The Stayers' Hurdle is a Grade 1
National Hunt hurdle race in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
. It is open to
horses
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 milli ...
aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at
Cheltenham
Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
over a distance of about 3 miles (2 miles 7 furlongs and 213 yards, or 4,785 metres), with twelve hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the
Cheltenham Festival in March.
It is the leading long-distance hurdle event in the
National Hunt calendar and the feature race on the third day of the Festival.
History
The inaugural race was run in 1912 at Prestbury Park over 3 miles with £100 (£200 in 1913) prize money to the winner and £10 to the runner-up. It was called "Stayers Selling Hurdle" and was a
Weight for Age Selling
Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. A period during which goods are sold for a reduced price may also be referred ...
type of event with the winning horse being sold for £50 after the race. The race was dropped from the festival programme twice during 1928–1929 and in 1939–1945 but in 1946 it replaced the Spa Hurdle which was previously run in 1923 and 1942 over 2 miles. From 1946 to 1967 the Spa Hurdle was run over the same 3 miles until being renamed in 1972 as the Stayers' Hurdle, when it was sponsored by
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank plc is a major British retail banking, retail and commercial bank with a significant presence across England and Wales. It has traditionally been regarded one of the "Big Four (banking)#England and Wales, Big Four" clearing house ...
. It was backed by
Waterford Crystal from 1978 to 1990, and by Bonusprint from 1991 to 2004. The race used to be held on either the Tuesday or the Wednesday of the Festival, but it was moved to the Thursday in 1993.
The title of the race was changed to the World Hurdle when
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes Coral is a British gambling company. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The Ladbrokes portion of the group was established in 1886, and Coral in 1926. In November 2016, th ...
took over the sponsorship in 2005. Their sponsorship came to an end with the 2015 renewal and the 2016 race was sponsored by
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish Low-cost carrier#Ultra low-cost carrier, ultra low-cost airline group headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. The parent company, Ryanair Holdings plc, includes subsidiaries Ryanair , Malta Air, Buzz (Ryanair), Buzz ...
. In 2017 and 2018 it was sponsored by Sun Bets and the title reverted to the Stayers' Hurdle. In 2019 the race was sponsored by Sun Racing.
and
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is an Irish gambling company founded in 1988. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. Business operations are led from its headquarters in Dublin, alongside a satellite office ...
has sponsored the race since 2020.
Records
Most successful horse since 1972 (4 wins):
*
Big Buck's – ''2009, 2010, 2011, 2012''
Leading jockey since 1972 (5 wins):
*
Ruby Walsh
Rupert "Ruby" Walsh (born 14 May 1979) is an Irish former jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen. Widely regarded as one of the greatest National Hunt racing, National Hunt ...
– ''Big Buck's (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), Nichols Canyon (2017)''
Leading
trainer since 1972 (4 wins):
*
Paul Nicholls – ''Big Buck's (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)''
Leading owner since 1972 (4 wins):
* The Stewart Family – ''Big Buck's (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)''
* Andrea &
Graham Wylie – ''Inglis Drever (2005, 2007, 2008), Nichols Canyon (2017)''
*
J. P. McManus -''Baracouda (2002, 2003), More Of That (2014), Sire Du Berlais (2023)''
List of renewals
* ''Separate divisions of the race indicated by (1) and (2).''
See also
*
Horse racing in Great Britain
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. According to a report by the British Horseracing Authority it generates £3.39 billion total di ...
*
List of British National Hunt races
References
*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing, and sports betting publisher published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60,629 ...
:
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----
thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/– ''Media information pack (2010).''
pedigreequery.com– ''World Hurdle – Cheltenham.''
*
External links
* Race Recordings (1980-2004
youtube.com
{{Cheltenham Festival
National Hunt races in Great Britain
Cheltenham Racecourse
National Hunt hurdle races