Cheltenham Festival
Golden Ace Wins the 2025 Champion Hurdle
Golden Ace won the 2025 Champion Hurdle at 25/1 after Constitution Hill and State Man both fell, becoming only the seventh mare to win jump racing’s hurdling crown.
Last Updated 3 weeks ago
Result: Golden Ace won the 2025 Champion Hurdle at 25/1, with hot favourites Constitution Hill and State Man both falling.
The 2025 Champion Hurdle produced one of the most dramatic results in Festival history as the outsider Golden Ace stormed to victory at 25/1, after the hot favourites Constitution Hill and State Man both fell in a race packed with incident.
Run over two miles and 87 yards on the Old Course, the Unibet Champion Hurdle headlined the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday 11 March. The ground was officially good to soft, setting up what should have been another clash of the hurdling giants, but instead it delivered a shock few predicted.
Two giants fall
Defending champion Constitution Hill’s bid for back-to-back wins ended when he fell at the fifth hurdle. State Man, poised to take control in the closing stages, came down at the final flight, leaving the way clear for a surprise.
Golden Ace seizes the moment
Trained by Joe Tizzard, Golden Ace took the opportunity and powered up the famous hill, crossing the line nine lengths clear of fellow outsider Burdett Road in a winning time of 3 minutes 56.12 seconds.
The win made Golden Ace only the seventh mare to take the Champion Hurdle, joining Dawn Run, Flakey Dove, Annie Power, Epatante and Honeysuckle on the roll of honour.
A bookmakers’ day
For punters, the result was a bookmakers’ dream, with the major fallers knocking short-priced favourites out of multiples and accumulators. Tote and on-course dividends rewarded the few who kept faith with the mare, a reminder of why an each-way bet can pay in such an open race.
ITV Racing captured every twist live, with Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing also carrying full coverage as betting turnover surged.
The 2025 renewal will be remembered for the fall of two modern greats and the moment Golden Ace stepped out of the shadows. For the mechanics behind the market, see how race odds work, with more in the site’s Cheltenham Festival betting guides.
