# Champion Hurdle Winners: The Full Roll of Honour (1970-2026)

_Every Champion Hurdle winner since 1970 - horse, age, starting price, jockey and trainer - with the trends that emerge across the full roll of honour. Source-verified._

*Source: [https://stablebet.co.uk/uk-racecourses/cheltenham/champion-hurdle-winners/](https://stablebet.co.uk/uk-racecourses/cheltenham/champion-hurdle-winners/) · last updated 2026-07-19*

The Champion Hurdle is the two-mile hurdling championship, the feature of the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. This is the full roll of honour from 1970 to 2026 - every winning horse with its age, starting price, jockey and trainer - and the trends that emerge across the whole history.

Every row is source-verified against two independent records; unsourced cells are left blank rather than guessed. The 2001 running is shown as not run, the Festival lost to the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

For the meeting, see [Cheltenham Racecourse](/uk-racecourses/cheltenham/) and the live [racecards](/racecards/).

Every winner since 1970, newest first. SP is the official returned price, with the favourite marker where it applied.

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### What the trends tell you

Read these as history, not a system. The Champion Hurdle is the one Festival championship where favourites really deliver - close to half have obliged since 1970, because top-class hurdlers tend to dominate. Nicky Henderson's nine winners are a record, and Istabraq's three in a row (1998-2000) is the modern benchmark; Constitution Hill's 4/11 in 2023 made him the shortest-priced winner in the race's history. Six is the most common winning age. None of this is advice.

## Betting on the Champion Hurdle

Backing a runner in the Champion Hurdle? The bookmakers refresh their offers across Cheltenham week, with extra places and best odds guaranteed worth comparing. See the current [Cheltenham betting offers](/bookmakers/cheltenham-offers/).

18+. Please gamble responsibly. [BeGambleAware.org](https://www.begambleaware.org/)

## Champion Hurdle winners: FAQ

### Who has trained the most Champion Hurdle winners?
Nicky Henderson, with nine in our 1970-2026 records - comfortably the leading trainer in the race's modern history.

### Which horse has won the most Champion Hurdles?
Istabraq, three years running from 1998 to 2000, is the modern record-holder; See You Then also won three in the 1980s. Honeysuckle and Buveur d'Air are among the recent dual winners.

### Do favourites win the Champion Hurdle?
More often than in most Festival championships - close to half the winners since 1970 have been favourite, because a genuinely top-class hurdler usually stands out. Constitution Hill (4/11, 2023) is the shortest-priced winner on record.

### Was the Champion Hurdle run in 2001?
No. The 2001 Cheltenham Festival was abandoned in the foot-and-mouth outbreak; there is no 2001 winner.