The County Hurdle is a premier handicap over about 2 miles 1 furlong on the Friday of the Festival. It’s traditionally one of the last races of the meeting and typically draws a field of 25+, making it fiercely competitive.
Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey | Age | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kargese | W P Mullins | P Townend | 5 | 3/1 |
| 2024 | Absurde | W P Mullins | P Townend | 6 | 12/1 |
| 2023 | Faivoir | Dan Skelton | B Andrews | 8 | 33/1 |
| 2022 | State Man | W P Mullins | P Townend | 5 | 11/4 |
| 2021 | Belfast Banter | Peter Fahey | K C Sexton | 6 | 33/1 |
| 2020 | Saint Roi | W P Mullins | B J Geraghty | 5 | 11/2 |
| 2019 | Ch’tibello | Dan Skelton | H Skelton | 8 | 12/1 |
| 2018 | Mohaayed | Dan Skelton | B Andrews | 6 | 33/1 |
| 2017 | Arctic Fire | W P Mullins | P Townend | 8 | 20/1 |
| 2016 | Superb Story | Dan Skelton | H Skelton | 5 | 8/1 |
Key Trends
Age profile: Five-year-olds have the best record with 9 wins from 22 renewals. Six-year-olds have 7, eight-year-olds 4, and there’s one win each for a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old. Youth tends to win out.
Favourite record: The favourite has won 5 of 22 (23%), which is better than some of the other big handicaps. They’ve placed 7 times from 26 total favourite runners. The average favourite SP of about 6/1 reflects the competitive nature.
Trainers: Mullins dominates with 8 wins from 62 runners (13%). The Skeltons have 4 from 18 (22% — the best strike rate of any trainer with significant runners). Nicholls has 4 from 35. Henderson, despite 36 runners, has drawn a blank.
Going: Winners have come on every ground type. Good and Good to Soft each account for 8 editions, Soft for 5, and Heavy for 1.
What the Data Says
The County Hurdle is one of Mullins’ best Festival races. Eight wins from 62 runners is a 13% strike rate, and when you factor in that these are 25+ runner handicaps, that’s seriously impressive. State Man (2022) and Kargese (2025) both went off at short prices, showing that Mullins occasionally runs a well-handicapped horse that the market correctly identifies.
Dan Skelton’s record deserves attention too — 4 wins from 18 runners is a 22% strike rate. Ch’tibello, Mohaayed, Superb Story and Faivoir all won at decent prices (8/1 to 33/1), suggesting the Skeltons find horses who are ahead of the handicapper.
Henderson’s blank from 36 runners is striking. It’s his worst record in any Festival race by some margin. Whether that’s bad luck or something about the race that doesn’t suit his approach isn’t clear, but it’s a pattern worth noting.
The five-year-old trend (9 of 22 winners) makes intuitive sense — younger horses in handicaps are more likely to be unexposed and ahead of their mark. The average winning SP of about 17/1 confirms this is a tough race to crack, but lighter-weighted younger horses from the Mullins and Skelton yards have been the consistent angle.
All Cheltenham Festival races are run at Cheltenham racecourse. See our Cheltenham course guide for trainer and jockey statistics, going analysis, and betting angles.