Champion Hurdle 2024 Tips - Pre-season guide and selections

Constitution Hill extended his unbeaten record with an emphatic victory at Cheltenham in March and Nicky Henderson's star is the odds-on favourite to make it back-to-back Champion Hurdle triumphs in 2024.

Here's our ante-post guide to the 2024 Champion Hurdle, including an early Cheltenham Festival tip.

Following an easy victory in the Aintree Hurdle, Nicky Henderson and owner, Michael Buckley suggested that fences could be on the agenda for Constitution Hill. Buckley's dream is to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and there's no doubt that Constitution Hill has the raw ability to win a race of that stature.

When I started writing this article at 9am on Tuesday morning, I saw the 4/5 being offered on Consitution Hill to defend his crown and thought it was excellent value. Before I had even finished my proof-read, however, the unsurprising news broke that Constitution Hill would be staying over hurdles and any value in the favourite's price evaporated. 

If Constitution Hill wasn't around, then State Man would have enjoyed the perfect campaign in 2022/23. Willie Mullins' star registered four comfortable Grade One victories, winning the Morgiana Hurdle, the Matheson Hurdle, the Irish Champion Hurdle and the Punchestown Champion Hurdle without truly being tested.

State Man is clearly the best of the rest and remains open to further improvement. If Constitution Hill didn't turn up to the Cheltenham Festival for some other reason, then the 8/1 that's readily available on State Man could look massive come the middle week of March.

Marine Nationale sits prominently in the Champion Hurdle betting, but he'll be going down the Arkle route. Lossiemouth will surely remain in her own sex and be sent down the Mares' Hurdle route, while it's hard to see Zarak The Brave, Il Etait Temps, Bo Zenith or Luccia raising their game high enough to challenge at Champion Hurdle level.

There's clearly a dearth of top-quality two-mile hurdlers at the moment. I had initially put Vauban up in this section, as he undoubtedly possesses untapped ability as a hurdler. However, Willie Mullins said this week that it was unlikely we'd ever seen his Melbourne Cup contender jump a hurdle again, so I've had to look for an alternative dark horse.

Mullins also said that impressive Ballymore Novices ' Hurdle winner, Impaire Et Passe will remain over hurdles for a Champion Hurdle campaign. While this news certainly makes the 2024 renewal of this great race more interesting, Impaire Et Passe hardly passes as a Dark Horse, given his position in the ante-post market.