Galopin Des Champs' bid for a remarkable third Gold Cup success lights up the final day at the Cheltenham Festival, but there are no shortage of quality contests on the stacked undercard. The pick of the bunch for handicapping fans is the £110,000 County Hurdle.
First run in 1920, for many years, the County Hurdle served as the festival finale as the last race on the final day. That changed in 2009, but regardless of its position in the running order, the event remains one of the most targeted handicaps of the season. Rooster Booster (2002) and State Man (2022) stand out on the recent roll of honour, with both horses claiming the Champion Hurdle in subsequent years.
With the days counting down to the 2025 edition, 38 runners remain in contention. In an effort to narrow that field, we pick out the key stats and trends from the past ten editions to zero in on the most likely contenders.
5-8 Year Olds On Top
Inaugural winner Trespasser was only four years of age when coming home in front, but these days, the minimum age is five. At the other end of the spectrum, Approval defied father time when scoring as a 13-year-old in 1959. In more recent times, five to eight-year-olds have held the edge, with each of the past ten winners falling into that bracket.
Applying this trend to the 2025 field helps only a little in trimming the field to 36.
Focus on Unexposed Contenders
Immediately turning to runners with the fewest handicap starts is a go-to strategy for many punters. In the case of the County Hurdle, that may be a system worth following. None of the past ten winners had more than nine handicap hurdle outings, whilst three scored on handicap debut. In an effort to make a dent in the remaining 36 runners, we will turn to the 80% stat of runners with four or fewer handicap hurdle starts.
We make more progress at this stage as nine fall short, reducing the field to 27.
Avoid Those Up in The Handicap
Linking to our unexposed angle, this next trend looks at the handicap rating of the contenders. In addition to the three successful handicap debutantes, six further winners scored off a mark equal to or below their career high, with only 2016 champ Superb Story scoring off a brand new career-high rating.
Filtering the runners through this trend more than halves the field to 13.
Solid Performance Last Time an Advantage
The County Hurdle almost always pays out each way on at least the first four places. Recent evidence suggests that we should favour those runners who filled a top-four spot on their most recent racecourse appearance.
Focussing on such runners in 2025 reduced the field to six.
The Final Four
Turning to our final six, Burdett Road runs in the Champion Hurdle on the opening day, whilst Karniquet finished a respectable fourth in the Supreme Novices Hurdle. Assuming neither will return to the track so soon, we will focus on the following four:
Hansard, 25/1 with bet365 - No Cheltenham form. 4lb higher than when winning the Gerry Feilden at Newbury in 2023. Missed most of 2024/25 but took a step back in the right direction with a fair effort in the Kingwell Hurdle last time
Kargese, 11/2 with Betfred - Second to Majborough in the 2024 Triumph Hurdle. Dual Grade 1 winner but disappointing when only second on her return in the Grade 2 BetMGM Mare’s Hurdle at Ascot.
Kabral Du Mathan, 16/1 with Betfred - No Cheltenham form and makes only his sixth career start. Solid effort off this mark of 139 when closing to the line in a 2m event at Windsor in January.
Kopeck De Mee, 7/2 with bet365 - One of the talking horses at the meeting despite never having raced in Britain or Ireland. Won all three starts in France in 2024, including an easy 4½l success in a Listed event at Auteuil in May
Betting Selections: Keep Kopeck Onside and Kabral Worth an Each Way Play
Willie Mullins has taken five of the past ten editions of this and looks set to be strongly represented. Kopeck Des Mee is a relatively skinny price but ticks all the right boxes and may be very well in off a mark of 136. He looks like the most likely winner to our eyes.
For an each-way punt, take a chance on the unexposed Paul Nicholls contender Kabral Du Mathan. This one has shown solid form to date and looks the sort to be ideally suited by a strongly run contest at this trip.
Recommended Bet - Kopeck De Mee to win @ 7/2 with bet365
Recommended Bet - Kabral Du Mathan each way @ 16/1 with bet365
Paul Harrison
Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.
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