The Stayers’ Hurdle as it is now known in its Championship form was first run back in 1972. That renewal was won by the Harry Thomson Jones trained Parlour Moor, with Macer Gifford in the saddle. The race was run on either the Tuesday or the Wednesday until 1993 when it moved to the Thursday where it has remained until present. That first Thursday renewal was won by Shuil Ar Aghaidh.
Whilst the Champion Hurdle is all about speed, the Stayers’ Hurdle is all about stamina. It is undoubtedly the most important staying hurdle race in the National Hunt season and it shares feature race status with the Ryanair Chase on the Thursday of the Cheltenham Festival.
The total prize money for the Stayers’ Hurdle currently sits at £325,000 with over £180,000 going home with the winner. The race name was changed to the World Hurdle between 2005 and 2016. However, in 2017, the race name reverted back to the Stayers’ Hurdle and has remained that way since.
Stayers’ Hurdle distance, course & race conditions
The Stayers’ Hurdle takes place over a distance of 3m - To be precise, it’s two miles, seven furlongs and 213 yards / 4,785 metres. During this test of stamina, twelve hurdles are jumped by the contenders.
Being on the New Course only makes it even more of a stamina test, as it is a much more gruelling layout than the Old Course which is all about speed. Therefore, this race is completely chalk and cheese compared to the Champion Hurdle.
It is also worth noting that from the second last hurdle on the New Course you have around seven furlongs to run with just one hurdle to jump. This makes the race much more about tactics and grit rather than jumping ability. A lot can change in those final stages, especially coming up the famous hill to finish!
Stayers’ Hurdle eligibility and entry requirements
The Stayers’ Hurdle is open to horses aged four and over, with the mares and fillies receiving a 7lb weight allowance.
All males that are five or older carry the same weight of 11st 10lb with this being a Grade 1 contest and the mares subsequently carry 11st 3lb. However, for those aged four the weight carried is just 11st. Any fillies contesting the race would carry just 10st 7lb. Since 1972, no horse under the age of six has won the race.
Horses with a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) rating of less than 130 are not eligible to compete.
Stayers’ Hurdle past winners and records
The latest renewal of the Stayers’ Hurdle (2026) was a rather remarkable one. It was won by 33/1 shot Home By The Lee who was trained by Joseph O’Brien and ridden by JJ Slevin. Home By The Lee achieved this great feat at the grand old age of 11 and on his fifth attempt at the race.
The Paul Nicholls trained Big Buck’s is the most prolific winner in the race's history, recording four victories in successive years - 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The leading owners are The Stewart Family (Big Buck’s x 4), Andrea & Graham Wylie (Inglis Drever x 3 and Nichols Canyon) and J. P. McManus (Baracouda x 2, More Of That and Sire Du Berlais) with four wins each.
One of the most memorable winners of the race is Penhill in 2018. He won the 2017 renewal of the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle before finishing second at Punchestown at the end of the 2016/17 season. He subsequently was not seen on a track for 323 days before reappearing at the Cheltenham Festival and winning the 2018 renewal of the Stayers’ Hurdle on his seasonal reappearance - That was some training performance from Willie Mullins.
Most successful trainers & jockeys in the Stayers’ Hurdle
With thanks to Big Buck’s, Paul Nicholls is the most successful trainer in the history of the Stayers’ Hurdle, with his star horse winning all four renewals that he has won. In those years, Big Buck’s produced a record breaking 18 wins in a row, dominating the staying division.
Similarly the most successful jockey in the race is Ruby Walsh who was aboard Big Buck’s for his four victories. However, unlike Paul Nicholls, Ruby Walsh also went on to win the 2017 renewal aboard Nichols Canyon for Willie Mullins. As a result, Ruby Walsh can boast five victories in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Inglis Drever managed three victories in the race (2005, 2007 and 2008) for Howard Johnson. Fun fact - Each of Inglis Drever’s three wins came under a different jockey - Graham Lee, Paddy Brennan and Denis O’Regan, which makes him unique!
Stayers’ Hurdle trends
In the last ten renewals of the Stayers’ Hurdle (2017-2026), only two favourites have won the race. They were Paisley Park in 2019 at 11/8 and Teahupoo in 2024 at 5/4. In contrast, six of the last ten winners have returned at double figure odds including two 33/1 winners - Home By The Lee and Sire Du Berlais and even a 50/1 winner - Lisnagar Oscar.
As a general rule, horses aged between six and eight tend to be the sweet spot. However, in three of the last four years, the winner has been a veteran (10+). In 2023, Sire Du Berlais won the race at 11. In 2025, Bob Olinger won the race at 10. Then in the 2026 renewal, Home By The Lee won the race at 11.
In the 54 runnings of the race in its current form (since 1972, no race in 2001), there have only been two mares that have won the race. Rose Ravine was victorious in 1985 before Shuil Ar Aghaidh won the 1993 renewal. Grey winners are even rarer with just one successful grey and that was the 2004 winner - Iris’s Gift.
As a general rule, the horses that win the Stayers’ Hurdle are ones that have prior experience over long distance trips, with most having already won a Graded hurdle over 3m and usually they are horses with previous Cheltenham Festival experience under their belts too.
Popular betting markets for the Stayers’ Hurdle
The
markets most popular for betting in the Stayers’ Hurdle
will always be the win and each way markets. However, there are some aspects to note in the other markets available.
Distance betting may seem like a logical option given the stamina test that this race is and how tired the contenders may be at the finish. You would expect this to result in wide margins of victory, making distance betting popular. However, it’s often the opposite. Over the last 10 years, the winning margin has averaged out at just 2.1 lengths, so I’d be wary of markets such as +3 lengths or +5 lengths.
Over fences, you have the Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase and Gold Cup and the horses having option of the latter two, can often make antepost betting tricky. However, there is no such concern over hurdles, as there are only the Champion Hurdle or the Stayers’ Hurdle (excluding the Mares Hurdle, as it is Mares only). Therefore the antepost markets can be utilised early, with much more confidence that your horse will turn up in that race. As a result, the antepost market is a popular one for the Stayers’ Hurdle.
How to pick a winner in the Stayers’ Hurdle
When you’re looking to
pick out the winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle, you want a horse that is proven over the distance and ideally proven around Cheltenham, with the ideal being a horse with previous Cheltenham Festival experience.
Each year you tend to get a well fancied horse that is unproven over the distance, with their backers hoping that they can stay. In 2026, it was the Dan Skelton trained Kabral Du Mathan. In 2025, it was Lucky Place and in 2024, it was Sir Gerhard. Between the track, trip and level of competition, these unproven horses can get found out, so more often than not, it pays to stick to the proven types.
Interestingly, it seems to be a race that the Irish are dominant in. The last six winners have all been Irish trained by either Gavin Cromwell, Gordon Elliott, Henry De Bromhead or Joseph O’Brien. With Willie Mullins training the 2017 and 2018 winners, it means that eight of the last ten have been based in Ireland. The two British winners were Lisnagar Oscar (Rebecca Curtis, 2020) and Paisley Park (Emma Lavelle, 2019).
