You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2025 Christmas Hurdle Preview
The Christmas Hurdle is run on Boxing Day at Kempton racecourse before the big one, the King George VI Chase. The race is a Grade 1 hurdle that is run over two miles at this right-handed track and is open to horses aged 4yo+.
The 2022 winner, Constitution Hill, was the sixth winner of this race to go on to win the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, repeating the success of Lanzarote, Dawn Run, Kribensis, Faugheen and Epatante.
Christmas Hurdle Information:
Our dedicated Kempton tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Christmas Hurdle, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Kempton throughout the season, so be sure to head over there. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Kempton Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Christmas Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2024 when the race had an over-round of 106%. The race in 2019 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 121%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Christmas Hurdle, the over-round has been 113%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £113 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2025 Christmas Hurdle Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Christmas Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Christmas Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Yanworth (3:45.20) in 2016
- Constitution Hill (3:45.60) in 2024
- Faugheen (3:46.30) in 2014
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Christmas Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 11 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -2.04. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Yanworth, trained by Alan King and ridden by Barry Geraghty, who set the fastest winning time in the Christmas Hurdle. That runner won the race in a time of 3:45.20 in 2016. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey A P McCoy with Darlan who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 4:15.80 in the 2012 renewal.
Christmas Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Christmas Hurdle past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Christmas Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 3:45.60 | Constitution Hill (GB) 7yo 11-10 5/6F | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2023 3:52.70 | Constitution Hill (GB) 6yo 11-10 1/12F | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2022 3:51.95 | Constitution Hill (GB) 5yo 11-10 1/7F | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2021 4:01.00 | Epatante (FR) 7yo 11-0 4/5F | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2020 3:47.30 | Silver Streak (IRE) 7yo 11-7 13/2 | Adam Wedge Evan Williams (GB) |
| 2019 3:55.25 | Epatante (FR) 5yo 11-0 2/1F | Barry Geraghty Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2018 3:46.90 | Verdana Blue (IRE) 6yo 11-0 11/2 | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2017 3:57.50 | Buveur DAir (FR) 6yo 11-7 2/11F | Barry Geraghty Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2016 3:45.20 | Yanworth (GB) 6yo 11-7 5/4F | Barry Geraghty Alan King (GB) |
| 2015 3:47.70 | Faugheen (IRE) 7yo 11-7 1/4F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Christmas Hurdle have been based:
- GB: 14 winners with an additional 17 placings from 106 runners
- IRE: 6 winners with an additional 2 placings from 10 runners
- AUS: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2024 Christmas Hurdle Replay
Christmas Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Christmas Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Nicky Henderson, who has won the race eleven times, with those eleven winners coming from Binocular (2010 & 2011), Darlan (2012), My Tent Or Yours (2013), Buveur DAir (2017), Verdana Blue (2018), Epatante (2019 & 2021) and Constitution Hill (2022, 2023 & 2024). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Christmas Hurdle are Noel Meade (3 wins) and W P Mullins (2 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Christmas Hurdle; Paul Nicholls has sent a total of 15 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Christmas Hurdle trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicky Henderson | 28-11-14 | -0.21 | -4.75 |
| Noel Meade | 4-3-4 | +18.50 | +11.78 |
| W P Mullins | 3-2-2 | -0.39 | +0.39 |
| Alan King | 7-1-2 | -4.75 | -3.72 |
| Nick Gifford | 4-1-1 | +1.50 | -0.19 |
| Evan Williams | 2-1-2 | +5.50 | +4.66 |
| C A Murphy | 1-1-1 | +1.50 | +0.94 |
| Paul Nicholls | 15-0-2 | -15.00 | -12.84 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 7-0-4 | -7.00 | -1.55 |
| Dan Skelton | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -3.00 |
Christmas Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Christmas Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Nico de Boinville, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Verdana Blue (2018), Epatante (2021) and Constitution Hill (2022, 2023 & 2024).
Here are some of the top Christmas Hurdle jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nico de Boinville | 6-5-5 | +6.35 | +3.08 |
| Adam Wedge | 2-1-2 | +5.50 | +4.66 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 8-0-3 | -8.00 | -3.80 |
| Harry Cobden | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -1.56 |
| Harry Skelton | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -2.00 |
| Jonathan Burke | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Jeremiah McGrath | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
| Stan Sheppard | 1-0-1 | -1.00 | +3.00 |
| Paul Townend | 1-0-0 | -1.00 | +0.00 |
| Dylan Johnston | 1-0-0 | -1.00 | +0.00 |
2025 Christmas Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 4, 2, F, 3, 1, 1, 4, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, (1, PU), 2, 1, 1, 1, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (58%) - No bigger than 10/1
- 20 / 20 (73%) - Not in a Cl2/Cl4-5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Had 4 - 15 placings (Non-Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Highest Won is not LST/Cl2-5
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Fewer than 10 races (Further)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Had 3 - 9 wins (Hurdle)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Achieved a TS of 121+ (Non-Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Achieved an RPR of 142+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Within the first 5 of the market
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 4 - 13 wins (Career)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Break of 9 - 366 days (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Won within last 4 starts
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 146+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Had 1 - 5 wins (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Had 1 - 8 wins (Trip)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Kempton racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Christmas Hurdle. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Christmas Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
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Christmas Hurdle Trend Analysis
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in a Class 2 when last winning, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-25.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Christmas Hurdle is Newcastle; there have been a total of 6 winners of this race who ran at Newcastle last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 16 winners from a total of 107 runners, while female runners have produced 4 winners from a total of 10 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Christmas Hurdle:
- Blue Bresil (3 Wins)
- Enrique (2 Wins)
- Germany (2 Wins)
- No Risk At All (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Christmas Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Kings Theatre (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Jazz Messenger in 2006, winning for Noel Meade at odds of 10/1 under the guidance of Niall P Madden. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 12 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2025 Christmas Hurdle, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Christmas Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Christmas Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2024 - Constitution Hill Kempton - 1st of 5 (1/12) | Christmas Hurdle |
| 2023 - Constitution Hill Aintree - 1st of 6 (1/7) | Aintree Hurdle |
| 2022 - Constitution Hill Newcastle - 1st of 5 (1/4) | Fighting Fifth Hurdle |
| 2021 - Epatante Newcastle - 1st of 6 (11/8) | Fighting Fifth Hurdle |
| 2020 - Silver Streak Cheltenham - 2nd of 10 (10/1) | International Hurdle |
| 2019 - Epatante Newbury - 1st of 11 (3/1) | Gerry Feilden Hurdle |
| 2018 - Verdana Blue Kempton (AW) - 2nd of 10 (13/8) | 32Red Wild Flower Stakes |
| 2017 - Buveur DAir Newcastle - 1st of 5 (117/100) | Fighting Fifth Hurdle |
| 2016 - Yanworth Ascot - 1st of 5 (4/5) | Ascot Hurdle |
| 2015 - Faugheen Punchestown - 2nd of 5 (117/100) | Morgiana Hurdle |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Christmas Hurdle Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team, looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
