The Welsh Champion Hurdle is a National Hunt Limited handicap hurdle race in Wales which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Chepstow over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres) and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.
The race was first run in 1969 at Chepstow over 2 miles and continued there until 2002, holding Listed status during the 1980s. The race was usually run on Easter Monday and prior to the 1990s was usually contested by horses that had performed well in the Champion Hurdle. However field sizes were consistently small even in its heyday.
The standard of the race declined in the 1990s, and it was run as a handicap in 1993 and from 2000 until 2002. Unfortunately this change did not result in increased fields and the race was dropped from the calendar in 2003.
In 2010 the race was revived, as a Limited Handicap, scheduled to be run at Ffos Las in February, over 2 miles. However the race was lost to the weather.
The new race did take place in 2011, being won easily by Oscar Whisky, owned by track owner, Dai Walters.
The distance was increased to a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs in 2013. The race was moved to a new date in mid-October in 2016 and reverted to 2 miles. In October 2025 the race returned to Chepstow as part of a new three-day Welsh Racing Festival.
Winners Year Winner Age Weight Jockey Trainer1969Persian War612-00Jimmy Uttley Colin Davies1970Frozen Alive410–12Stan MellorHarry Thomson Jones1971Bula612-00Paul Kelleway Fred Winter1972Canasta Lad611-08Jeff King Peter Bailey1973Comedy of Errors612-00Bill SmithFred Rimell 1974Canasta Lad811-04Jeff KingPeter Bailey1975Lanzarote711-04Richard PitmanFred Winter1976Night Nurse511-11Paddy BroderickPeter Easterby1977Night Nurse611–12Paddy BroderickPeter Easterby1978Abandoned because course waterlogged1979Monksfield712-00Dessie HughesDes McDonogh1980Sea Pigeon1012-00Jonjo O'NeillPeter Easterby1981Pollardstown611-09Philip BlackerStan Mellor1982Ekbalco611-09Jonjo O'NeillRoger Fisher1983Royal Vulcan511–13David GouldingNeville Callaghan1984Ra Nova511-08Mark PerrettNan Kennedy1985Browne's Gazette711–13Dermot BrowneMonica Dickinson1986Abandoned because course waterlogged1987High Knowl411-00Jonothon LowerMartin Pipe 1988 Past Glories 5 11-06 Patrick Farrell Bill Elsey 1989 Celtic Shot 7 11-06 Peter Scudamore Charlie Brooks 1990 Beech Road 8 12-01 Richard Guest Toby Balding 1991 Wonder Man 6 11-10 Mark Pitman Jenny Pitman 1992 Don Valentino 7 11-10 Mark Pitman Jenny Pitman 1993 Dextra Dove 6 10-04 Simon Earle Philip Hobbs1994 Abandoned due to waterlogging 1995 Nemuro 7 11-06 Alan McCabe David Elsworth 1996 Absalom's Lady 8 11-09 A Procter David Elsworth 1997 Potentate 6 11-06 Jamie Evans Martin Pipe 1998 Potentate 7 11-10 Jamie Evans Martin Pipe 1999 Potentate 8 11–12 Tony McCoy Martin Pipe 2000 Mister Morose 10 11-10 Carl Llewellyn Nigel Twiston-Davies2001 Abandoned due to Foot and Mouth outbreak 2002 Vol Solitaire 4 10-00 Timmy Murphy Paul Nicholls 2003–2009 No Race2010 Abandoned due to Snow and Frost 2011 Oscar Whisky 6 11-07 Barry Geraghty Nicky Henderson2012 Abandoned due to Frost 2013 Medinas 6 10-10 Wayne Hutchinson Alan King 2014 Saphir Du Rheu 5 11-10 Harry Derham Paul Nicholls 2015 Silsol 6 11-10 Jack Sherwood Paul Nicholls 2016 no race Feb 2016 2016 Garde La Victoire 7 11-10 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs 2017 The New One 9 11-05 Zac Baker Nigel Twiston-Davies 2018 Silver Streak 5 10-04 Adam Wedge Evan Williams 2019 Monsieur Lecoq 5 10-05 Chester Williams Jane Williams 2020 Sceau Royal 8 11-06 Daryl Jacob Alan King 2021 Glory And Fortune 6 10-07 Stan Sheppard Tom Lacey 2022 Effernock Fizz 7 10-07 Sam Ewing Cian Michael Collins 2023 Nemean Lion 6 11-04 Richard Patrick Kerry Lee 2024 Lump Sum 6 11-06 Dylan Johnston Sam Thomas 2025 Celtic Dino 6 11-09 Dylan Johnston Sam Thomas
See also Horse racing in Great Britain List of British National Hunt races
References
Racing Post , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,