David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle Odds

A Grade 1 contest, there will be plenty of bets placed on the Mares’ Hurdle during Champion Tuesday, and it is a particularly popular race for multiples, with the favourite regularly being sent off as a short price. As such, the market is a lively one throughout the season, so keep your eyes peeled on horseracing.net for expert views and analysis on the 2020 Mares’ Hurdle as the picture becomes clearer.

The latest odds for the Mares Hurdle will be listed below just as soon as they become available.

David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle Tips

Tips for the 2020 Mares’ Hurdle will appear here. 

What is the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle?

The David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 contest over hurdles for mares only, which is traditionally held on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival, Champion Tuesday. Established in 2008, the race is one of the newest at the festival, and is run over just shy of two and a half miles (two miles, three furlongs and 200 yards).   

The history of the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle

Established in 2008, the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle is one of the youngest at the festival, with the inaugural running won by Whiteoak for the Donald McCain team. A period of domination began the year after, when Quevega picked up the first of a staggering six straight wins for Willie Mullins. Since her retirement, no mare has managed to retain their crown - something the 2019 winner Roksana will be aiming to change for Dan Skelton in 2020.     

What happened in the 2019 David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle?

As mentioned above, no mare has successfully defended her crown in this race since Quevega, though the 2018 winner, Benie Des Dieux was largely expected to break that pattern, and was sent off as the 10/11 favourite to win back-to-back renewals. However, just like the Rich Ricci-owned, Willie Mullins-trained Annie Power four years before her, Benie Des Dieux dramatically crashed out at the final flight when having the race at her mercy, leaving the door open for the Dan Skelton-trained Roksana to pick up an unlikely-looking success in-running. 

Who is the most iconic winner of the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle?

Although Annie Power and Benie Des Dieux share the honours for the most dramatic performances in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, the great Quevega is out on her own, with six straight wins in the race between 2009-2014. Quevega benefitted from some masterful training from Willie Mullins during her career, and successfully won on reappearance in the race for each of her five subsequent successes, regularly making just two starts each season - attempting to follow up at Punchestown a month later. Quevega successfully completed the Cheltenham/Punchestown double in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, before suffering defeat on the final start of her career at Punchestown in 2014.

Are there any trials for the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle?

The sponsors of the Mares’ Hurdle, OLBG, back a range of Mares’ events which serve as pointers for the festival event throughout the season, with the most significant of those being the olbg.com Mares’ Hurdle at Warwick. Over in Ireland, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Quevega Mares’ Hurdle at Punchestown, a race in which several recent protagonists have warmed up in before running at Cheltenham.

Who is the most successful jockey in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle?

The most successful jockey in the history of the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle is Ruby Walsh, with eight wins. Six of Walsh’s wins in the Mares’ Hurdle came on board Quevega, who won the race in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, while Walsh has also won the race on Vroum Vroum Mag in 2016 and Benie Des Dieux in 2018.

Who is the most successful trainer in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle?

The most successful trainer in the history of the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle is Willie Mullins, who has trained a scarcely believable nine winners from 12 runnings. Mullins’ nine winners have come courtesy of Quevega (for six straight renewals from 2009-2014), while he has also won the race with Glens Melody (2015), Vroum Vroum Mag (2016) and Benie Des Dieux (2018).