Want to place a Stayers’ Hurdle bet but keen to be a bit more ‘in the know’? Explore Stayers’ Hurdle trends to discover what history has to say about the race.
The first of Cheltenham’s day three feature races, the Stayers’ Hurdle is the National Hunt Calendar’s leading long-distance hurdling event. Having seen many significant and memorable winners throughout its history, such as the four-time winner Big Buck’s and three-time winner Inglis Drever, it is a race known for successful horses competing.
New bettors and people who are less experienced in the horse racing world may not be aware of the historical patterns and trends that have occurred since the race began. Well, we are here to change that!
So, if you choose to bet on the Stayers’ Hurdle you won’t be going in blind and will have some help choosing a racehorse! Read on to learn more about the most common stats and trends in the last ten years so that you can improve your betting selections next time out in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Alternatively, explore all the latest Cheltenham betting odds ahead of the festival.
Key Stayers’ Hurdle trends
This Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race is open to horses aged four and up and is the oldest of the four Championship races held at Cheltenham. Interestingly there is also a noticeable ability for many horses to win this race on multiple occasions, with several horses winning more than once.
Curiously, a hallmark for potential victors is that a few winners in the past have also competed in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle the year prior. This makes for an interesting factor when researching and picking your runners.
Does the favourite usually win the Stayers’ Hurdle?
Despite their title as favourites, the best-billed horses haven’t exactly dominated in the last 15 years the race has been ran. Looking back, only five horses labelled as favourites in this period have actually managed to win the race:
Teahupoo (2024) – 5/4
Paisley Park (2019) – 11/8
Thistlecrack (2016) – 1/1
Big Buck’s (2012) – 5/6
Big Buck’s (2011) – 10/11
With this in mind, it’s clear that outsiders and unfavoured horses have proved on many occasions that winning is more than possible. Especially looking at horses such as Sir Du Berlais (2023) with 33/1 odds and Lisnagar Oscar (2020) having 50/1 odds, betting against the market isn’t necessarily a bad idea.
If you would like to read more about how favourites perform in all events, have a look at our guide to how often favourites win at Cheltenham.
What is the average age of a Stayers’ Hurdle winning horse?
Maturity seems to be more prevalent among Stayers’ Hurdle victors, with seven-year-old winners frequently cropping in the last 15 years. Considering that the entry age is four, it appears that a few years of development and experience are needed before horses can succeed here:
Bob Olinger (2025) – 10 years
Teahupoo (2024) – 7 years
Sire Du Berlais (2023) – 11 years
Flooring Porter (2022) – 7 years
Flooring Porter (2021) – 6 years
Lisnagar Oscar (2020) – 7 years
Paisley Park (2019) – 7 years
Penhill (2018) – 7 years
Nichols Canyon (2017) – 7 years
Thistlecrack (2016) – 8 years
Cole Harden (2015) – 6 years
More Of That (2014) – 6 years
Solwhit (2013) – 9 years
Big Buck’s (2012) – 9 years
Big Buck’s (2011) – 8 years
Having horses like Sir Du Berlais (2023) aged eleven and Bob Olinger (2025) aged ten on this list further proves that experienced horses are able to be more than competitive. In fact, the youngest winners are six years old. Knowing this, it indicates that selecting a horse aged four or five years old likely won’t end up with you picking a winner.
The prime age of a successful horse here looks like one that is either six or seven years old.
How many Stayers’ Hurdle winners won last time out?
Looking into the previous form that the winners have had going into the Stayers’, there isn’t a strong pattern on show. Despite many winners in the Stayers’ Hurdle winning their previous races, an almost equal amount failed to do so:
Bob Olinger (2025) – 2nd in the Savills Hurdle (didn’t win last time out)
Teahupoo (2024) – 1st in the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle
Sire Du Berlais (2023) – 4th in the William Hill Boyne Hurdle (didn’t win last time out)
Flooring Porter (2022) – 2nd in the Dornan Engineering Christmas Hurdle (didn’t win last time out)
Flooring Porter (2021) – 1st in the Leopardstown Christmas Hurdle
Lisnagar Oscar (2020) – 3rd in the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle (didn’t win last time out)
Paisley Park (2019) – 1st in the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle
Penhill (2018) – 2nd in the Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle (didn’t win last time out)
Nichols Canyon (2017) – Fell in the Bhp Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle (didn’t win last time out)
Thistlecrack (2016) – 1st in the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle
Cole Harden (2015) – 4th in the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle (didn’t win last time out)
More Of That (2014) – 1st in the Osborne House Relkeel Hurdle
Solwhit (2013) – 1st in the Limestone Lad Hurdle
Big Buck’s (2012) – 1st in the Rewards4Racing Cleeve Hurdle
Big Buck’s (2011) – 1st in the A.P. Wins Sports Personality Long Walk Hurdle
Considering that eight horses won last time out, compared to seven that didn’t, you would still say this is a good indicator of a potential winner. However, looking at the stats, there’s every chance we’ll have a similar outcome to 2017 – which saw Nichols Canyon falling in the previous race!
When did Stayers’ Hurdle winners last compete?
Being aware when a horse last competed is very useful, much like knowing their past form. Seeing the average time between races can help to show the perfect period for rest between races while also upholding their competitive abilities. Looking at the previous 15 winners of the Stayers’ Hurdle, it has shown a large spread of time between races:
Bob Olinger (2025) – 77 days
Teahupoo (2024) – 102 days
Sire Du Berlais (2023) – 32 days
Flooring Porter (2022) – 79 days
Flooring Porter (2021) – 80 days
Lisnagar Oscar (2020) – 47 days
Paisley Park (2019) – 47 days
Penhill (2018) – 323 days
Nichols Canyon (2017) – 46 days
Thistlecrack (2016) – 47 days
Cole Harden (2015) – 47 days
More Of That (2014) – 89 days
Solwhit (2013) – 54 days
Big Buck’s (2012) – 47 days
Big Buck’s (2011) – 78 days
The trend here seems to be that 80 days is the average between all 15 horses. This is, however, including Penhill (2018) who had a gap of 323 days! Removing this extreme outlier and just considering the other 14 reveals a lower average time between races of 62 days. So, the prime range in order to see success appears to be a couple of months.
Are Stayers’ Hurdle winners usually British or Irish trained?
Irish trainers have absolutely been the more dominant force in the Stayers’ Hurdle over the last 15 years: winning nine times versus British trainers’ six.
The last five years paints an even stronger picture of dominance for the Irish, with every win going in their favour!
Bob Olinger (2025) – Irish trained
Teahupoo (2024) – Irish trained
Sire Du Berlais (2023) – Irish trained
Flooring Porter (2022) – Irish trained
Flooring Porter (2021) – Irish trained
Lisnagar Oscar (2020) – British trained
Paisley Park (2019) – British trained
Penhill (2018) – Irish trained
Nichols Canyon (2017) – Irish trained
Thistlecrack (2016) – British trained
Cole Harden (2015) – British trained
More Of That (2014) – Irish trained
Solwhit (2013) – Irish trained
Big Buck’s (2012) – British trained
Big Buck’s (2011) – British trained
Interestingly, whenever a British trainer does win though, it is followed up by another British trainer the year after. So, although not applicable this year, it may be something to remember in the coming years!
Which trainer has had the most success in the Stayers’ Hurdle?
Though the horses and jockeys may receive more of the spotlight, trainers have an equally important role in deciding who is victorious. That said, it might not be much of a factor in this race; over the last 15 years, no trainer has especially stood out, with Gordon Elliott, Gavin Cromwell, Willie Mullins, and Paul Nicholls all boasting two wins.
Bob Olinger (2025) – Henry De Bromhead
Teahupoo (2024) – Gordon Elliott
Sire Du Berlais (2023) – Gordon Elliott
Flooring Porter (2022) – Gavin Cromwell
Flooring Porter (2021) – Gavin Cromwell
Lisnagar Oscar (2020) – Rebecca Curtis
Paisley Park (2019) – Emma Lavelle
Penhill (2018) – Willie Mullins
Nichols Canyon (2017) – Willie Mullins
Thistlecrack (2016) – Colin Tizzard
Cole Harden (2015) – Warren Greatrix
More Of That (2014) – Jonjo O’Neill
Solwhit (2013) – Charles Byrnes
Big Buck’s (2012) – Paul Nicholls
Big Buck’s (2011) – Paul Nicholls
Considering the entire history of the Stayers’ Hurdle does tell a different story though. Paul Nicholls has a record four wins, earned consecutive years with the horse Big Buck’s.
With history showing that many trainers win this race back-to-back, can Henry De Bromhead repeat his 2025 feat in the upcoming festival?
Why is it important to consider Stayers’ Hurdle trends when betting?
If you’re wanting to bet on the Stayers’ Hurdle, researching things like data, trends, and stats will help give you some handy information to keep in mind. Whether it’s past form indicating that a horse could win, or that the favourites dominate a certain fixture, they can all assist with your betting strategies.
Despite not being able to guarantee future outcomes, looking up a few stats will definitely help your chances of a winning bet. If you would like some more tips about how you should be preparing for other races at Cheltenham Festival, have a read of our Cheltenham blog page to discover more guides like this one!
