Mares Hurdle
15:20 Cheltenham Festival
2025-03-11
Winner: £
Runners: 21
Going:
No. of hurdles: 10
Distance: 2m3f200y
The Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle is a Grade 1 hurdle run over 2m4f and restricted to mares. It is run on day one of the Cheltenham Festival and is a relatively new addition to the meeting, having first been staged in 2008. Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins has dominated the Mares’ Hurdle, having won nine of the 14 runnings including the six in a row with star mare Quevega.
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RACING POST TIP
MARES HURDLE PREVIOUS WINNERS
| Year | Horse | Previous Form | Age | Price | Trainer | Jockey |
| 2023 | Honeysuckle | -132 | 9 | 9/4F | Henry De Bromhead | Rachael Blackmore |
| 2022 | Marie’s Rock | 317P1 | 7 | 18/1 | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville |
| 2021 | Black Tears | 22-331 | 7 | 11-1 | Denise Foster | Jack Kennedy |
| 2020 | Honeysuckle | 11-111 | 6 | 9-4 | Henry De Bromhead | Rachael Blackmore |
| 2019 | Roksana | 3-1112 | 7 | 10-1 | Dan Skelton | Harry Skelton |
| 2018 | Benie Des Dieux | 33-1-11 | 7 | 9-2 | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2017 | Apple’s Jade | 1-2212 | 5 | 7-2 | Gordon Elliott | Bryan Cooper |
| 2016 | Vroum Vroum Mag | 11-111 | 7 | 4-6F | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2015 | Glens Melody | 4-7521 | 7 | 6-1 | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2014 | Quevega | 1-11-11- | 10 | 8-11F | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
MARES HURDLE KEY TRENDS AND STATS
Key trends
- At least eight career starts, 9/10
- Top-four finish in a Grade 1 or 2 hurdle, 9/10
- Adjusted RPR of at least 156, 8/10
- Rated within 10lb of RPR top-rated, 8/10
- Won last time out, 7/10
Other factors
- A runner priced 16-1 or bigger has finished in the first three in eight of the last ten runnings.
- Willie Mullins has trained four of the last ten winners.
- Quevega used to come here fresh when defending her crown but eight of the last nine winners had between two and five outings that season.
We have all the best Cheltenham Betting offers ahead of placing your bets on the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR - MARES HURDLE 2023
Arguably the best field of mares ever assembled for this race; they had a combined 23 Grade 1 wins including three Champion Hurdles. It saw a fairytale ending to the career of HONEYSUCKLE, who was winning for the fourth successive year at the festival. She was helped by being well positioned in a race run at a dawdling early gallop that compromised the chance of several. Love Envoi was denied by a length, a further four lengths back to Queen’s Brook in third.