International Hurdle

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.

International Hurdle
Grade 2 race
LocationCheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham, England
Inaugurated1963
Race typeHurdle race
SponsorUnibet
WebsiteCheltenham
Race information
Distance2m 179y (3,382 metres)
SurfaceTurf
TrackLeft-handed
QualificationFour-years-old and up
Weight11 st 0 lb
Purse£112,000 (2020)
1st: £63,784
International Hurdle
2021
Red, black diamond, red sleeves, yellow diamonds, black cap, red diamonds Dark blue, red seams, white cap Red, black sleeves, emerald green armlets, black cap
Guard Your Dreams Song For Someone Hunters Call
Previous years
2020
Dark blue, red seams, white cap White, maroon hoop, sleeves and cap Red, white disc, diabolo on sleeves
Song For Someone Silver Streak Ballyandy
2019
Emerald green, dark green sleeves, dark green and emerald green quartered cap Red, white disc, diabolo on sleeves Black, black and pink check sleeves and cap
Call Me Lord Ballyandy Ch'tibello
2018
White, black cap White, maroon hoop, sleeves and cap White, black and white halved sleeves, yellow cap, white spots
Brain Power Silver Streak Western Ryder
2017
Emerald green, yellow hoops, white cap Red, white star, red sleeves, black stars, white cap, red star Yellow and black check, yellow sleeves, yellow cap, black star
My Tent Or Yours The New One Melon
2016
Red, white star, red sleeves, black stars, white cap, red star Emerald green, yellow hoops, white cap Dark blue, royal blue stars, dark blue and red halved sleeves, red cap
The New One My Tent Or Yours Old Guard
2015
Dark blue, royal blue stars, dark blue and red halved sleeves, red cap Pink, light green spots, pink sleeves and cap Emerald green, yellow hoops, white cap
Old Guard Sempre Medici Hargam
2014
Red, white star, red sleeves, black stars, white cap, red star Grey, white epaulets Royal blue, white hoops, maroon sleeves and cap
The New One Vaniteux Olofi
2013
Red, white star, red sleeves, black stars, white cap, red star Red, pink hoop and armlets Yellow, black hoops, striped sleeves, red cap
The New One Zarkandar Jumps Road
2012
Pink, large purple spots, hooped sleeves Emerald green, dark green sleeves, dark green and emerald green quartered cap Dark green, white cross belts, light green sleeves, dark green and white hooped cap
Zarkandar Grandouet Rock on Ruby
2011
Emerald green, dark green sleeves, dark green and emerald green quartered cap Yellow, royal blue seams, grey sleeves, royal blue seams, royal blue cap Red, orange diamond, orange sleeves, red stars, red cap, orange diamonds
Grandouet Overturn Brampour
2010-2001
2010
Dark blue, light blue hoop, checked sleeves and cap Royal blue, pink star on body and cap, royal blue sleeves, pink stars Red, pink hoop and armlets
Menorah Cue Card Silviniaco Conti
2009
Red, royal blue chevrons, armlets and star on cap Black and white (halved), red sleeves and cap Orange, black star, black and orange striped sleeves
Khyber Kim Celestial Halo Medermit
2008
Emerald green, orange hoops, white cap Black and white (halved), red sleeves and cap Grey, white epaulets
Binocular Celestial Halo Chomba Womba
2007
Light blue, royal blue hoop, armlets and cap Pink, Emerald Green cross belts, Pink and Emerald Green striped sleeves, Pink cap, Emerald Green star White, large black spots, black cap
Osana Katchit Penzance
2006
Yellow, black chevron, check cap Light blue, yellow hoop, white sleeves, light blue and white striped cap White and purple diamonds, purple and white diabolo on sleeves
Detroit City Hardy Eustace Crow Wood
2005
Purple, gold sleeves, hooped cap White, light green and dark blue striped sleeves, green cap Red, yellow epaulets
Harchibald Intersky Falcon Faasel
2004
ORANGE and PURPLE DIAMONDS, purple sleeves, purple cap, orange diamonds Beige and black halved, black chevrons on sleeves, beige cap Light blue, maroon chevron, halved sleeves, light blue and maroon quartered cap
Back in Front Inglis Drever Westender
2003
Dark Green, Yellow cross belts, diabolo on sleeves White, dark blue diamond, blue sleeves, white armlets, quartered cap Pink, light blue sleeves, dark blue chevrons, light blue cap
Rigmarole Davenport Milenium Hasty Prince
2002
Yellow, black chevron, check cap Black and Yellow diamonds, checked sleeves, Yellow cap Emerald Green, Yellow stripe, Yellow cap
Rooster Booster Landing Light Geos
2000-1991
2000
Emerald Green, Yellow stripe, Yellow cap Green and white stripes, black and white striped sleeves Beige, Black hollow box and armlets, quartered cap
Geos Barton Mr Percy
1999
White, brown sleeves and cap Yellow, pink stars and sleeves Red, Purple sleeves, Red armlets, Black cap, Yellow star
Relkeel Far Cry Shooting Light
1998
White, brown sleeves and cap Light Blue and Orange diamonds, Light Blue sleeves, Light Blue cap, Orange star Black and white stripes, emerald green and white striped sleeves
Relkeel Grey Shot Midnight Legend
1997
White, brown sleeves and cap Yellow, black inverted triangle, black sleeves, green diamonds, black cap Dark Blue and White check, Dark Blue sleeves, White cap, Dark Blue star
Relkeel Pridwell Collier Bay
1996
Royal Blue, Pink epaulets, Pink cap BLACK and YELLOW CHEVRONS, yellow sleeves, black armlet, black and yellow striped cap Dark blue
Large Action Bimsey Theatreworld
1994
Royal Blue, Pink epaulets, Pink cap Red, Yellow disc, quartered cap Dark blue, yellow star and sleeves
Large Action Flakey Dove Absalom's Lady
1993
Green and white (halved), reversed sleeves, blue cap Orange, maroon disc and cap Yellow, large blue spots
Staunch Friend Halkopous Muse
1992
Orange, maroon disc and cap Royal blue, white seams, armlets and cap Brown, white hoop and sleeves, quartered cap
Halkopous Granville Again Morley Street
1991
Royal blue, orange disc, striped sleeves and cap Emerald green, royal blue sleeves, white cap, emerald green spots Black, dark blue seams, black sleeves, yellow cap
Royal Derbi Nomadic Way Ruling
1990-1987
1989
Pink, blue seams, hooped cap Emerald green, royal blue sleeves, white cap, emerald green spots Brown, fawn cross belts, orange sleeves and cap
Cruising Altitude Nomadic Way Beech Road
1988
Dark blue, yellow sleeves and cross-belts, red cap Maroon, light blue star and sleeves, light blue cap, maroon star Red, black epaulets, hooped cap
Condor Pan Floyd Sprowston Boy
1987
Light blue, dark blue spots, striped cap Eton blue, black sleeves, check cap Emerald green, yellow epaulets, yellow sleeves, emerald green armlets, yellow cap
Pat's Jester Aldino Tom Sharp
 

History

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

Most successful horse (3 wins):

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
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
1967Abandoned due to foot and mouth outbreak
1968 Solway Sands 4 Brian Fletcher John McMurchie
1969 Celtic Gold 7 Stan Murphy Arthur Stephenson
1970 Pendil [lower-alpha 1] 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
1976Abandoned 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 [lower-alpha 2]
1982 Ekbalco 6 Jonjo O'Neill Roger Fisher
1983 Amarach 5 Jimmy Duggan Roger Fisher
1984 Browne's Gazette 6 Ronnie Beggan[lower-alpha 3] 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 [lower-alpha 2]
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 [lower-alpha 4]
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 [lower-alpha 5] 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 [lower-alpha 6] 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 [lower-alpha 7]
  1. Dondieu finished first in 1970, but was relegated to second place after a stewards' inquiry
  2. 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

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