The 1994 Champion Hurdle was a

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

held at

Cheltenham Racecourse Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, hosts National Hunt horse racing. Its most prestigious meeting is the Cheltenham Festival, held in March, which features several Grade I races including the Chel ...

on Tuesday 15 March 1994. It was the 65th running of the

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

. The winner was J. T. Price's

Flakey Dove Flakey Dove (10 April 1986 – 13 February 2016) was a British racehorse best known for her win in the 1994 Champion Hurdle. In a career which lasted from January 1990 until January 1995 she ran forty-four times and won fourteen races. Altho ...

, an eight-year-old

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

trained in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

by Richard Price and ridden by Mark Dwyer. Flakey Dove's victory was a first in the race for jockey, trainer and owner and the third in the race for a female racehorse after African Sister in 1939 and

Dawn Run Dawn Run (1978–1986) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse (Deep Run - Twilight Slave) who was the most successful racemare in the history of National Hunt racing. She won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1984 and the Chelten ...

in 1984. Flakey Dove was a non-Thoroughbred mare, who had made steady improvement since finishing seventh in the 1993 Champion Hurdle and emerged as a legitimate contender for the following year's renewal with wins in the

Champion Hurdle Trial The Champion Hurdle Trial is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain held each January, which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of about 1 ...

, Cleeve Hurdle, then a Grade 1 race run over 2 miles and 5 furlongs, and Berkshire Hurdle in early 1994. Starting at odds of 9/1 she won the Champion Hurdle by one and a half lengths from the favourite

Oh So Risky Oh, OH, or Oh! is an interjection, often proclaiming surprise. It may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Albums * ''Oh!'' (Girls' Generation album), 2010 * ''Oh!'' (ScoLoHoFo album), 2003 * '' OH (ohio)'', by Lambchop, 2008 * ''Oh!'', an ...

with Large Action in third place. Two previous winners of the race took part:

Granville Again Granville Again (20 June 1986 – August 2003) was an Irish-bred racehorse who competed in National Hunt races and recorded his most important win in the 1993 Champion Hurdle. In his early career he won two of his three National Hunt Flat ...

finished seventh, whilst

Morley Street Morley Street (1984-–2009) was an Irish racehorse. He was a specialist hurdler but also won steeplechases and races on the flat. In a racing career which lasted from November 1988 until December 1995, he ran forty-five times and won twenty ...

was pulled up after four hurdles. Eleven of the fifteen runners completed the course.Racing Post
/ref>

Race details

* Sponsor:

Smurfit Smurfit may refer to: * Alan Smurfit (born 1943), Irish retiree who won a World Series of Poker bracelet *Michael Smurfit, KBE, LL.D (honorary), (born 1936), businessman holding dual Irish and British citizenship *Tony Smurfit (born 1963), British- ...

* Purse: £166,742; First prize: £99,933 * Going: Good to Soft * Distance: 2 miles 110 yards * Number of runners: 15 * Winner's time: 4m 02.30

Full result

* Abbreviations: nse = nose; nk = neck; hd = head; dist = distance; UR = unseated rider; PU = pulled up; LFT = left at start; SU = slipped up; BD = brought down

Winner's details

Further details of the winner, Flakey Dove * Sex: Mare * Foaled: 1986 * Country: United Kingdom * Sire: Oats; Dam: Shadey Dove (Deadly Nightshade) * Owner: J. T. Price * Breeder: J. T. Price

References

{{Champion Hurdle

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

1994

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

1990s in Gloucestershire