The Long Distance Hurdle is a Grade 2 race over three miles at Newbury.
The Long Distance Hurdle takes place on Friday 1st December 2023.
The race is an important trial for the Stayers Hurdle which takes place at Cheltenham.
Find out more about the Long Distance Hurdle:
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Race Overview
Horses must be four years of age or older to compete in the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle, a National Hunt hurdle contest in Great Britain.
Twelve hurdles must be cleared during the race, which is run at Newbury over a distance of around 3 miles (3 miles and 52 yards, or 4,876 metres). Every year, the race is planned for late November or early December.
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Long Distance Hurdle Previous Result
Check out the latest result from this race:
Previous Long Distance Hurdle Winners
Here are the previous winners of the Long Distance Hurdle.
| Year | Horse | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Celestial Halo | 9 | Daryl Jacob | Paul Nicholls |
| 2014 | Medinas | 7 | Richard Johnson | Alan King |
| 2015 | Thistlecrack | 7 | Tom Scudamore | Colin Tizzard |
| 2016 | Unowhatimeanharry | 8 | Barry Geraghty | Harry Fry |
| 2017 | Beer Goggles | 6 | Richard Johnson | Richard Woollacott |
| 2018 | Unowhatimeanharry | 10 | Barry Geraghty | Harry Fry |
| 2019 | Paisley Park | 7 | Aidan Coleman | Emma Lavelle |
| 2020 | Thyme Hill | 6 | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs |
| 2021 | Thomas Darby | 8 | Sean Bowen | Olly Murphy |
| 2022 | Champ | 10 | Jonjo O’Neill Jr | Nicky Henderson |
Key Long Distance Hurdle Trials
This is often the first start of the season for leading stayers. Three winners of the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree have reappeared here over the past twelve seasons and all were successful. Eight of the last twelve winners went to Ascot in December for the Long Walk Hurdle and four of them won. Big Buck’s won both races for three consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2011. Thistlecrack and Unowhatimeanharry also won both races in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
The Stayers Hurdle is the obvious target at the Cheltenham Festival for Long Distance Hurdle winners. Inglis Drever, Big Buck’s, Thistlecrack and Unowhatimeanharry all went on to win the big race at the Cheltenham Festival after winning here.
Long Distance Hurdle Betting Trends
There is no clear age bias in the Long Distance Hurdle with winners ranging from the age of five up to ten. Unowhatimeanharry became the oldest winner in the history of the race at the age of ten in 2018. Can on Target (1991) and Historic (2001) are the only two winning five-year-olds.
Big Buck’s won as the odds-on favourite in the Long Distance Hurdle for four consecutive years. Only Inglis Drever (2007) and Unowhatimeanharry (2018) have obliged as the market leader since. The biggest shock in the history of the race was the 40-1 success of Beer Goggles in 2017.
Previous course form is a key factor for your Long Distance Hurdle bets. Most recent winners had at least one previous victory at Newbury. An official rating of 150 or higher is usually required to win this race. Big Buck’s won as the highest rated stayer of all-time on a mark of 174.
Who is the most winning trainer of the Long Distance Hurdle?
The most successful trainer in the Long Distance Hurdle is Paul Nicholls with five wins.
Here are the most winning trainers of the Long Distance Hurdle.
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Nicholls | 10-5-8 | -0.60 | +4.42 |
| Nicky Henderson | 6-2-4 | +6.38 | +5.45 |
| Harry Fry | 5-2-3 | +3.25 | +1.54 |
| Alan King | 8-1-3 | +1.00 | +0.57 |
| Emma Lavelle | 7-1-3 | -5.47 | -2.65 |
| Philip Hobbs | 3-1-2 | +1.50 | +1.30 |
| Olly Murphy | 2-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.38 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 7-0-2 | -7.00 | -5.35 |
| Rebecca Curtis | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
| Nick Williams | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -3.00 |
Long Distance Hurdle – Top Trainers and Jockeys
Paul Nicholls won this race for five successive seasons with Big Buck’s (2009-2012) and Celestial Halo (2013). Inglis Drever registered three straight wins for Howard Johnson (2005 to 2007) with Baracouda (2003, 2004) and Unowhatimeanharry (2016, 2018) scoring twice for Francois Doumen and Harry Fry respectively. The last Irish-trained winner was What A Question in 1996 for Mouse Morris.
Tony McCoy leads the all-time jockey standings in this race with five victories; Deano’s Beano (1999, 2000), Baracouda (2004), Duc de Regniere (2008) and Big Buck’s (2010). Ruby Walsh and Richard Johnson both won the Long Distance Hurdle on three occasions.
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Summary of the Long Distance Hurdle
Thank you for reading our Long Distance Hurdle guide.
You can check out the Newbury horse racing tips page for our tips on this race or take a look at more horse racing in December.
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