International Hurdle Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Festival Trials Day)

2025 International Hurdle Preview

Run at Cheltenham during the Festival Trials Day that takes place in January is the International Hurdle which is a Grade 2 that currently carries a purse of £130k and was previously known as the Bula Hurdle.

Open to runners who are aged four or older, the race is contested over a distance of two miles and one furlong where the competitors will face a total of eight hurdles.

International Hurdle Information:

• International Hurdle Past Winners
• International Hurdle Trainer Statistics
• International Hurdle Jockey Statistics

We also have a dedicated Cheltenham tips page that will cover this race as well as all of the other races on the day of the race, see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Other Principal Races at Cheltenham Racecourse section for links to these.

How competitive is the International Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2004 when the race had an over-round of 108%. The race in 2014 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 123%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the International Hurdle, the over-round has been 113%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £113 which is bet.

International Hurdle Trends:

• 2025 International Hurdle Trends
• International Hurdle Trend Analysis

Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the International Hurdle next time out then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -11.17. Before placing your bet on the 2025 International Hurdle see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.

When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 3:46.20 was set by Binocular in 2008, which is the quickest time over that period, the runner was trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by A P McCoy. The slowest winning time was set in 2012 when Zarkandar won in a time of 4:29.49, booked to ride was R Walsh on this Paul Nicholls trained runner.

These are the top three quickest-run International Hurdle over the last 20 renewals:

1. Binocular (3:46.20) in 2008
2. Grandouet (3:57.71) in 2011
3. Osana (3:59.33) in 2007

International Hurdle Past Winners

Here are the International 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 trainer of the horse at the time of winning the International Hurdle as well as the jockey is also displayed along with the starting price the horse was sent off.

Race Notes: Abandoned in 2022 due to frozen ground, no 2023 renewal due to the race being moved to January.

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the International Hurdle have been based:

• GB: 17 winners with an additional 25 placings from 124 runners
• IRE: 3 winners with an additional 2 placings from 17 runners
• FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners

International Hurdle Trainer Statistics

There are two leading trainers in the International Hurdle over the last 20 renewals with both Nicky Henderson and Nigel Twiston-Davies who have both won the race five times. Nicky Henderson winners have been with Binocular (2008), Grandouet (2011), My Tent Or Yours (2017), Brain Power (2018) and Call Me Lord (2019). Nigel Twiston-Davies winners have been with Khyber Kim (2009), The New One (2013, 2014 & 2016) and Guard Your Dreams (2021). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the International Hurdle are Paul Nicholls (3 wins) and Philip Hobbs (2 wins).

Here are some of the top International 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):

International Hurdle Jockey Statistics

The leading jockey in the International Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Sam Twiston-Davies who has won the race four times with those four winners coming from The New One (2013 & 2014), Old Guard (2015) and Guard Your Dreams (2021). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the International Hurdle is Paddy Brennan (2 wins).

Here are some of the top International 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):

2025 International Hurdle Trends

Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 5, 1, 1, 1, (4, PU), 1, 2, 1, (1, 4), 1, 1, 1, 6, 1, 3, 3, 1, 10, 6, 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 (71%) - Off a break of 20 - 273 days
• 20 / 20 (77%) - Held an OR of 140+ (LTO)
• 20 / 20 (80%) - Achieved an RPR of 143+ (Last 3)
• 20 / 20 (80%) - Made 6 - 30 starts (Career)
• 20 / 20 (81%) - No bigger than 25/1
• 20 / 20 (81%) - Had 4 - 16 wins (Career)
• 20 / 20 (83%) - Within the first 6 of the market
• 20 / 20 (83%) - Made 5 - 22 starts (Hurdle)
• 20 / 20 (84%) - Had 6 - 21 placings (Career)
• 20 / 20 (85%) - Not in FRA/SCO/WAL (Last Win)
• 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 137+ (Last Win)
• 20 / 20 (86%) - Placed within last 3 starts
• 20 / 20 (87%) - In a field of 9 - 21 (Debut)
• 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved a TS of 117+ (Last 5)
• 20 / 20 (89%) - Not on GF (Debut)
• 19 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 12/1 (Career Win)

Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Cheltenham racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the International Hurdle. If you are a newcomer to horse racing betting, then the number of types of bets can be scary! Don't let that put you off though, head over to this Types Of Horse Racing Bet article and have a read, you will then have a better knowledge of betting on racing in the future and there are plenty of other articles in the OLBG Betting School too.

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 International Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.

International Hurdle Trend Analysis

The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +38.99 is when runners had 1 place in the past 30 days. The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 2 career starts on the going, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-20.

The course which has produced the most winners of the International Hurdle is Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 7 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Punchestown, there has been a total number of 4 winners of this race who ran at Punchestown last time out.

The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 136 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 7 runners.

Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the International Hurdle, that stallion Kings Theatre has produced 4 winners (2016,2014,2013,2010).

Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Rigmarole in 2003, winning for Paul Nicholls at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of Robert Thornton. 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 International Hurdle why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?

Other Principal races at Cheltenham racecourse

Here are some other notable races at the Cheltenham racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.

Races in January (Festival Trials Day)

• Cheltenham Trophy Handicap Chase
• Classic Novices Hurdle
• Cleeve Hurdle
• Cotswold Chase
• Finesse Juvenile Novices Hurdle
• Timeform Novices Handicap Chase

Races in January

• Cheltenham New Years Day Handicap Chase

Races in March (Cheltenham Festival)

• Arkle Challenge Trophy
• Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
• Champion Hurdle
• Close Brothers Mares Hurdle
• National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup
• Supreme Novices Hurdle
• Ultima Handicap Chase
• Ballymore Novices Hurdle
• Brown Advisory Novices Chase
• Champion Bumper
• Coral Cup
• Cross Country Chase
• Johnny Henderson Grand Annual
• Queen Mother Champion Chase
• Festival Plate
• Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
• Mares Novices Hurdle
• Pertemps Network Final
• Ryanair Chase
• Stayers Hurdle
• Turners Novices Chase
• Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle
• Cheltenham Gold Cup
• County Handicap Hurdle
• Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup
• Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
• Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase
• Triumph Hurdle

Races in April

• Silver Trophy Chase

Races in October

• Sharp Novices Hurdle

Races in November (November Meeting)

• Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase
• Hyde Novices Hurdle
• Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices Chase
• JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle
• Paddy Power Gold Cup
• Greatwood Hurdle
• Jewson Premier Handicap Chase
• Shloer Chase

Races in December (Christmas Meeting)

• Crystal Cup Cross Country Chase
• Bristol Novices Hurdle
• Dahlbury Handicap Chase
• December Gold Cup