Timeform summary of the top-rated hurdlers in 2022/23

Two-mile hurdlers

Constitution Hill (h177p) had announced himself as something very special when winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2022 and his second campaign over hurdles added more substance to his claims to greatness. In truth, he hardly needed to match his existing rating from his novice season, let alone better it, but in completing a clean sweep of all four of Britain’s open Grade 1 hurdles at up to two and a half miles without his unbeaten record ever looking remotely under threat, Constitution Hill did all that was asked of him.

He first sauntered home by 12 lengths from stable companion and former Champion Hurdle winner Epatante (h149) in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle and then beat her further still – by 17 lengths – in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. Potentially stronger opposition awaited in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, but, following another impeccable round of jumping, Constitution Hill quickened away from Ireland’s new star hurdler, State Man (h167), to win by nine lengths (watch the replay below), though he’d have won by further if Nico de Boinville had asked him any sort of question.

A step up in trip for the Aintree Hurdle was a new challenge for Constitution Hill, but he made short work of Sharjah (h158), Champion Hurdle third Zanahiyr (h157x) and Epatante to stretch his unbeaten record to seven starts. Another season over hurdles would doubtless hammer home Constitution Hill’s dominance, without revealing a whole lot more about him.

State Man proved himself a top-class hurdler in his own right, good enough to have won most recent Champion Hurdles. After beating Sharjah in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown and another stablemate, Vauban (h160), in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown, State Man then denied Honeysuckle (h159) a fourth consecutive win in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the last-named venue and, after Cheltenham, landed the odds in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle against rivals he’d already beaten at least once, with Vauban again chasing him home.

Honeysuckle’s unbeaten record had already fallen – after 17 straight wins – when she was beaten in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on her reappearance before her encounter with State Man, but rather than bidding to win a third Champion Hurdle, she ended her career on a winning note at Cheltenham in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle (replay below), a race she’d also won before, with a defeat of another prolific winner Love Envoi (h156).

Pied Piper (h156) was found wanting at the top level in Ireland but put up a fine weight-carrying performance in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham to be beaten just a head into second under 11-13. I Like To Move It (h156) was down the field in both the Champion Hurdle and the Aintree Hurdle, but he’d proved himself one of the better British-trained two-mile hurdlers when carrying 12-0 to victory in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham and when running out an easy winner of the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton.

Staying hurdlers

There was no standout performer among the staying hurdlers with very little to choose between several, mostly Irish-trained, performers. Sire du Berlais (h162) looked to have lost some of his enthusiasm, as well as his form, earlier in the campaign, so he was a 33/1-shot when bouncing back to win the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham at the age of 11 (replay below), adding to a fine Festival record for Gordon Elliott’s stable which includes finishing second in the same race in 2021 and winning the Pertemps Final twice.

Sire du Berlais promptly followed up by winning the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree for the second year in succession, again staying on strongly, and was only beaten half a length and a neck into third behind the Mullins pair of Klassical Dream (h161) and Asterion Forlonge (h160) in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown. Klassical Dream had disappointed for a second time in the Stayers’ Hurdle, but he was completing a hat-trick of wins in the Punchestown equivalent and went on to be placed in the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil for the second year running.

Sire du Berlais’ stable companion Teahupoo (h161) was a new name among the leading stayers, beating Klassical Dream by a neck in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on the way to an easy win in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran on his first try at three miles. Conditions were less testing in the spring, but Teahupoo made the frame at both Cheltenham and Punchestown. It was tight for the places in the Stayers’ Hurdle, with the stewards on the day reversing the places and demoting runner-up Dashel Drasher (h158) in favour of Teahupoo, but that decision was later overturned on appeal.

Also runner-up at Cheltenham in the Relkeel Hurdle and Cleeve Hurdle on his return to the smaller obstacles, the Jeremy Scott-trained Dashel Drasher was a rare British-trained hurdler among the leading stayers. The mare Marie’s Rock (h155), later runner-up in the Liverpool Hurdle, beat him decisively in the Relkeel, while the Cleeve was won by French raider Gold Tweet (h156).

Flooring Porter (h159) had a winless campaign, running his best race when fourth in his bid to complete a hat-trick of Stayers’ Hurdle victories. Despite a serious mistake, Home By The Lee (157) went one better than the year before to be fifth at Cheltenham having won the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan and Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown before the turn of the year, while the lightly-raced Blazing Khal (h157) returned from over a year off to win the Boyne Hurdle at Navan. Though losing his unbeaten record over hurdles when finishing only sixth in the Stayers’ Hurdle, Blazing Khal is similar to Teahupoo in still having relative youth on his side in a rather aging division.

Paisley Park (h155) was another to turn 11 in the latest season, but he showed he retained a very smart level of ability when winning his third Long Walk Hurdle, this one having to be run at Kempton, beating the Ascot Hurdle winner Goshen (h155§) and turning the tables on Champ (h155), who’d beaten him in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury.

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