Handicap Hurdle Final: Cheltenham Festival RaceCHELTENHAM, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: Goblet of Fire ridden by Ruby Walsh (L) goes on to win The Jewson Handicap Hurdle Race Final at Cheltenham racecourse on October 27th, 2004 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The Handicap Hurdle Final is the culmination of several qualifying races run during the hurdles season.

The Handicap Hurdle Final was first run in 1974 as the replacement for the George Duller Handicap Hurdle. The Handicap Hurdle Final is a Class A listed hurdle run over the new course at Cheltenham Racecourse.

The Handicap Hurdle Final is open to horses aged five and over and is run over 3 miles. Entry to the race is restricted to the winners of a number of qualifying hurdle races run during the National Hunt season, and the race carries a rich prize fund of £80,000.

Handicap Hurdle Final Winners

Willie Wumpkins is the most successful horse in the history of the event, winning three consecutive Handicap Hurdle finals between 1979 and 1981. His achievements are even more impressive if you take into account that he carried significant extra weight as a favourite for his final two fins in the race. Another notable Handicap Hurdle Final, Cheltenham Festival race, winner is Forgive And Forget who won the race in 1993 and then went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup two years later.

Legendary Irish trainer Jonjo O’Neill has been the most successful Handicap Hurdle Final trainer in the last decade, claiming two victories since the turn of the century with his horses Creon and Inching Closer winning in 2003 and 2004.

In recent years the race has also acquired a reputation for producing long-odds Handicap Hurdle Final winners with both Kadoun and Creon winning the race at 50-1 odds.

Handicap Hurdle Final Betting

With only one favourite winning the Handicap Hurdle Final in the last decade, and several racehorses winning at long odds, the Handicap Hurdle has acquired a reputation for attracting punters keen on putting a big bet on an outright winner.

The qualifying races for the Handicap Hurdle Final, Cheltenham Festival race, are helpful for establishing which horses are in form, however it is also worth paying attention to recent trends which have shown that winners tends not to falls outside the age range of 6-7 years.

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