James has worked for the jockey club and has 20 years sports betting experience he utilises his skills in our tipster competitions and writes sports betting content.
- Impaire Et Passe is the star attraction at the Fairyhouse Winter Festival running in Sunday's Hatton's Grace Hurdle
- 83% of Hatton's Grace winners who have gone on to run in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham have won it
- Ballymore winners tend to do well in their first run of the following season
Impaire Et Passe is the star attraction at the Fairyhouse Winter Festival running in Sunday's Hatton's Grace Hurdle
Last year's winner of the Ballymore at the Cheltenham Festival, Impaire Et Passe, is the big star running at the Fairyhouse Winter Festival with all eyes on his season return on Sunday.
Impaire Et Passe runs in the Hatton Grace Hurdle which goes off at 14:35 at Fairyhouse on Sunday afternoon and is currently the odds-on favourite to win the race.
The 2023 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle winner at the Cheltenham Festival is expected to be Constitution Hill's biggest rival at next year's Festival with the target looking like the Champion Hurdle.
OLBG have looked further at Impaire Et Passe's chances for the season with 83% of the race winners of the Hatton's Grace Hurdle then going on to win the Champion Hurdle and Willie Mullins will be hoping for a repeat here.
What the expert says...
83% of Hatton's Grace winners who have gone on to run in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham have won it
Winners of the Hatton's Grace Hurdle who then run in the Champion Hurdle tend to do really well, with five out of the six horses that have won the race that have then headed to the Champion Hurdle winning that race too.
OLBG have taken a closer look at the trends surrounding the Hatton's Grace winners and the outcome looks extremely favourable for Impaire Et Passe if he wins this race then goes on to the Champion Hurdle.
The Willie Mullins-trained French import is currently the 9/2 second favourite in the Antepost betting market for the 2024 Champion Hurdle and those odds will surely shorten with a win on Sunday.
Over the last 20 years, five horses have won the Hatton’s Grace and headed to the Champion Hurdle and then won that the following year
Legendary mare Honeysuckle completed the Hatton’s Grace/Champion Hurdle twice in two years - 2020 and 2021
How winners of the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle have fared at the Cheltenham Festival
| Year | Horse | Subsequent Cheltenham Race |
|---|---|---|
2003 | Solerina | Stayers’ Hurdle - 4th |
2004 | Solerina | N/A* |
2005 | Solerina | N/A* |
2006 | Brave Inca | Champion Hurdle - 1st |
2007 | Aitmatov | Stayers' Hurdle - 6th |
2008 | Catch Me | N/A* |
2009 | Oscar Dan Dan | Stayers’ Hurdle - 6th |
2010 | Hurricane Fly | Champion Hurdle - 1st |
2011 | Voler la Vedette | Stayers’ Hurdle - 2nd |
2012 | Zaidpour | Stayers’ Hurdle - pulled up |
2013 | Jezki | Champion Hurdle - 1st |
2014 | Lieutenant Colonel | Stayers’ Hurdle - 10th |
2015 | Arctic Fire | County Hurdle - 1st |
2016 | Apple’s Jade | Mares’ Hurdle - 1st |
2017 | Apple’s Jade | Mare’s Hurdle - 3rd |
2018 | Apple’s Jade | Champion Hurdle - 6th |
2019 | Honeysuckle | Mares’ Hurdle - 1st |
2020 | Honeysuckle | Champion Hurdle - 1st |
2021 | Honeysuckle | Champion Hurdle - 1st |
2022 | Teahupoo | Stayers’ Hurdle - 3rd |
*Did not run at the Cheltenham Festival in subsequent two years after Fairyhouse win
Hattons Grace Hurdle Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Winter Festival)
Ballymore winners tend to do well in their first run of the following season
The majority of these runners go into their first race of the season as the clear odds-on favourites in those subsequent races and it should be no different with Impaire Et Passe on Sunday.
Currently a 4/6 favourite for the Hatton’s Grace over 2m4f this weekend, should Impaire Et Passe justify those odds it will leave the French import in superb stead ahead of a potential Champion Hurdle adventure at Cheltenham.
Ballymore year | Horse | Following season return race position | Following season return race odds |
|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Hardy Eustace | 7th | 20/1 |
2004 | Fundamentalist | 1st | 2/1 |
2005 | No Refuge | 1st | 7/4 |
2006 | Nicanor | 4th | 4/1 |
2007 | Massini’s Maguire | 1st | 5/4 |
2008 | Fiveforthree | 1st | 4/9 |
2009 | Mikael d’Haguenet | Faller | 6/4 |
2010 | Peddlers Cross | 1st | 9/4 |
2011 | First Lieutenant | 1st | 4/7 |
2012 | Simonsig | 1st | 4/9 |
2013 | The New One | 1st | 1/2 |
2014 | Faugheen | 1st | 1/4 |
2015 | Windsor Park | 12th | 8/1 |
2016 | Yorkhill | 1st | 1/8 |
2017 | Willoughby Court | 1st | 2/5 |
2018 | Samcro | 2nd | 4/9 |
2019 | City Island | Pulled up | 15/8 |
2020 | Envoi Allen | 1st | 1/14 |
2021 | Bob Olinger | 1st | 1/3 |
2022 | Sir Gerhard | 1st | 1/6 |
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