A History of Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle Winners

As excitement for this year’s Cheltenham races rises, take a look back on a century of history to learn about the past winners of the Stayers’ Hurdle event.

Although it has gone through several changes of name and time, the Stayers’ Hurdle remains a key part of proceedings at the Cheltenham Festival. This hurdle race takes place over roughly 3 miles, with twelve hurdles for each horse to clear. Some of the sport’s most famous jockeys have claimed victory in the event, with more than £180,000 going to the first-place finish in 2025.

With more than 100 years of races, it’s time to look back at the previous winners of the Stayers’ Hurdle and learn who this year’s competitors will be trying to join in the record books. Read on for a look at the history of the Stayers’ Hurdle’s winners:

Who are the last ten Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle winners?

With the Stayers’ Hurdle scheduled to take place on 13th March, see the winners of the competition’s last ten years below:

Who are the most successful horses in Stayers’ Hurdle history (since 1972)?

While we’ve only seen one back-to-back winner in the last ten years – Flooring Porter – the history books are full of iconic racehorses who have taken first place finishes in the Stayers’ Hurdle on multiple occasions. Here are the horses with the most victories since the event first took place:

1. Big Buck’s (4-time Stayers’ Hurdle winner)

Multiple-time winners of the Stayers’ Hurdle are few and far between, but Big Buck’s set a record with his winning streak from 2008 to 2012, winning four consecutive races at Cheltenham. He was retired two years later in 2014, having earned more than £1,000,000 for his owners, jockeys, and trainers.

2. Inglis Drever (3-time Stayers’ Hurdle winner)

The only other horse to have won more than two Stayers’ Hurdle races is Inglis Drever. Picking up his first win in 2005, he’d win back-to-back events in 2007 and 2008 to become the first horse to ever earn three victories, until Big Buck’s beat the record in 2012.

Which other horses have won multiple Stayers’ Hurdles?

There have been relatively few repeat winners in the Stayers’ hurdle event compared to other races at Cheltenham. Here are the other horses who have won more than one year’s race:

·         Baracouda (2)

·         Crimson Embers (2)

·         Flooring Porter (2)

·         Galmoy (2)

·         Silver Bay (2)

·         Sobrino (2)

·         Warwick (2)

Who are the most successful trainers in Stayers’ Hurdle history?

Top training makes all the difference when leading a horse to a victory at Cheltenham. Here are the trainers who have led the most horses to Stayers’ Hurdle wins in their careers:

1. Paul Nicholls (4)

Paul Nicholls earned all four of his wins while training Big Buck’s on his run of dominance through the late 2000s and early 2010s. With a Grand National win and four Cheltenham Gold Cups under his belt as well, he’s one of the most prolific and successful horse trainers in recent memory.

=2. Howard Johnson (3)

Howard Johnson was the trainer who led Inglis Drever to three record-breaking wins from 2007 to 2009 – the first horse to achieve such a feat in the Stayers’ Hurdle. He was blocked from successive wins by My Way de Solzen in 2006, but still ranks in second for all-time Stayers’ Hurdle wins.

=2. Fulke Walwyn (3)

While many other successful trainers at the Stayers’ Hurdle spend their time at the top of the sport training one repeated winner, Fulke Walwyn was able to claim his three victories with two different horses in the 1980s. Crimson Embers earned him two wins in 1982 and 1986, while Rose Ravine won the race in 1984.

Which other trainers have won multiple Stayers’ Hurdles?

·         Edward O’Grady (2)

·         Ernie Piggott (2)

·         François Doumen (2)

·         Gavin Cromwell (2)

·         Gordon Elliott (2)

·         Ivor Anthony (2)

·         John Mulhern (2)

·         Jonjo O’Neill (2)

·         Martin Pipe (2)

·         Nicky Henderson (2)

·         W. Fitton (2)

·         W. Payne (2)

Who is the most successful jockey in Stayers’ Hurdle history?

When it comes to jockeys in the Stayers’ Hurdle, there’s one clear answer for the most prolific winner of all time, having earned nearly double the wins of any other competitor:

Ruby Walsh (5-time Stayers’ Hurdle winner)

One of the most successful jockeys in the history of British and Irish jump racing, Ruby Walsh holds the record for the most Stayers’ Hurdle wins, having won the race in five separate years. Much of his success came leading Big Buck’s on his four-year winning streak, but a 2017 victory with Nichols Canyon extended his lead over any other jockey in the history of the race.

Which other jockeys have won the Stayers’ Hurdle multiple times?

There are no current three-time winners of the Stayers’ Hurdle, meaning Ruby Walsh holds a comfortable lead over 13 jockeys who hold joint second. Here is a list of all of them:

·         Barry Geraghty (2)

·         Charlie  Swan (2)

·         Danny Mullins (2)

·         Frenchie Nicholson

·         Jamie Osborne (2)

·         Keith Piggott (2)

·         Mark Perrett (2)

·         Richard Black (2)

·         Stuart Shilston (2)

·         Thierry Doumen (2)

·         Tommy Carberry (2)

·         Tommy Carmody (2)

·         W. Catling (2)

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