The Champion Hurdle of 2025 is to all intents and purposes a three-horse race. It pits the last two winners of the Grade 1 feature contest from the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival against one another.
This isn’t just about a rematch between Constitution Hill and State Man from 2023, however. There’s the small matter of Gigginstown House Stud’s wonder-mare Brighterdaysahead receiving 8lb from them both also is the line-up.
Bar this terrifying trio, it’s 33/1 and bigger for the remainder on Cheltenham betting sites, but they’re surely playing for minor places. It would rank among the biggest upsets in Festival history if the winner wasn’t one of the market principals.
From what has looked an increasingly shallow pool of top hurdlers in recent seasons, we suddenly have an edition of the Champion Hurdle in 2025 to savour. Top yards and horses with great reputations collide. There are subplots galore here.
Is Constitution Hill still the force of old? Will Brighterdaysahead give Cullentra House and her owners a breakthrough win in this race? Is State Man a forgotten horse or was success last year just profiting a weak renewal?
That’s what this preview is all about. We profile each of the contenders in detail, looking at the upsides and drawbacks as each of the three have their strengths and weaknesses.
Champion Hurdle 2025 Main Contenders
Constitution Hill
- Age: 8
- Jockey: Nico de Boinville
- Owner: Michael Buckley
- Trainer: Nicky Henderson
- Cheltenham Wins: 2022 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, 2023 Champion Hurdle, 2025 International Hurdle
- Form: 2/111/1111/1-11
- Grade 1 Wins: 8
Unbeaten since arriving at Seven Barrows, Constitution Hill is one of the flagbearers on the Nicky Henderson stable alongside Jonbon. A three-time Cheltenham winner including twice at the Festival, he bids to regain the crown he never lost.
Go back a couple of years and Constitution Hill put State Man very much in his place. He also beat Lossiemouth fair and square around Kempton in the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day on reappearance.
Constitution Hill defied a year off the track, gave weight and race fitness away to the mare and still won. On that basis, he deserves to be among the Cheltenham favourites at the Festival this year.
So easy was his subsequent prep race for the Champion Hurdle in 2025 that Constitution Hill didn’t need to come out of second gear. Nico de Boinville and Henderson learned nothing about him on Festival Trials Day.
The doubt is his fragility. Is Constitution Hill as good as he was? He needs to be to become the first horse since Hurricane Fly to wrestle back the title of champion hurdler?
Brighterdaysahead
- Age: 6
- Jockey: Jack Kennedy
- Owner(s): Gigginstown House Stud
- Trainer: Gordon Elliott
- Cheltenham Wins: None
- Form: 11/11121-111
- Grade 1 Wins: 3
Improving no end this season, Brighterdaysahead announced herself with a complete demolition of State Man in the December Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival. She had the benefit of a strong gallop step by pacemaker King Of Kingsfield that day and something similar is indicated again here.
Neither Elliott nor Gigginstown have ever tasted glory in the most prestigious hurdle race of all. Brighterdaysahead might be the one do it, provided freshening her up for the Champion Hurdle of 2025 works.
She’s one of the big Jack Kennedy rides the former Irish champion jockey has to look forward upon returning to the saddle after his latest leg break. Like all those who get the leg-up, though, he needs his eye in.
A bigger concern for Brighterdaysahead is how Golden Ace tapped her for toe in the Dawn Run at last year’s Festival. It was one of the surprise Cheltenham results of 2024, but she should have the end-to-end gallop assured by her owner-stable companion.
Such tactics may suit her rivals as well, though. Each of the other big guns in the race have won over further in the past. Brighterdaysahead looks the most progressive of the principals and her upward curve may well continue.
State Man
- Age: 8
- Jockey: TBD
- Owner(s): Joe & Marie Donnelly
- Trainer: Willie Mullins
- Cheltenham Wins: 2022 County Hurdle, 2024 Champion Hurdle
- Form: 2/F11/111121/1111-1231
- Grade 1 Wins: 11
The reigning champion hurdler is back to defend the crown. State Man had done very little wrong since joining Closutton until this winter. Consecutive defeats by Brighterdaysahead, first at Punchestown in the Morgiana Hurdle and then Leopardstown dented his reputation, however.
You can’t read too much into a third Irish Champion Hurdle success at the Dublin Racing Festival. With Lossiemouth’s premature exit from the contest, the form isn’t worth what it might have been.
State Man is also held by another of the Cheltenham horses in Constitution Hill on past form. The Champion Hurdle of 2025 looks different to the one in 2023, however, in being even more competitive.
Prolific at Grade 1 level, State Man’s successes have been down to the relative weakness of this division in Ireland. Hurdling just isn’t as fashionable as going over fences in any part of the British Isles.
That isn’t his fault, though, but this looks the hottest top level race of his career so far. That is also reflected in the Cheltenham odds for the Champion Hurdle of 2025 too. After 18 career outings, State Man is also the most exposed of the market principals with least scope for further progress.
