Fighting Fifth Hurdle Tips & Odds
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle betting will be on this page as soon as it is available with the field for the Newcastle race set to be finalised in the week of the race. Read More
We can expect a competitive field to head to the north-east with a number of Champion Hurdle contenders set to clash in the famous race.
Fighting Fifth Hurdle Tips
Check out our Fighting Fifth Hurdle tips here...
What is the Fighting Fifth Hurdle?
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is a Grade One race run over a trip of two miles at Newcastle and is open to horses aged four and over. The race is the big day of the jumping season at Newcastle Racecourse and tends to attract at least one or two Champion Hurdle contenders to the field.
The race traditionally is the first leg of the "Hurdling Triple Crown" with the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and the Champion Hurdle itself the final two stops.
The fighting Fifth has been under the arm of a number of sponsors in recent years with Bellway, Newcastle building Society and Pertemps just three of the companies to have backed the race before BetVictor took over.
What happened in the 2023 Fighting Fifth Hurdle?
Veteran performer Not So Sleepy was a shock 9/1 winner of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle in 2023, as Hughie Morrison's 11-year-old edged out Love Envoi by eight lengths.
The history of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle
First established in 1969, the Fighting Fifth Hurdle has a long and rich history with some of the best hurdlers of all time claiming the win at Newcastle Races.
At one stage, the Fighting Fifth was one of the premier races outside of the Champion Hurdle in the UK with legendary animals like Comedy Of Errors, Night Nurse, Birds Nest and Sea Pigeon all claiming the victory in the golden era of the 1970's.
The race received a huge boost in 2004 when it was boosted to Grade One level and now takes its place in the calendar as the first top level hurdle race of the season in the UK.
Who is the most iconic winner of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle?
We have already mentioned some of the star names to have won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle with some legendary names claiming the victory in Newcastle which does make it very hard to pick out just one. Multiple Champion Hurdle winners have claimed the win in the north-east but if we are going to pick one then it has to be the great Comedy Of Errors.
The Fred Rimell trained gelding was one of the great horses of the decade with his two wins in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham the clear highlight. Away from Prestbury Park, Comedy Of Errors won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle three times, the Welsh Champion Hurdle and the Scottish Champion Hurdle among many others as he earned a reputation as one of the best horses of the century.
Are there any trials for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle?
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is the first big Champion Hurdle trial of the season so the Cheltenham race the previous season is often a good place to start when looking for potential runners in Newcastle each winter. The Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the Ballymore at Prestbury Park are also races that could provide runners for the Fighting Fifth a the young horses step up into open company and test their Champion Hurdle claims for the first time.
Who is the most successful jockey in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle?
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle has a long history and has been won by some of the great jockeys in recent memory but is is Barry Geraghty who has the record with three wins to his name in the race. The Irish raider has won the Newcastle contest on Punjabi (2008) and Buveur D'Air (2017 + 2018) so far during his long career.
Who is the most successful trainer in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle?
Nicky Henderson has a long and successful CV as a trainer and that includes a terrific six wins in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle. The Seven Barrows trainer has won with Landing Light (2001), Punjabi (2008), My Tent Or Yours (2013). Buveur D'Air (2017 + 2018),Epatante (2020/2021) and Constitution Hill so far during his career.