The third Champion race to take place is the Stayers' Hurdle.
This race isn't for everyone, as the majority of people prefer the speed, and that's why Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase horses get a lot of the attention, but I think this race is a great watch.
The Stayers' Hurdle offers £182,878 to the winner and is run at 3.20 pm on Thursday, 12th March. Any horse over the age of four can enter, but it's usually the older horses who take their chances.
Cheltenham 2026: Stayers' Hurdle history
The first ever race of the Stayers' Hurdle came over 100 years ago, back in 1912. The difference in prize money from back then to now is quite incredible. The winner back in 1912 got £100, with that being increased to £200 the following year. If you were lucky enough to finish in second place, you would pick up £10.
An interesting fact is that the race used to be called the ‘Stayers Selling Hurdle'. This was a weight-for-age selling type of event, with the winning horse being sold for £50 after the race. The race was removed twice from the Cheltenham Festival in 1928-1929 and 1939-1945, but then returned in 1946.
The most successful horse since 1972 to win this race was Big Buck's, who dominated and won it four times in a row between 2009 and 2012. No shock that Ruby Walsh and Paul Nicholls are the leading trainer and jockey for this race since 1972, as they were both involved in Big Buck's. Ruby also managed to grab a fifth win on Nichols Canyon in 2017.
It's definitely a race that horses can win multiple times; not only has Big Buck's done it in recent times. Flooring Porter did the back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, as well as Baracouda and Inglis Drever (won it three times, first win was separated from the last two).
Teahupoo won this race in 2024, and Bob Olinger won it in 2025; both horses return to try and claim their second title.
Cheltenham 2026: Stayers' Hurdle top picks
As mentioned above, two horses are trying to win their second Stayers' Hurdle title, so both deserve to be mentioned on their own.
Teahupoo is a horse I've not managed to take to. He is a fantastic horse and has won Grade 1's over shorter, so there's no doubting his ability. I think the fact that connections have tried to aim him at this race for many years in a row, we rarely see him, as they think he is best when fresh. He was denied by his ownermate in this race last year, which surprised many, as he was the 7/4F and it didn't look like the strongest of renewals. He has beaten Bob Olinger this season, so he has to be one of the key players once again.
The current market favourite is Kabral Du Mathan. I think this horse has a lot of ability, but the question is will he stay the trip? I think he possesses a lot of speed, so my opinion is that I think he might struggle. I think he'll go through the race very strongly, but as soon as he's off the bridle, I think he will get swamped by stronger stayers. It's definitely not impossible that he'll win, and he's strong in the betting due to the runner-up from his last race winning on day two.
Cheltenham 2026: Stayers' Hurdle outsiders
Ma Shantou is slowly becoming favoured for this race. He comes into this after winning the Cleeve Hurdle by seven lengths, putting up a career-best performance. If he can improve again, he has to be in with a very solid chance in a division which is crying out for a dominant force. Based on what we know, he will need to improve, but he is with a trainer who won it with Paisley Park, and I get similar vibes from this horse.
You can't do a Cheltenham race preview without the old boy Bob Olinger. This lad has always had a lot of ability, but didn't get to the heights that I thought he was going to get to after he won early in his career at this venue. He caught me by surprise when he won this race last year, and showed that you can never write him off. He is a course specialist, and is a horse who will be popular in the place markets, at the very least.
Cheltenham 2026: Stayers' Hurdle going
The track looked to be drying out as day two progressed. The clerk of the course will be watering the track once again, so I'd expect the track to be riding exactly the same as it did on day two.
However, there is rain forecast to fall at the track at around 2.00 pm. My tracker says by the time of the Stayers' Hurdle, around 2mm of rain will have fallen. If that's the case, the ground should be riding good to soft. What I'd recommend is to find a trusty forecast website and refresh it throughout the day to see if it changes.
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