When is the 2026 Champion Hurdle?

The 2026 Champion Hurdle will take place on day one of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday 10th March. The Champion Hurdle will be run at 4:00pm.

After Constitution Hill and State Man crashed out, Jeremy Scott's Golden Ace came through to claim a shock victory in the 2025 Champion Hurdle.

The Champion Hurdle is the feature Championship race on day one of the Cheltenham Festival. The Champion Hurdle is a Grade One hurdles race, run over a distance of two miles.

The Champion Hurdle is always run at Cheltenham racecourse during their popular Cheltenham Festival, held during the middle week of March every year.

Constitution Hill and State Man could both bid for Champion Hurdle redemption in 2026. Golden Ace will likely return to defend her crown. Dan Skelton will likely be represented by The New Lion, following his superb victory in the Turners Novices' Hurdle in 2025.

The 2025 Champion Hurdle will be shown live on ITV and RacingTV. If you plan on watching the racing via your mobile or tablet, then bookmakers such as bet365 will allow you to stream the race live.

The bet365 live streaming service covers a wide range of horse racing on a daily basis. Here's how to stream the 2026 Champion Hurdle live online:

The highlight on day one of the Cheltenham Festival is the Champion Hurdle. This Championship race was first run at Cheltenham in 1927, and the Champion Hurdle has been won by many of the sport's greatest names.

Brown Jack won the second running of the Champion Hurdle in 1928. He went on to win the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot for six years on the bounce, as well as victories in the Goodwood Cup, Doncaster Cup and the Ebor.

Insurance was the first two-time winner of the Champion Hurdle, securing back to back wins in 1932 and '33. National Spirit repeated that feat in the late 1940s, before the great Hatton's Grace reeled off a hat-trick of Champion Hurdle triumphs between 1949 and 1951.

The following year, Sir Ken began his own sequence of three Champion Hurdle wins. Other three-time winners include Persian War, See You Then and Instabraq, who secured his hat-trick of victories right at the end of the 20th century.

Four jockeys have won the Champion Hurdle on four separate occasions. Tim Molony rode both Hatton's Grace and Sir Kien, Gold Cup winning jockey Ruby Walsh rode four winners for Willie Mullins, scoring on Faugheen, Annie Power and twice aboard the great Hurricane Fly.

Three of Barry Geraghty's four victories came on Nicky Henderson horses. Henderson is the most successful trainer in the history of the Champion Hurdle, having saddled the winner eight times Whenever you read any Cheltenham Festival tips, Nicky Henderson's name will appear regularly.

Hardy Eustace stole the hearts of the nation with back-to-back Champion Hurdle wins in the mid-2000s. Hurricane Fly was the next superstar to come out of the Champion Hurdle, handing Willie Mullins his first and second victories in 2011 and '13.

Buveur D'Air then secured back-to-back wins for Geraghty and Henderson in 2017 and '18. With his former winner on the sidelines, Henderson turned to top mare Epatante in 2020, and she powered home under Geraghty to secure an impressive victory over four of Ireland's best.

For the second year in a row, a mare reigned supreme at Cheltenham, as unbeaten Honeysuckle powered to a superb victory in the Champion Hurdle. Henry De Bromhead's star successfully defended her crown in 2022, winning for the 15th successive race in a row.