is the most winning trainer of the Fighting Fifth?
- 3 Previous Fighting Fifth Hurdle Winners
- 4 Key Fighting Fifth Hurdle Trials
- 5 Fighting Fifth Hurdle Betting Trends
- 6 Fighting Fifth Hurdle – Top Trainers and Jockeys
- 7 Popular Questions
- 8 Summary of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle
- 9 Related December Articles
Overview – Fighting Fifth Hurdle
Horses must be four years old or older to compete in the Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race known as the Fighting Fifth Hurdle in Great Britain.
Nine hurdles must be cleared during the race, which is held at Newcastle over a distance of around 2 miles and a half furlong (2 miles and 46 yards, or 3,261 metres).
The contest is the opening race in the Triple Crown of Hurdling.
Who is the most winning trainer of the Fighting Fifth?
The most successful trainer in the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle is Nicky Henderson, with eight wins.
Here are the most winning trainers of the BetMGM Fighting Fifth.
Trainer | R-W-P |
---|---|
Nicky Henderson | 15-8-12 |
Noel Meade | 3-3-3 |
Paul Nicholls | 9-2-3 |
Donald McCain | 3-2-2 |
Nicky Richards | 8-1-3 |
John Quinn | 5-1-3 |
Hughie Morrison | 3-1-1 |
Micky Hammond | 2-1-1 |
Henry De Bromhead | 2-1-1 |
Nick Gifford | 1-1-1 |
Previous Fighting Fifth Hurdle Winners
Here are the previous winners of the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Peddlers Cross [d] | Jason Maguire | Donald McCain Jr. |
2011 | Overturn | Jason Maguire | Donald McCain Jr. |
2012 | Countrywide Flame | Denis O’Regan | John Quinn |
2013 | My Tent Or Yours | Tony McCoy | Nicky Henderson |
2014 | Irving | Nick Scholfield | Paul Nicholls |
2015 | Identity Thief | Bryan Cooper | Henry De Bromhead |
2016 | Irving | Harry Cobden | Paul Nicholls |
2017 | Buveur d’Air | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson |
2018 | Buveur d’Air | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson |
2019 | Cornerstone Lad | Henry Brooke | Micky Hammond |
2020 | Epatante | Aidan Coleman | Nicky Henderson |
2021 | Epatante + Not So Sleepy | Aidan Coleman Jonathan Burke | Nicky Henderson Hughie Morrison |
2022 | Constitution Hill | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
Key Fighting Fifth Hurdle Trials
Around half of recent winners had raced previously during the current campaign.
This race is often used as the first race of the season for horses that ran in the Champion Hurdle the previous season. The outcome can have a big impact on the ante-post betting for Cheltenham.
The next target for Fighting Fifth Hurdle winners is often the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park. Eight of the last thirteen winners ran in that race. Go Native (2009), My Tent Or Yours (2013), Buveur D’Air (2017) and Epatante (2021) all won both races in the same season.
Fighting Fifth Hurdle Betting Trends
Horses aged five and six have the best recent record in this race, winning six of the last nine renewals between them. It is worth noting that four-year-olds have a poor record in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle. Countrywide Flame (2012) was the most recent to oblige and the first from that age group since Out Of The Gloom (1985).
There have been five winning favourites and four-second favourites in the past twelve seasons.
Nicky Henderson’s runners usually attract plenty of support. Buveur D’Air was a long odds-on favourite in 2017 and a well-backed second favourite when following up in 2018. Henderson’s Punjabi (2008), My Tent Or Yours (2013) and Epatante all started strong favourites.
There have been occasional upsets in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle. The French Furze (2003) and Go Native (2009) both won at 25-1 and Cornerstone Lad won as a 16-1 chance in 2019.
Not So Sleepy was an 18-1 chance when dead-heating with favourite Epatante in 2021.
Almost all recent winners had already won a Grade 1 or Grade 2 race.
An official rating of 152 or higher is usually required to win this race.
Buveur D’Air was the highest-rated recent winner on 169 while Cornerstone Lad was officially rated 148.
Fighting Fifth Hurdle – Top Trainers and Jockeys
Nicky Henderson has won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle on a record seven occasions. He first won the race with Landing Light in 2001 with Punjabi adding a second success seven years’ later. My Tent Or Yours won it in 2013 with Buveur D’Air claiming successive victories in 2017 and 2018. He then saddled Epatante to record back-to-back victories in 2020 and 2021.
Space Trucker, trained by Jessica Harrington, was the first Irish-trained winner of the race in 1996.
Noel Meade won it twice with Harchibald in 2004 and 2007 and again with Go Native (2009).
The last Irish-trained winner was Henry De Bromhead’s Identity Thief in 2015.
Barry Geraghty leads the all-time jockey standings in the Fighting Fifth with three winners; Landing Punjabi (2008) and Buveur D’Air (2017, 2018). Aidan Coleman moved to within one of that tally with back-to-back victories aboard Epatante (2020, 2021).
Popular Questions
When is the Fighting Fifth Hurdle?
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is held on Saturday 2nd December at 1:55 pm.
The 13:55 race is held at Newcastle Racecourse.
What are important facts about Fighting Fifth Hurdle?
Here are some important facts about Fighting Fifth Hurdle:
- The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is run at Newcastle Racecourse, Great Britain
- The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is for horses aged 4 and over
- The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is a National Hunt Hurdle race in Great Britain
- The Fighting Fifth Hurdle distance is 2 miles and half a furlong
Summary of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle
Thank you for reading our Fighting Fifth Hurdle guide.
The Fighting Fifth is one of the first major hurdling honours of the season, with many winners going on to claim the Champion title later in the season.
You can check out the Newcastle horse racing tips page for our tips on this race or take a look at more horse racing in December.
- Becher Chase
- Betfair Exchange Trophy Handicap Hurdle
- Bristol Novices’ Hurdle
- Challow Novices’ Hurdle
- Christmas Hurdle
- Coral Gold Cup
- December Gold Cup
- December Novices’ Chase
- Fighting Fifth Hurdle
- Finale Juvenile Hurdle
- Henry VIII Novices’ Chase
- Horse Racing In December
- International Hurdle
- Kauto Star Novices’ Chase
- Kennel Gate Novices’ Hurdle
- King George VI Chase
- Long Distance Hurdle
- Long Walk Hurdle
- Many Clouds Chase
- Noel Novices’ Chase
- Peterborough Chase
- Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase
- Summit Juvenile Hurdle
- Tingle Creek Chase
- Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase
- Welsh Grand National
- Winter Novices’ Hurdle