Stan James Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) – 3.20pm Tues 15 March

The first Champion Hurdle was run in 1927, and its inaugural winner, Blaris, was awarded prize money of £365. In its second year the event was won by Brown Jack, who subsequently became a prolific winner of long-distance flat races. The Champion Hurdle was abandoned in 1931 due to persistent frost, and in 1932 it was contested by just three horses – the smallest field in its history. The race was cancelled twice during World War II, in 1943 and 1944.

The post-war years saw the emergence of the event’s first triple winner, Hatton’s Grace, who was trained in Ireland by Vincent O’Brien. The achievement of Hatton’s Grace was soon to be matched by Sir Ken, who recorded three successive victories in the 1950s. Before the second of these Sir Ken was given a starting price of 2/5 (a £5 bet would have won £2). He is the shortest-priced horse to have won the race. The third horse to win the event three times was Persian War, who completed his hat-trick in 1970. Commercial sponsorship of the Champion Hurdle began in 1978, and it was initially backed by Waterford Crystal.

The 1984 winner, Dawn Run, was the first mare to win the Champion Hurdle. In the same year she also won the Irish and French versions of the event, and two seasons later she won the most prestigious chase in National Hunt racing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. She remains the only horse to have completed the Champion Hurdle-Gold Cup double. From 1985 to 1987 the Champion Hurdle was dominated by See You Then, who became the event’s fourth three-time winner. A new sponsor, Smurfit (now known as the Smurfit Kappa Group), began supporting the race in 1991. The second female horse to win the race was Flakey Dove, the winner in 1994.

The race is the final leg of the Road to Cheltenham, a series of high-class hurdles races sponsored by StanJames.com consisting of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, the International Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle Trial.

Trends
The last 8 winners were running within 45 days
All 8 winners finished in the first 3 last time out
7 of the last 8 winners had run between 3 and 5 times that season
6 of the last 8 winners were officially rated 159+
6 of the last 8 winners were aged between 6 and 8
6 of the last 8 winners had won a Grade 1
The last 5 winners had finished in the first 2 at Cheltenham

Shortlist
Binocular, Hurricane Fly, Menorah and Peddlers Cross

Age Trends

Age

Runs

Wins

Placed

5

23

1

5

6

33

2

2

7

27

2

5

8

18

2

1

9+

22

1

3

Selection
Unfortunately there are no double figure prices to get excited about here, but that’s the way of the Trends.
With the greatest of respect to Hurricane Fly, his brilliant trainer and the fabulous season he has had, I just can’t have a horse that hasn’t got course form for the Champion Hurdle. Experience is paramount.
Menorah and Peddlers Cross are going to the race in fine form, Menorah is unbeaten at Cheltenham, including a win in the International Hurdle last time out and for me, a stunning win in the Greatwood. 
Peddlers Cross is unbeaten full stop, and took the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle in great style.
I really am torn between three at the moment, but we have a horse in Binocular that was a beaten 6/4 favourite for this race as a 5yo, a winning 9/1 shot last year when beating the likes of Khyber Kim, Solwhit, Starluck and Go Native and showed fantastic form when beating Overturn off a quick pace. 
His Cheltenham form is 231, the second being in the Supreme Novices in 2008.
Win bet on Binocular @ 7/2 generally
Guest post by Tony McCormick, 4 March 2011