Every March the superstars of the National Hunt world descend on Cheltenham for what is the biggest jumps meeting of the season. The feature race on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival is the Champion Hurdle and this race has been won by some legends of the sport. Istabraq, Hurricane Fly and though he didn’t win it, Harchibald will always be associated with this famous race. In this betting guide we will look at the main contenders for the 2019 Champion Hurdle and reveal who we fancy. We will also outline the best Champion Hurdle bookies and some essential trends to take a note of. So, to find out more about betting on the Champion Hurdle just read on.
Best Champion Hurdle Betting Sites in the UK

Key Terms:
-
- New Customers Only. Must be 18+.
- Deposit and bet £10 or more to receive a £30 free bet.
- A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £/$10 placed on any sports markets
- Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded.
- Free bets credited within 24 hours after qualifying bet settlement and expire after 30 days
- Free bet stakes not included in returns
- Bets placed using free bets as the stake (in full or in part) will not qualify.
- Offer excludes customers who make their first deposit using any method other than Credit/Debit Cards or Applepay.
- Offer excludes customers who have not verified their phone number by SMS.
,
- The offer excludes the following bet types: Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie & Yankee.
- Full T&C’s apply – Gamble Responsibly .

Open Account Offer
-
- Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5* or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30* in Bet Credits. Once released your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable
- To release your Bet Credits for use, you must place qualifying bets to the value of your qualifying deposit (capped at £10*) and they must settle within 30 days of claiming the offer. Only qualifying bets settled after claiming the offer will count towards this requirement.
- Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, paysafecard and all other prepaid credit and debit cards, where available, cannot be used for either your qualifying deposit or any subsequent withdrawal of returns from Bet Credits stakes unless we have successfully verified an accepted form of your Identity Documents and you have entered a Postal Verification Code (PVC), or we have successfully verified two accepted forms of your Identity Documents. See full Terms and Conditions for details.
- Bets placed must meet certain conditions to count towards the release of your Bet Credits:
– Must contain at least one selection at odds of 1/5 (1.20) or greater.
– In market/fixture combinations that only have two or three potential outcomes (for example Soccer Full Time Result), where you have placed bets on more than one potential outcome, either pre-match or In-Play, only the outcome with your highest cumulative stake will count.
– Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, only the remaining active stake will count.
– Where a bet has been edited using our Edit Bet feature, only the new stake on the new bet will count.
– Fully Cashed Out, Instant Games, Gaming, void bets or In-Play bets which are settled as a push will not count. - Your Bet Credits are non-withdrawable, and Bet Credits stakes are not included in any returns. Any returns from Bet Credits placed will be added to your Withdrawable Balance. Bet Credits cannot be used on certain products, offers/promotions and bet types. See full Terms and Conditions for details.
- Your Bet Credits will be forfeit and removed if your account is inactive for 90 consecutive days.
- The code CD365 doesn’t change the welcome offer.
*or currency equivalent
T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.
#ad

100% Matched Free Bet Up To $100
- Max. Bonus Amount: $100
- Min. Odds for Qualifying Bet: 2.00
- Qualifying bet must be placed within 7 days of registering your account
- Restricted Payment Methods: PaySafe, Skrill, Neteller
- Cashed Out or Partially Cashed Out bets are not considered to be qualifying bets
- Void bets, Special Markets, BetBoosts, and Enhanced Accas are not considered to be qualifying bets
- Free Bet Rules
- Free bets can be used on any sports
- Your free bet can be used on a whole bet, or a number of smaller bets
- Profit Limit: Amount of stake
- Free bets will expire within 7 days
- No Wagering Requirements apply to this promotion
- 18+ New Customers only
- Residents of Canada only
- Full Terms and Conditions apply

Up to £100 Extra Winnings on your first LeoVegas SPORT bet.
- The maximum bet is £10 on odds of 2.0 (1/1) or higher.
- Only applies to first qualifying bet.
- Should you place a combination bet the total odds must be 2.0 (1/1) or higher.
- The qualifying bet must be placed with real funds.
- Skrill/Neteller deposits do not qualify.
- The qualifying bet has to be placed within 7 days from the first deposit.
- 18+, New Customers Only.

Key Terms:
- Only available to new William Hill customers in the UK or Ireland;
- Customers must sign up using Promo Code P30;
- Only one ‘new account offer’ per person, household address, email address, debit/credit card number, or IP address is allowed;
- Duplicate accounts will not qualify for this offer;
- This Promotion is not available to new accounts depositing funds with Entropay, Paypal, Neosurf, iDeal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay;
- Offer will run from 00:01 on 12 November 2019 until 23:59 on 31 March 2020;
- Only available for customers who deposit in GBP pounds (£) sterling or Euro (€) currencies;
- Qualifying bet must be placed with a unit stake of £10/€10 or greater;
- For bets placed as an Each Way bet, only the win part for the bet will count towards to offer;
- Qualifying bet must be placed at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater;
- Qualifying bet must be placed on the William Hill Sportsbook site only;
- Qualifying bet must be struck using funds from your main balance;
- Qualifying bet can be pre-match or in-play;
- Cash in my bet is not available for bets placed that trigger a free bet as part of a promotion until at least one selection has been resulted or is In-Play. At this point, Cash in my bet will become available as long as all the other availability conditions are met;
- Free bets will be paid as 2 x £15/€15 denominations;
- Free bets can be used on any sportsbook product (excluding tote, pool, and lottery bets);
- Free bets will be available for 30 days;
- Free Bet is non-refundable and may not be withdrawn;
- Free Bet stake will be excluded from any winnings;
- Free Bet cannot be partially redeemed;
- Cash in my bet will be available for bets placed using a free bet (minus the value of the initial free bet);
- Player, country, currency, Market restrictions and terms apply.
-
Breeders' Cup
-
Queen Mother Champion Chase
-
Hennessy Gold Cup
-
Stayers' Hurdle
-
bet365 Gold Cup
-
Ryanair Chase
-
Epsom Derby
-
2000 Guineas
-
1000 Guineas
-
Epsom Oaks
-
Belmont Stakes
-
Preakness Stakes
-
Royal Ascot
-
Dubai World Cup
-
Cheltenham Festival
-
Kentucky Derby
-
Racing Post Trophy
-
Betfair Chase
-
Melbourne Cup
-
King George VI Chase
-
Arc de Triomphe
-
British Champions Fillies’ and Mares’ Stakes
-
St Leger Stakes
-
British Champions Sprint Stakes
-
Grand National
2019 Champion Hurdle Main Contenders
At the time of writing, none of the main contenders for the 2019 Champion Hurdle had returned to action, but even at this early stage it is possible to pick out who the biggest players will be. Willie Mullins may have some aces up his sleeve that we haven’t seen yet, but you can be sure that Buveur D’Air will be at the forefront of the market as he bids to complete a hat trick in the race. He is unlikely to have it all his own way though with some young pretenders snapping at his heels. Check out our horse racing expert’s view on the 2019 Champion Hurdle below.
Buveur D’Air
- Age: 7yo.
- Trainer: Nicky Henderson.
Buveur D’Air, a son of Crillon, has dominated the 2 mile hurdling ranks in the last two seasons. He is unbeaten in his last ten starts, including when winning the last two renewals of the Champion Hurdle. He only had a neck to spare from Melon on heavy ground in 2023, but he showed his class in 2017 when destroying the field on decent ground by 5L. If he gets nice ground in 2019 he is the one they all have to beat. Buveur D’Air will go off a lot shorter than the 7/2 currently on offer from William Hill if he lines up in March.
Best Buveur D’Air Ante-Post Champion Hurdle Odds: 7/2 William Hill

Key Terms:
- Only available to new William Hill customers in the UK or Ireland;
- Customers must sign up using Promo Code P30;
- Only one ‘new account offer’ per person, household address, email address, debit/credit card number, or IP address is allowed;
- Duplicate accounts will not qualify for this offer;
- This Promotion is not available to new accounts depositing funds with Entropay, Paypal, Neosurf, iDeal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay;
- Offer will run from 00:01 on 12 November 2019 until 23:59 on 31 March 2020;
- Only available for customers who deposit in GBP pounds (£) sterling or Euro (€) currencies;
- Qualifying bet must be placed with a unit stake of £10/€10 or greater;
- For bets placed as an Each Way bet, only the win part for the bet will count towards to offer;
- Qualifying bet must be placed at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater;
- Qualifying bet must be placed on the William Hill Sportsbook site only;
- Qualifying bet must be struck using funds from your main balance;
- Qualifying bet can be pre-match or in-play;
- Cash in my bet is not available for bets placed that trigger a free bet as part of a promotion until at least one selection has been resulted or is In-Play. At this point, Cash in my bet will become available as long as all the other availability conditions are met;
- Free bets will be paid as 2 x £15/€15 denominations;
- Free bets can be used on any sportsbook product (excluding tote, pool, and lottery bets);
- Free bets will be available for 30 days;
- Free Bet is non-refundable and may not be withdrawn;
- Free Bet stake will be excluded from any winnings;
- Free Bet cannot be partially redeemed;
- Cash in my bet will be available for bets placed using a free bet (minus the value of the initial free bet);
- Player, country, currency, Market restrictions and terms apply.
Samcro
- Age: 6yo.
- Trainer: Gordon Elliott.
Samcro was the hype horse of last season and he made no mistake when winning the Ballymore Hurdle over 2m 5f here last season. He was equally effective at 2 miles, as he showed when hosing up in the Grade 1 Deloitte Hurdle at Leopardstown back in February. However, he blotted his copybook when falling at the Punchestown Festival, his sole defeat from 8 starts under rules. This former point to point winner could go straight into the chasing ranks, so it could be a risky proposition backing him ante-post at odds of 4/1 with Bet365 for the 2019 Champion Hurdle.
Best Samcro Ante-Post Champion Hurdle Odds: 4/1 Bet365
Melon
- Age: 6yo.
- Trainer: Willie Mullins.
Melon only won one of his five starts over timber last season, but he produced a career best in this race in 2023 when chasing home Buveur D’Air. He was still going well when falling at Punchestown on his final start of the season and he ran a cracker in the Supreme Novice in 2017, chasing home Labaik. The worry with this lad is that he has won just two of his eight starts over hurdles for Willie Mullins and he always seems to just find one or two too good. However, he is of definite interest for each way players at a best price of 8/1 for the 2019 Champion Hurdle.
Summerville Boy
- Age: 6yo.
- Trainer: Tom George.
This son of Sandmason was a revelation last season, winning Grade 1s on his last two starts, including the Supreme Novice at Cheltenham. However, the worry is that he may need bottomless ground to be seen at his best, and Summerville Boy is far from guaranteed to get his optimum conditions in March. If it was to come up properly soft he would have solid each way claims, but with doubts about him on good ground or better it probably makes sense to wait until closer to the race to back him. If you are feeling brave you can back him ante post for the 2019 Champion Hurdle at odds of 14/1 with BetVictor.
Best Summerville Boy Ante-Post Champion Hurdle Odds: 14/1 BetVictor[select_bonuses object=”10″ bonus=”1444″]
Mick Jazz
- Age: 7yo.
- Trainer: Gordon Elliott.
One horse that looks massively overpriced for the 2019 Champion Hurdle is Mick Jazz. The son of Blue Bresil ran a huge race to finish 3rd here last season, just three lengths behind Buveur D’Air and Melon. Considering he is probably a better horse on decent ground it was a cracking effort on heavy and he looks sure to return for a repeat bid in 2019. He is a strong traveler and a quick jumper, two traits that always come in handy in the Champion Hurdle. Mick Jazz could prove to be a shrewd ante-post bet for the 2019 Champion Hurdle at odds of 33/1 with Betfair.
Best Mick Jazz Ante-Post Champion Hurdle Odds: 33/1 Betfair

Key Terms:
-
- New Customers Only. Must be 18+.
- Deposit and bet £10 or more to receive a £30 free bet.
- A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £/$10 placed on any sports markets
- Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded.
- Free bets credited within 24 hours after qualifying bet settlement and expire after 30 days
- Free bet stakes not included in returns
- Bets placed using free bets as the stake (in full or in part) will not qualify.
- Offer excludes customers who make their first deposit using any method other than Credit/Debit Cards or Applepay.
- Offer excludes customers who have not verified their phone number by SMS.
,
- The offer excludes the following bet types: Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie & Yankee.
- Full T&C’s apply – Gamble Responsibly .
Champion Hurdle Odds 2019
2023 Champion Hurdle Ante-Post Odds
Horse |
William Hill |
Betfair |
bet365 |
Buveur D’Air |
7/2 |
10/3 |
3/1 |
Samcro |
4/1 |
7/2 |
4/1 |
Melon |
5/1 |
8/1 |
6/1 |
Summerville Boy |
12/1 |
12/1 |
14/1 |
Laurina |
14/1 |
14/1 |
12/1 |
Mick Jazz |
25/1 |
33/1 |
33/1 |
2019 Champion Hurdle Tip-Back Buveur To Complete The Hat Trick
We are huge fans of Buveur D’Air here at Sportsbetting24 and we think 7/2 is a mad price about him for the 2019 Champion Hurdle. He is obviously a classy operator on decent ground, but he showed he had the stomach for a battle when prevailing on heavy ground in the 2023 Champion Hurdle. It will be fascinating if Samcro decides to stay hurdling and turns up for the Champion Hurdle, but even if he does Buveur D’Air is the best jumper of a hurdle around. At odds of 7/2 with William Hill he is a confident selection if he stays injury free. He will go off a lot shorter on the day, if he runs.
Sportsbetting24 2019 Champion Hurdle Tip: Buveur D’Air @ 7/2 William Hill

Key Terms:
- Only available to new William Hill customers in the UK or Ireland;
- Customers must sign up using Promo Code P30;
- Only one ‘new account offer’ per person, household address, email address, debit/credit card number, or IP address is allowed;
- Duplicate accounts will not qualify for this offer;
- This Promotion is not available to new accounts depositing funds with Entropay, Paypal, Neosurf, iDeal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay;
- Offer will run from 00:01 on 12 November 2019 until 23:59 on 31 March 2020;
- Only available for customers who deposit in GBP pounds (£) sterling or Euro (€) currencies;
- Qualifying bet must be placed with a unit stake of £10/€10 or greater;
- For bets placed as an Each Way bet, only the win part for the bet will count towards to offer;
- Qualifying bet must be placed at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater;
- Qualifying bet must be placed on the William Hill Sportsbook site only;
- Qualifying bet must be struck using funds from your main balance;
- Qualifying bet can be pre-match or in-play;
- Cash in my bet is not available for bets placed that trigger a free bet as part of a promotion until at least one selection has been resulted or is In-Play. At this point, Cash in my bet will become available as long as all the other availability conditions are met;
- Free bets will be paid as 2 x £15/€15 denominations;
- Free bets can be used on any sportsbook product (excluding tote, pool, and lottery bets);
- Free bets will be available for 30 days;
- Free Bet is non-refundable and may not be withdrawn;
- Free Bet stake will be excluded from any winnings;
- Free Bet cannot be partially redeemed;
- Cash in my bet will be available for bets placed using a free bet (minus the value of the initial free bet);
- Player, country, currency, Market restrictions and terms apply.
Champion Hurdle Betting Trends
When you are weighing up a race like the Champion Hurdle, it can often pay to follow trends. Things like age, course form and ground conditions are all things to consider. Starting prices of previous winners can also be a good indicator of how the more fancied horses usually run, though at the end of the day it is horse racing so anything can happen. However, if you are trying to narrow the field using trends can be useful and our experts reveal some of the most interesting Champion Hurdle betting trends below.
Champion Hurdle Trends
- In the last eight renewals five favourites have won and the biggest priced winner since 2008 was Punjabi at odds of 22/1 in 2009.
- Male horses usually come to the fore in the Champion Hurdle, but Annie Power did it for the girls back in 2016.
- Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson are the trainers to follow, winning 8 of the last 10 renewals of the Champion Hurdle.
- Only one 5yo has scored since 1985 so concentrate on horses aged between 6yo-8yo.
- Watch out for Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty as they have won 5 of the last 6 Champion Hurdles.
Last 10 Champion Hurdle Winners
Horse |
Trainer |
Jockey |
Age |
Buveur D’Air |
Nicky Henderson |
Barry Geraghty |
7yo |
Buveur D’Air |
Nicky Henderson |
Noel Fehily |
6yo |
Annie Power |
Willie Mullins |
Ruby Walsh |
8yo |
Faugheen |
Willie Mullins |
Ruby Walsh |
7yo |
Jezki |
Jessie Harrington |
Barry Geraghty |
6yo |
Hurricane Fly |
Willie Mullins |
Ruby Walsh |
9yo |
Rock On Ruby |
Paul Nicholls |
Noel Fehily |
7yo |
Hurricane Fly |
Willie Mullins |
Ruby Walsh |
7yo |
Binocular |
Nicky Henderson |
Tony McCoy |
6yo |
Punjabi |
Nicky Henderson |
Barry Geraghty |
6yo |
Champion Hurdle History And Facts
The Champion Hurdle was first run all the way back in 1927 when a horse called Blaris won at odds of 11/10. In the 1940s and 1950s three horses dominated the race, Hatton’s Grace, Sir Ken and National Spirt. The 1977 Champion Hurdle is often viewed as one of the best ever renewals, with Night Nurse beating subsequent dual winners Monksfield and Sea Pigeon.
The legendary Istabraq joined the Champion Hurdle hat trick club in 2000, but his bid for a historic four timer was thwarted by the foot and mouth outbreak which saw the meeting cancelled in 2001. Buveur D’Air, also owned by JP McManus, looks to have a very good chance of winning three in a row in 2019, and if he does it would be no surprise if he added a record breaking fourth in 2020.
How To Bet On The Champion Hurdle – Follow The Market Leaders
If you look at recent results in the Champion Hurdle it is plain to see that the best horses more often than not come to the fore. Shocks are pretty rare in this race and the cream usually rises to the top. If there is going to be a shock, it will most likely be if the ground comes up bottomless, so on heavy ground it may well pay to take a chance on something at a big price each way.
Some bookies like Paddy Power go non-runner no bet a month before the race and this eliminates the risk of ante-post bets. Remember, if you back a horse to win (or each way) ante-post and it doesn’t run you lose your stake. Your best chance of winning big for small stakes is placing a forecast or tricast bet on the Champion Hurdle. If you hit the tricast in the 2023 Champion Hurdle you got £75.36 for a £1 stake, and in 2017 the tricast paid even more, a whopping £495.82 for a £1 stake.
Champion Hurdle Betting Promotions
Every year you are guaranteed to get some superb promotions from UK bookies for the Champion Hurdle. If there is a hot favourite Paddy Power usually run a money back special, where if the favourite wins you get your losing stake back as a free bet. Other bookies like Betfair and Ladbrokes often offer enhanced prices on certain horses for new customers, so keep an eye out if you are thinking about opening an account to bet on the Champion Hurdle.
At the time of writing no bookies had any Champion Hurdle promotions available. However closer to the race there will, be lots of promotions and you will find all the best Champion Hurdle specials here at Sportsbetting24 as soon as they come online.
Champion Hurdle Ascot FAQs
When will the 2021 Champion Hurdle be run?
The Champion Hurdle is run on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival which is always on a Tuesday. It is usually the fourth race on the Day 1 card and it is always a fiercely contested race. The Champion Hurdle is shown live on free to air TV and ITV have the rights in 2021. The 2021 Champion Hurdle is scheduled to be run on Tuesday the 16th of March and it will be one of the best races of the week.
What betting site has the best Champion Hurdle odds?
Here at Sportsbetting24 we are forever banging on about the importance of getting the best price. Value is king when it comes to betting on the Champion Hurdle and odds can differ quite a lot between different online betting sites. For ante-post bets we think William Hill and Bet365 can be relied upon to provide decent value for the Champion Hurdle. However, that isn’t always the case and our advice is to have as many accounts as possible to ensure you get the very best Champion Hurdle odds.
Where can I stream the Champion Hurdle live?
The Champion Hurdle is shown on free to air television, but if you can’t watch it on TV loads of bookmakers offer live streaming of the race. Most betting sites require customers to place a minimum sized bet on the race to qualify to stream it live. A huge number of bookies have live streaming available, including William Hill, bet365 and Betfair. Minimum qualifying bet sizes vary, so make sure to check the relevant terms and conditions if you want to stream the Champion Hurdle live on your desktop or mobile device.