International Hurdle

Hurdle horse race in Britain

Horse race

International HurdleGrade 2 race

Location| Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham, England
Inaugurated| 1963
Race type| Hurdle race
Sponsor| Unibet
Website| Cheltenham
Race information
Distance| 2m 179y (3,382 metres)
Surface| Turf
Track| Left-handed
Qualification| Four-years-old and up
Weight| 11 st 0 lb
Purse| £112,000 (2020)
1st: £63,784
International Hurdle  2024

|  |
Lossiemouth  | Love Envoi  | First Street
Previous years

2021
|  |
Guard Your Dreams  | Song For Someone  | Hunters Call
2020-2011

2020
|  |
Song For Someone  | Silver Streak  | Ballyandy
2019
|  |
Call Me Lord  | Ballyandy  | Ch'tibello
2018
|  |
Brain Power  | Silver Streak  | Western Ryder
2017
|  |
My Tent Or Yours  | The New One  | Melon
2016
|  |
The New One  | My Tent Or Yours  | Old Guard
2015
|  |
Old Guard  | Sempre Medici  | Hargam
2014
|  |
The New One  | Vaniteux  | Olofi
2013
|  |
The New One  | Zarkandar  | Jumps Road
2012
|  |
Zarkandar  | Grandouet  | Rock on Ruby
2011
|  |
Grandouet  | Overturn  | Brampour
2010-2001

2010
|  |
Menorah  | Cue Card  | Silviniaco Conti
2009
|  |
Khyber Kim  | Celestial Halo  | Medermit
2008
|  |
Binocular  | Celestial Halo  | Chomba Womba
2007
|  |
Osana  | Katchit  | Penzance
2006
|  |
Detroit City  | Hardy Eustace  | Crow Wood
2005
|  |
Harchibald  | Intersky Falcon  | Faasel
2004
|  |
Back in Front  | Inglis Drever  | Westender
2003
|  |
Rigmarole  | Davenport Milenium  | Hasty Prince
2002
|  |
Rooster Booster  | Landing Light  | Geos
2000-1991

2000
|  |
Geos  | Barton  | Mr Percy
1999
|  |
Relkeel  | Far Cry  | Shooting Light
1998
|  |
Relkeel  | Grey Shot  | Midnight Legend
1997
|  |
Relkeel  | Pridwell  | Collier Bay
1996
|  |
Large Action  | Bimsey  | Theatreworld
1994
|  |
Large Action  | Flakey Dove  | Absalom's Lady
1993
|  |
Staunch Friend  | Halkopous  | Muse
1992
|  |
Halkopous  | Granville Again  | Morley Street
1991
|  |
Royal Derbi  | Nomadic Way  | Ruling
1990-1987

1989
|  |
Cruising Altitude  | Nomadic Way  | Beech Road
1988
|  |
Condor Pan  | Floyd  | Sprowston Boy
1987
|  |
Pat's Jester  | Aldino  | Tom Sharp

The International Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong (2 miles and 179 yards, or 3,382 metres), and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in January.

## History[edit]

The event was established in 1963, and it was originally called the Cheltenham Trial Hurdle. The inaugural running was won by Scottish Memories, and in the following two years it was won by the Champion Hurdle winners Magic Court and Salmon Spray. Its title was changed to the Bula Hurdle in 1977, in honour of Bula, a dual-winner of the Champion Hurdle who was successful in this contest in 1972.

The first triple-winner of the Bula Hurdle was Bird's Nest, whose third victory came in 1980. This feat was matched in the late 1990s by Relkeel, a horse subsequently honoured by the naming of different race on the same card, the Relkeel Hurdle.

The online sportsbook StanJames.com sponsored the event for the first time in 2010. The International Hurdle is the second leg in the Road to Cheltenham, a Stan James sponsored series of top-class hurdles races culminating in the 2011 Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The other two races are the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle Trial. The race is now sponsored by Stan James's parent company, Unibet.

The last horse to win both the International Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle in the same season was Rooster Booster in 2002–03.

Until 2022 the race was run at Cheltenham's International meeting in December. In April 2023 the British Horseracing Authority announced that the race would be run in future at the Festival Trials meeting in January.[1]

## Records[edit]

Most successful horse (3 wins):

* Birds Nest – 1977, 1978, 1980
* Relkeel – 1997, 1998, 1999
* The New One – 2013, 2014, 2016

Leading jockey (6 wins):

* Richard Johnson – Relkeel (1997, 1999), Rooster Booster (2002), Detroit City (2006), Menorah (2010), The New One (2016)

Leading trainer (6 wins):

* Nicky Henderson – Geos (2000), Binocular (2008), Grandouet (2011), My Tent Or Yours (2017), Brain Power (2018), Call Me Lord (2019)

## Winners[edit]

Year  | Winner  | Age  | Jockey  | Trainer

|
|
|
|

1963  | Scottish Memories | 9  | Cathal Finnegan  | Arthur Thomas
1964  | Magic Court | 6  | Pat McCarron | Tommy Robson
1965  | Salmon Spray | 7  | Johnny Haine | Bob Turnell
1966  | Sempervivum | 8  | Willie Robinson | Fulke Walwyn
1967| Abandoned due to foot and mouth outbreak
1968  | Solway Sands | 4  | Brian Fletcher | John McMurchie
1969  | Celtic Gold | 7  | Stan Murphy | Arthur Stephenson
1970  | Pendil [a] | 5  | Paul Kelleway | Fred Winter
1971  | Canasta Lad | 5  | Jeff King | Peter Bailey
1972  | Bula | 7  | Paul Kelleway | Fred Winter
1973  | Comedy of Errors | 6  | Bill Smith | Fred Rimell
1974  | Comedy of Errors | 7  | Ken White | Fred Rimell
1975  | Sea Pigeon | 5  | Jonjo O'Neill | Gordon W. Richards
1976| Abandoned due to frost
1977  | Birds Nest | 7  | Andrew Turnell | Bob Turnell
1978  | Birds Nest | 8  | Andrew Turnell | Bob Turnell
1979  | Celtic Ryde | 4  | Martin O'Halloran | Peter Cundell
1980  | Birds Nest | 10  | Andrew Turnell | Bob Turnell
1981 | no race 1981 [b] |  |  |
1982  | Ekbalco | 6  | Jonjo O'Neill | Roger Fisher
1983  | Amarach  | 5  | Jimmy Duggan | Roger Fisher
1984  | Browne's Gazette | 6  | Ronnie Beggan[c] | Monica Dickinson
1985  | Corporal Clinger | 6  | Paul Leach | Martin Pipe
1986  | Floyd | 6  | Colin Brown | David Elsworth
1987  | Pat's Jester | 4  | Peter Niven | Dick Allan
1988  | Condor Pan | 5  | Charlie Swan | Jim Bolger
1989  | Cruising Altitude | 6  | Jamie Osborne | Oliver Sherwood
1990 | no race 1990 [b] |  |  |
1991  | Royal Derbi | 6  | Declan Murphy | Neville Callaghan
1992  | Halkopous | 6  | Adrian Maguire | Mark Tompkins
1993  | Staunch Friend | 5  | Declan Murphy | Mark Tompkins
1994  | Large Action | 6  | Jamie Osborne | Oliver Sherwood
1995 | no race 1995 [d] |  |  |
1996  | Large Action | 8  | Jamie Osborne | Oliver Sherwood
1997  | Relkeel | 8  | Richard Johnson | David Nicholson
1998  | Relkeel | 9  | Adrian Maguire | David Nicholson
1999  | Relkeel | 10  | Richard Johnson | Alan King
2000  | Geos | 5  | Mick Fitzgerald | Nicky Henderson
2001  | Valiramix [e] | 5  | Tony McCoy | Martin Pipe
2002  | Rooster Booster | 8  | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs
2003  | Rigmarole | 5  | Robert Thornton | Paul Nicholls
2004  | Back in Front | 7  | Davy Russell | Edward O'Grady
2005  | Harchibald | 6  | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade
2006  | Detroit City | 4  | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs
2007  | Osana | 5  | Paddy Brennan | David Pipe
2008  | Binocular [f] | 4  | Tony McCoy | Nicky Henderson
2009  | Khyber Kim | 7  | Paddy Brennan | Nigel Twiston-Davies
2010  | Menorah | 5  | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs
2011  | Grandouet  | 4  | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson
2012  | Zarkandar | 5  | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls
2013  | The New One | 5  | Sam Twiston-Davies | Nigel Twiston-Davies
2014  | The New One | 6  | Sam Twiston-Davies | Nigel Twiston-Davies
2015  | Old Guard  | 4  | Sam Twiston-Davies | Paul Nicholls
2016  | The New One | 8  | Richard Johnson | Nigel Twiston-Davies
2017  | My Tent Or Yours | 10  | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson
2018  | Brain Power  | 7  | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson
2019  | Call Me Lord  | 6  | James Bowen  | Nicky Henderson
2020  | Song For Someone  | 5  | Aidan Coleman | Tom Symonds
2021  | Guard Your Dreams  | 5  | Sam Twiston-Davies | Nigel Twiston-Davies
2022 | no race 2022 [g] |  |  |
2024  | Lossiemouth  | 5  | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins

1. ^ Dondieu finished first in 1970, but was relegated to second place after a stewards' inquiry
2. ^ a b The race was abandoned in 1981 and 1990 because of snow
3. ^ amateur jockey
4. ^ The race was abandoned in 1995 due to frost
5. ^ The 2001 running took place at Newbury
6. ^ The 2008 edition was held at Ascot
7. ^ The 2022 race was abandoned due to frost

## See also[edit]

* Horse racing in Great Britain
* List of British National Hunt races

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Package of changes agreed to help strengthen performance of British Jump racing". British Horseracing Authority. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.

* Racing Post:
* 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
* 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
* 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

## External links[edit]

* Race Recordings [1]

* v
* t
* e

Festival Trials Day

* Classic Novices' Hurdle
* Cleeve Hurdle
* Cotswold Chase
* Finesse Juvenile Hurdle
* International Hurdle
* Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase

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