Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
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.
For sponsorship purposes, the race in 2025 renewal of the International Hurdle will hold the title of 'Unibet Hurdle'.
Boost your International Hurdle predictions using our comprehensive breakdown of historical race patterns and trainer performance, and don't miss out on the top Cheltenham betting offers.
International Hurdle Information:
- International Hurdle Past Winners
- International Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- International Hurdle Jockey Statistics
If you are interested in other predictions at Cheltenham then head over to the Cheltenham tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Schedule for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
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.
Below you will find the 2025 International 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 International Hurdle Trend Analysis. With the field now finalised, we have the International Hurdle Trend Shortlist which is created using the listed trends.
These are the top three quickest-run International Hurdle over the last 20 renewals:
- Binocular (3:46.20) in 2008
- Grandouet (3:57.71) in 2011
- Osana (3:59.33) in 2007
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 5 winners. Backing all 20 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -10.55. Ahead of the 2025 International Hurdle why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Binocular, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by A P McCoy who set the fastest winning time in the International Hurdle, the runner won the race in a time of 3:46.20 when winning the race in 2008. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey R Walsh with Zarkandar who set the slowest winning time, the race-winning time was 4:29.49 in the 2012 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
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 horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the International Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which 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.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 4:14.87 | Lossiemouth (FR) 5yo 11-0 4/7F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2021 4:02.98 | Guard Your Dreams (GB) 5yo 11-0 5/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
| 2020 4:08.67 | Song For Someone (GER) 5yo 11-6 6/1 | Aidan Coleman Tom Symonds (GB) |
| 2019 4:18.96 | Call Me Lord (FR) 6yo 11-0 2/1F | James Bowen Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2018 4:05.10 | Brain Power (IRE) 7yo 11-0 7/1 | Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2017 4:07.90 | My Tent Or Yours (IRE) 10yo 11-0 5/1 | Barry Geraghty Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| 2016 4:06.90 | The New One (IRE) 8yo 11-8 13/8F | Richard Johnson Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
| 2015 4:12.80 | Old Guard (GB) 4yo 11-4 7/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2014 4:06.90 | The New One (IRE) 6yo 11-8 4/7F | Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
| 2013 4:04.45 | The New One (IRE) 5yo 11-8 2/5F | Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
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).
Here are the International Hurdle trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals for trainers who have entries in the 2025 renewal, those not listed have not had a runner. (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 | 18-5-8 | +4.50 | -0.06 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 14-5-8 | +10.60 | +7.65 |
| Dan Skelton | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -4.70 |
International Hurdle Jockey Statistics
Here are the International Hurdle jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals for jockeys who have entries in the 2025 renewal, those not listed have not had a runner. (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 | 3-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.20 |
| Jonathan Burke | 1-0-1 | -1.00 | +0.00 |
| Sean Bowen | 1-0-0 | -1.00 | -1.00 |
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%) - Ran in 6 - 30 races (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%) - Ran in 5 - 22 races (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)
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. 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 International Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
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. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find you a bet on the 2025 International Hurdle.
International Hurdle Trend Shortlist
Cheltenham will host the 2025 renewal of the International Hurdle which will be run at 3:00 pm on Saturday 25th January 2025 and these are the runners who perform best based on the trends along with the trainer and jockey and their record in the race (Runs-Wins-Places Win LSP / EW LSP):
- 15/15 Constitution Hill (1/25)
- Nicky Henderson (18-5-8 +4.50 / -0.06)
- Nico de Boinville (3-1-1 +5.00 / +2.20)
- 14/15 Brentford Hope (11/1)
- Harry Derham (0-0-0 0.00 / 0.00)
- Jonathan Burke (1-0-1 -1.00 / +0.00)
- 10/15 Fils dOudairies (33/1)
- Gordon Elliott (0-0-0 0.00 / 0.00)
- Sean Bowen (1-0-0 -1.00 / -1.00)
- 9/15 Joyeux Machin (66/1)
- Dan Skelton (6-0-1 -6.00 / -4.70)
- Tristan Durrell (0-0-0 0.00 / 0.00)
- 9/15 Spirits Bay (66/1)
- Nigel Twiston-Davies (14-5-8 +10.60 / +7.65)
- Jordan Nailor (0-0-0 0.00 / 0.00)
*Trainer & Jockey numbers are Runs-Wins-Places Win LSP / EW LSP, Runners, Odds and Trends Passed/Failed correct at the time of posting (11:50 am Thursday 23rd January 2025), if no odds were available at the time of posting then forecasted odds are used.
Constitution Hill won the Christmas Hurdle last time out and a total of 10 previous winners of that race from a total of 18 runners went on to win next time out, backing them all would have returned an LSP of -2.12.
Schedule for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham
Here is the schedule for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham, each race will be linked to the race blog and detail last year's winner in the table below.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Trophy Handicap Chase | Ga Law (FR) 8yo - 8/1 | Jamie Snowden Gavin Sheehan |
| Classic Novices Hurdle | Gidleigh Park (GB) 6yo - 5/6 | Harry Fry Jonathan Burke |
| Cleeve Hurdle | Noble Yeats (IRE) 9yo - 3/1 | Emmet Mullins Harry Cobden |
| Cotswold Chase | Capodanno (FR) 8yo - 7/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| International Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 5yo - 4/7 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| JCB Triumph Juvenile Hurdle Trial | Sir Gino (FR) 4yo - 5/4 | Nicky Henderson James Bowen |
| Timeform Novices Handicap Chase | Ginnys Destiny (IRE) 8yo - 4/1 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this International Hurdle Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team 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
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
