David Nicholson Mares Hurdle Race Card

You can find the runners & entries for the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle for this year's Cheltenham Festival below.

As a reminder, this is a full list of entries, but 5 days before the race there will be further declarations, and final declarations 48 hours before.

This is where all of our tips will be for the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle , we also have you covered with daily tips.

The David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle, is a major highlight of the opening day at the Cheltenham Festival.

This Grade 1 race is open to fillies and mares aged four years or older, and takes place over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs (about 4,005 meters). The challenging course features ten hurdles.

The David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle is a relatively recent addition to the Cheltenham Festival, having been introduced in 2008. It began as a Grade 2 contest and was initially held on the Festival's final day. However, it was moved to the prestigious opening day in 2009 and further elevated to Grade 1 status in 2015.

The race honors the memory of David Nicholson (1939-2006), a celebrated jockey and trainer who achieved remarkable success at the Cheltenham Festival. He won five races as a jockey and an impressive 17 as a trainer.

The race is currently sponsored by Close Brothers, their involvement has contributed to a significant increase in prize money, with the winner now receiving over £120,000

The Cheltenham Mares Hurdle was introduced in 2008 and quickly became a highlight of the festival. Here's how the history of winners has unfolded:

• Early Years: The inaugural race in 2008 was won by Whiteoak for Donald McCain and Jason Maguire.
• Quevega's Dominance: Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh made this race their own with the legendary mare Quevega, who secured six consecutive wins between 2009 and 2014.
• Mullins' Continued Success: Mullins continued his winning streak in the race, training different champions like Glens Melody (2015), Vroum Vroum Mag (2016), and Benie Des Dieux (2018).
• English Victories: England broke through the Irish dominance occasionally, with notable wins like Roksana for Harry and Dan Skelton in 2019.
• Recent History: Honeysuckle, another remarkable Mullins-trained mare, wrote her name into the history books with victories in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Marie's Rock triumphed in 2022 for Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville.

Leading Figures

Willie Mullins remains the undisputed top trainer in this race with a staggering number of wins. Ruby Walsh was the dominant jockey until his retirement, holding a phenomenal winning record. Paul Townend, who won with Glens Melody in 2015, has taken over as Mullins' primary rider.

If you’re looking for our thoughts on who you should back in the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle take a look at our Day 1 Tips page to see everything, we’re backing for this race at the Cheltenham Festival.

You can also see all the latest odds for this race on our David Nicholson Mares Hurdle Odds page allowing you to see which bookmakers are offering the best price on each horse in the race.