Champion Hurdle Tips 2027: Preview, Trials and Trends

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By The Guv'nor · Last updated October 2026

My Champion Hurdle tips for 2027 start with the favourite's record. Over the last 20 runnings (2007 to 2026) the SP favourite won 11 times, including seven of the last ten. The 2027 Unibet Champion Hurdle is on Tuesday 16 March 2027, Champion Day at the Cheltenham Festival, over 2 miles 87 yards (about 3,300 metres) and eight hurdles.

If you came for Champion Hurdle betting tips, here's the honest bit: this is a preview, not a tip sheet. You get the favourite's record, last season's form, the trial dates and the trends. It sits in my big races calendar, and the rest of the week is covered in my Cheltenham Festival tips and preview.

Does the market get the Champion Hurdle right? The favourite's record since 2007

I built this by hand from the published results and race records. Prices are starting prices (SP), not Betfair SP.

What the table says

• 11 of 20 favourites won (55%) and 13 of 20 finished in the first three.
• 1pt level stakes on every favourite at SP: +5.33 points from 20 bets. Hindsight, and a small sample, not a system.
• The race has changed. From 2007 to 2016 favourites won 4 of 10 (+1.68 points). From 2017 to 2026 they won 7 of 10 (+3.66 points).
• Odds-on favourites: 7 ran, 5 won, +0.96 points. Seven points risked to make less than one.
• Big-priced winners: 8 of the 20 winners were 9/1 or bigger, but six of those came in the first ten years. Since 2017 it's just Espoir D'Allen (16/1) and Golden Ace (25/1).

The 2025 race is the one to remember, if I'm honest. Constitution Hill went off the 1/2 favourite and fell at the fifth. State Man (8/1) was five lengths clear when he fell at the last, which left Golden Ace to win at 25/1, with Burdett Road (66/1) and Winter Fog (150/1) filling the places. Only seven ran. Form makes the short prices, but eight hurdles at championship pace still have to be jumped. For the wider picture across all races, see how often favourites win.

The 2027 picture: where the two-mile form stands in October 2026

Lossiemouth won the 2026 race as the 7/5 favourite, six and a half lengths clear of Brighterdaysahead (7/2), with The New Lion (3/1) third. Nine ran on good to soft. She then won the Punchestown Champion Hurdle at 2/7 on 1 May 2026.

Constitution Hill, the 2023 winner, switched to the Flat in 2026; his latest run was fourth in the September Stakes (Group 3) at Kempton on 5 September 2026.

Here are last season's principals from the big two-mile hurdles: public results, not a shortlist. I haven't quoted Champion Hurdle 2027 odds yet. I'll add the market leaders, each price dated, after the November trials.

The form line worth noting: Brighterdaysahead beat Lossiemouth (4/6 favourite) in the Irish Champion Hurdle on heavy ground in February, and Lossiemouth reversed it by six and a half lengths on good to soft at Cheltenham. Keep an eye on the going.

The trials: Fighting Fifth, the Christmas hurdles and the Irish Champion Hurdle

Every one of the last ten winners had two or three runs that season before Cheltenham. These are the races they came through, with the 2026/27 dates as published by the courses on 5 October 2026.

Last year's Fighting Fifth at Newcastle was a messy one: Constitution Hill (6/4 favourite) fell at the second and The New Lion fell two out, leaving Golden Ace to win at 22/1.

The Irish route runs through Punchestown and Leopardstown to the Irish Champion Hurdle on 31 January, covered in my Dublin Racing Festival preview and the wider Irish racing tips calendar.

Champion Hurdle trends with sample sizes

All trends cover the 20 runnings from 2007 to 2026 unless stated. Twenty races is a small sample, so none of these is a rule.

Age: six to eight

17 of 20 winners were aged six, seven or eight (seven-year-olds 9, six-year-olds 6, eight-year-olds 2). Two five-year-olds won and one nine-year-old (Hurricane Fly, 2013). No four-year-old won; they carry 11st against 11st 10lb.

Mares: six wins, five in the last seven years

Mares get a 7lb allowance, so they carry 11st 3lb. Annie Power (2016), Epatante (2020), Honeysuckle (2021, 2022), Golden Ace (2025) and Lossiemouth (2026) all won, and the 2026 first two were mares.

Two trainers, twelve wins

Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins won six each. Irish-trained horses won 11 of the 20, and 5 of the last 10.

Last run: won, and not long ago

For the last ten winners I went back to the run before Cheltenham:

Nine of the ten won last time out, and four came straight from the Irish Champion Hurdle. N = 10: a pointer, not a law.

Small fields change the each-way maths

Fields ranged from 7 to 23 runners, but the last four were 7, 8, 7 and 9. Under standard terms (see Coral's horse racing rules), a non-handicap with 5 to 7 runners pays 1/4 odds for two places, and 8 or more pays 1/5 odds for three. Ante-post, your stake is normally lost if your horse doesn't run, so read ante-post betting explained first, and each way betting explained for the full place table.

What I look for in a two-mile champion hurdler

Look, I'm essentially a statistics/maths geek, so I start with the price, not the horse. A 4/11 shot has to win about 73% of the time just to break even, and odds-on favourites in this race won 5 of 7 and still only scraped +0.96 points. Anyone can talk about high win rates when they tip odds-on horses all day. I care about profit month to month.

That's why I like outsiders and each-way value when the price is right. Eight of the last 20 winners were 9/1 or bigger, and even when an outsider only places we can make more profit than an odds-on shot winning. In a seven-runner field you only get two places, though, so I check the runners before I go each-way.

Then the data from this page: a proven top-level two-miler, aged six to eight, with two or three runs that season and a win last time. Even then it has to be the right price. If I'm unsure about a bet, I skip it, championship race or not.

Stakes stay in points, the same as any other day (1pt = £5 on a £100 bank, for example). No going all in on Champion Day because of a feeling. Understanding that losers are a thing is the key to being a winner longer term. I bet on every horse I tip, and when I get stable information or the smart money moves, that goes to members.

If I have a Champion Hurdle bet, whether it's a 'banker' (my word for a shorter-priced, solid bet) or an outsider, it goes to Winners Club members on the day. The free Friday newsletter is the way to try me out first.

Champion Hurdle tips: FAQs

When is the Champion Hurdle 2027?

Tuesday 16 March 2027, on Champion Day, the first day of the Cheltenham Festival (16-19 March 2027). The 2027 race time hasn't been published yet. It was off at 4pm in 2025 and 2026.

Who won the Champion Hurdle in 2026?

Lossiemouth, the 7/5 favourite, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend. She beat Brighterdaysahead by six and a half lengths, with The New Lion third.

How often does the favourite win the Champion Hurdle?

11 times in the last 20 runnings (2007-2026), and 7 of the last 10.

How many places are paid each way in the Champion Hurdle?

With 5 to 7 runners, standard terms are 1/4 odds for two places; with 8 or more, 1/5 odds for three. Check your bookmaker's terms on the day.

More in this guide

• Big races 2026/27: the full calendar
• Cheltenham Festival tips: the race-by-race preview
• Cheltenham Gold Cup tips: preview, trials and trends
• Cheltenham Festival trends, race by race
• Cheltenham Festival handicap tips
• King George VI Chase preview