The Unibet International Hurdle of 2026 has a genuine clash of Champion Hurdle contenders on Festival Trials Day in it, as Nicky Henderson’s Sir Gino faces The New Lion in the Grade 2 contest over an extended two miles at Cheltenham on 24 January. These are two of the National Hunt code’s star hurdlers having their prep runs for the Festival.
Given the powerful connections involved with Sir Gino and The New Lion, the latter representing the Dan Skelton stable and leading owner JP McManus, only five horses received entries in the race. Shock Triumph Hurdle scorer Poniros could join the big guns in the line-up, alongside quickly turned out pair Brentford Hope and Nemean Lion.
That latter duo will be playing for places behind these previous Cheltenham winners in the Unibet International Hurdle of 2026, though. Henderson has won this event, formerly the Bula Hurdle, a record seven times and has a lightly-raced six-year-old in Sir Gino. He hasn’t made it to the Festival in either of the last two campaigns, but connections hope to make it third time lucky.
Sir Gino, who sports the same yellow and black silks as previous Seven Barrows star Shishkin, arrives at Trials Day unbeaten. Although he missed the 2024 Triumph and 2025 Arkle, his CV includes a course and distance victory in the Finesse Juvenile Hurdle on this card two years ago. Stable viruses and an infection are medical reasons why Sir Gino hasn’t graced the grand stage of the Festival yet.
He concedes 3lb to main market rival The New Lion here, however, yet was good enough on reappearance to give a 7lb mares allowance and six-length beating to reigning Champion Hurdle and Fighting Fifth heroine Golden Ace.
The New Lion Must Bounce Back from Newcastle Fall
While her fortunate Cheltenham Festival result happened again somewhat with a couple of fallers up on Tyneside, there was no mistake about Sir Gino’s ready victory around Kempton Park in the Christmas Hurdle. It catapulted him to the head of the Champion Hurdle betting with the division also looking depleted in the Emerald Isle following a season-ending injury on the gallops to owner companion State Man.
There’s still the Irish equivalent to come during the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown the weekend after the Unibet International Hurdle, but mares are again expected to dominate that with Lossiemouth battling Brighterdaysahead once more. In the meantime, Sir Gino puts his status as Champion Hurdle favourite and undefeated record on the line against a big threat.
The New Lion, a year older than his main market rival aged seven, hasn’t lost a race either when completing. Such were his exploits as a novice hurdler last season that McManus privately purchased him from previous connections. All that is missing from The New Lion’s CV going into the Festival is a victory over two miles. All of his previous victories have been over further.
There were signs in the Fighting Fifth that he perhaps wasn’t concentrating on the task of jumping his hurdles. The New Lion wandered about on the approach to the fourth flight, then took a tumble two out. Skelton may put some headgear on to sharpen up his focus and avoid a repeat of that here. After all, a clear round is the foundation for any horse in any race at any level.
After just six career starts, The New Lion has as much scope for progress as Sir Gino. That is what makes their Trials Day dust-up so interesting and absorbing.
Do The Other Runners Have Any Chance?
The standard set by the first two in the betting with Cheltenham bookmakers for the Unibet International Hurdle of 2026 demands more from the remainder Kerry Lee’s stable star Nemean Lion is nearest to Sir Gino and The New Lion on official ratings, but carries the same penalty as the former here. The race comes just eight days after a slog in rain-softened ground around Windsor where he faded into fourth.
Nemean Lion remains stuck in a twilight zone of sorts, as he has been for almost two years now, of being too high in the weights for handicaps and not quite up to taking on the best hurdlers. Rated 151 for six of his last eight starts, he scrambled home in the Grade 2 National Spirit Hurdle around the turns of Fontwell Park’s figure-of-eight track by a neck last February.
Poinros sprung a Triumph Hurdle shock at Cheltenham odds of 100/1 when Willie Mullins cunningly exploited a loophole in the big juvenile race at the Festival, which has since been closed by the BHA. Having mugged Lulamba up the hill, Henderson’s horse gained revenge in the Champion Four-Year-old Hurdle at Punchestown. We’ve seen Poniros just once since and that was on the Flat at Royal Ascot.
Horses that have just turned five can struggle against their elders sometimes, yet that age bracket has a good recent record in the Unibet International Hurdle. It’s worth highlighting, however, that before 2024 the race took place in December and not in January. Poniros may not cross the Irish Sea and his return to hurdles may have to wait a little longer.
As for Brentford Hope, if he couldn’t win a handicap over course and distance off a rating of 137 here in December, then he’s no realistic chance here.
Unibet International Hurdle 2026 Shortlist & Verdict
If backing odds-on shots appeals to you, then punters could do a lot worse than Sir Gino. He brings an undefeated streak into the contest and only carries the same penalty as Nemean Lion, even though his reappearance win came at the highest level. THE NEW LION needs to run well here, however, if he’s to realise his Champion Hurdle ambitions and Skelton nominated this as his target after the Newcastle fall.
