Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle Betting Offers
The Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle provides us with one of the big highlights from the Cheltenham Festival each year, so get ahead of the game with a horse-by-horse run down, the trends that tend to make a Stayers’ Hurdle winner, and the best Cheltenham Festival Stayers’ Hurdle betting offers and free bets for 2023.
Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle – What you need to know
Let’s start by getting you up to speed with the key facts associated with the Stayers’ Hurdle.
How long is the Stayers’ Hurdle, when’s it held and where’s it run?
The Stayers’ Hurdle is a jumps race which makes up part of the prestigious Cheltenham Festival every March. It is the feature race on day three of the Cheltenham Festival, so will take place at 3.30pm on Thursday 16th March 2023.
The race has gone under a number of guises, with Ladbrokes notably sponsoring and renaming it the World Hurdle between 2005 and 2015, but Paddy Power have since reverted it to the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.
The race stretches to just shy of 3 miles, which is significantly longer than both the Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase. It’s therefore not inconceivable for a horse to run in the Grand National too. More Of That is one former Stayers’ Hurdle winner (2014) who went on to run in the 2017 Grand National, going off as a 16/1 shot before being pulled up at the last fence.
More common is for the leading contenders to turn out in the Liverpool Hurdle, which is run at 3.35pm at Aintree on Grand National day.
Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle confirmed runners
Although we won’t know the final confirmed runners till race day, most bookmakers have been offering ante-post Stayers’ Hurdle betting odds for many months. As of now, the following horses are all expected to line-up for the 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival:
- Ashdale Bob
- Asterion Forlonge
- Beacon Edge
- Blazing Khal
- Dashel Drasher
- Flooring Porter
- Gold Tweet
- Henri Le Farceur
- Home By The Lee
- Klassical Dream
- Paisley Park
- Sharjah
- Sire Du Berlais
- Teahupoo
Some of the potential Stayers’ Hurdle runners above may yet take part in another Cheltenham Festival race instead, so keep an eye on the latest runners lists or make sure you’re betting with a bookmaker that has the Cheltenham Festival Non Runner No Bet offer, to ensure you definitely get a run for your money.
Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle favourites and tips
The leading horses in the Stayers’ Hurdle betting are listed below, alongside their biggest achievements to date, previous Stayers’ Hurdle form and current Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle betting odds.
Horse | Most notable result | 2022 Stayers’ Hurdle result | 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle odds* |
---|---|---|---|
Blazing Khal | 2022 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle winner | Did not run | 3/1 |
Teahupoo | 2022 Hatton’s Grace Hurdle winner | Did not run | 4/1 |
Home By The Lee | 2022 Christmas Hurdle winner | 6th | 6/1 |
Flooring Porter | 2021 and 2022 Stayers’ Hurdle winner | 1st | 6/1 |
Klassical Dream | 2021 & 2022 Champion Stayers Hurdle winner | 5th | 11/1 |
Gold Tweet | 2023 Cleeve Hurdle winner | Did not run | 12/1 |
Paisley Park | 2022 Long Walk Hurdle winner | 3rd | 14/1 |
Ashdale Bob | 2022 Champion Stayers Hurdle runner-up | Did not run | 20/1 |
*All Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle odds last updated on 13th March and subject to change.
The head of the Stayers’ Hurdle betting has a mix of previous Cheltenham Festival runners and those yet to make their Prestbury Park debuts. Let’s delve a little deeper to give you some more details on the runners, so you can pick your best bets for the race.
Blazing Khal
Blazing Khal may not have run at last year’s Cheltenham Festival but he does still boast a record of two wins from two at Prestbury Park. Those victories in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle saw him cut to single figures for the Stayers’ Hurdle. Further success came in February when he won the Boyne Hurdle by three clear lengths, a race won previously by such legends as War of Attrition and Tiger Roll, forcing bookies to make him ante-post favourite for The Festival.
Teahupoo
Teahupoo made an inauspicious Cheltenham Festival debut in 2022, finishing last of nine in the Champion Hurdle. He did turn the tables on Honeysuckle in December’s Hatton’s Grace Hurdle though, winning at odds of 20/1, before following it up with a runaway victory in the Galmoy Hurdle. That win sent him favourite for the Stayers’ Hurdle, and it’s only Blazing Khal’s performance since then which caused him to relinquish the favourite’s tag.
Home By The Lee
Home By The Lee took part in the 2022 Stayer’s Hurdle, but had to make do with sixth place, 7½ lengths back from Flooring Porter. Connections will take plenty of heart from the Christmas Hurdle though, as Home By The Lee gained a semblance of revenge on Flooring Porter, winning confidently to bring himself firmly into contention heading to Cheltenham in March.
Flooring Porter
Flooring Porter is certainly the best known of the leading contenders for this year’s Stayers’ Hurdle, having won the race in both 2021 and 2022. His form this season has been more concerning though, having to make do with successive fourth places in the Lismullen Hurdle and Christmas Hurdle. In both cases, he was beaten home by Home By The Lee and Ashdale Bob, who look likely to target the Stayers’ Hurdle this year.
Supporters must hope a return to the scene of his greatest moments at Cheltenham will revitalise Flooring Porter, as he bids to become the first three time winner of the race since the legendary Big Buck’s.
Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle betting offers and free bets
This year’s Stayers’ Hurdle looks a competitive heat, so bookies may well choose to boost the odds of some of the ante-post favourites as part of their promotional offerings. We’ll be highlighting any race specific offers right here, so check back before the off to make sure you don’t miss the best Stayers’ Hurdle betting offers and free bets available at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
Both new and eligible existing Paddy Power customers can benefit from a free bet for any race on Thursday*
*Max free bet varies from £1 – £25 per customer. Applies to any Cheltenham Festival race on Thursday 16th of March. Claim free bet via promo page after 6pm 15th March. Applies to singles and multiples. Must have previously deposited with a debit card, Apple Pay or Paysafe to avail of the offer. T&Cs apply.
Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle past winners
Flooring Porter will target a hat-trick of Stayers’ Hurdle victories this year, as he seeks to join a very select group of horses to have won the race on three or more occasions. Flooring Porter is already one of nine horses to have won the Stayers’ Hurdle at least twice, but Big Buck’s is the only four-time winner, while Inglis Drever is the other three-time winner on the Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle roll of honour.
- 2022 – Flooring Porter (4/1)
- 2021 – Flooring Porter (12/1)
- 2020 – Lisnagar Oscar (50/1)
- 2019 – Paisley Park (11/8 fav)
- 2018 – Penhill (12/1)
- 2017 – Nichols Canyon (10/1)
- 2016 – Thistlecrack (Evens fav)
- 2015 – Cole Harden (14/1)
- 2014 – More Of That (15/2)
- 2013 – Solwhit (17/2)
- 2012 – Big Buck’s (5/6 fav)
- 2011 – Big Buck’s (10/11 fav)
- 2010 – Big Buck’s (5/6 fav)
- 2009 – Big Buck’s (6/1)
- 2008 – Inglis Drever (11/8 fav)
- 2007 – Inglis Drever (5/1)
- 2006 – My Way de Solzen (8/1)
- 2005 – Inglis Drever (5/1)
Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle betting trends
One way of trying to narrow down your Cheltenham Festival Stayers’ Hurdle bets is by looking through trends associated with past winners. Do favourites tend to perform well? Is coming to Cheltenham off the back of a win important? Do winners have any Cheltenham Festival experience? All will be revealed below.
Key Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle betting trends
- 9/10 – Had raced at Cheltenham previously
- 7/10 – Had previously won at least one race of 3 miles or more
- 6/10 – Had raced within the last 8 weeks
- 5/10 – Had won at Cheltenham previously
- 5/10 – Won their most recent race
- 5/10 – Won at single-figure odds (9/1 or less)
- 5/10 – Aged exactly 7 years old
- 3/10 – Aged exactly 6 years old
- 2/10 – Aged 8 years old or older
- 2/10 – Won by the favourite
Evidently gaining some Cheltenham experience is worthwhile, even if actually winning there previously has shown to be far less essential. Of the feature races at the Cheltenham Festival, the Stayers’ Hurdle is the one where longer priced horses have fared best, so don’t be put off if you’ve found a fancy further down the betting odds.
How to watch and stream the Stayers’ Hurdle
The Stayers’ Hurdle is one of the highlights of the Cheltenham Festival, so it’s worth the effort of watching the race, especially if you’ve placed a bet.
ITV screen the early races throughout the Festival, so that’s one way to watch the drama play out. However the later races aren’t available on free-to-air to TV, so we’d suggest looking to bookmakers as the best solution. The majority now provide a streaming service to their customers for free, and many even allow you to cash out any bets mid-race, which is a great perk of having a betting account for the Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle.
Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle FAQs
What is the Cheltenham Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle?
The Cheltenham Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle is one of the highlights of the Cheltenham Festival. It is considered to be the most prestigious long distance event for staying hurdlers on the racing calendar, and is run over approximately three miles on Cheltenham’s new course.
What day is the Stayers’ Hurdle 2023?
The Stayers’ Hurdle is scheduled to take place on the Thursday of the Cheltenham Festival. That means this year it will be run on Thursday 16th March 2023.
What time is the Stayers’ Hurdle?
The 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle will be run at 3.30pm on Thursday 16th March.
What was the prize money in the Stayers’ Hurdle?
The winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle will receive £182,877. The runner-up will win £68,900, with prizes being given to the top eight finishers in the race.
Who will win the Stayers’ Hurdle?
This year’s Stayers’ Hurdle is an open event, with bookies struggling to decide on a hot favourite. Teahupoo and Blazing Khal have both been ante-post favourites in the build-up, while Flooring Porter is a two-time winner of the race and so must be on the shortlist of potential winners too.