Henderson’s Betfair Hurdle Heroes

Nicky Henderson is the leading trainer for the Betfair Hurdle, Britain's richest handicap hurdle, having won it five times.

Tuesday 30th January 2024

The £155,000 Betfair Hurdle is a much anticipated race in the Newbury National Hunt calendar. Being the richest handicap hurdle in Britain, it never fails to bring quality horses in.

Below, we delve into the archive and take a look back at some of Nicky Henderson’s Betfair Hurdle victories.

Sharpical – 1998

In 1998 it was Sharpical who landed the spoils in the Betfair Hurdle, Britain’s most valuable handicap hurdle.

His jockey, Mick Fitzgerald, rallied him to score by three lengths, giving Henderson his first of five Betfair Hurdle wins.

Click the image below to watch the end of the race!

Geos – 2000 & 2004

In the millenium year, it was Geos who took the win for trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey Mick Fitzgerald, challenging the leader to clear the penultimate fence together before kicking on to power ahead by seven lengths.

Geos would repeat this success four years later with Marcus Foley on board.

Click the image below to rewatch the winning moment in the year 2000.

Landing Light – 2001

In 2004, Henderson saddled his third Betfair Hurdle winner in four years, Landing Light. The gelding powered clear of the popular Rooster Booster to win by three lengths.

Landing Light went on to become a very successful racehorse. The Betfair Hurdle was his first major win, after which he went on to win the G1 Champion Hurdle, G1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle, and G1 Christmas Hurdle.

At eight years old, Henderson felt that the gelding had grown tired of jumping, so in his 2003 season he became a flat horse, where he placed 2nd in the Ascot Stakes at Royal Ascot before winning the Cesarewitch at Newmarket. After this win, Landing Light retired.

Click the image below to rewatch Landing Light win the 2001 Betfair Hurdle.

My Tent Or Yours – 2013

In 2013 it was My Tent Or Yours who gave Henderson his fifth win in the Betfair Hurdle, travelling well before taking the lead to win impressively by five lengths.

His jockey, A.P. McCoy, noted it was ‘a very good performance off a high mark for a novice on testing ground’.

This was the first of a number of big wins for My Tent Or Yours, who would later add three Grade 1s and a Grade 2 to his resume.

Click the image below to rewatch My Tent Or Yours winning the 2013 Betfair Hurdle.

Discounted tickets are still available for Betfair Super Saturday – but only until Friday 2nd February.

What’s more, further savings are available on top of these discounts courtesy of the Racecourse’s new group ticket offering, which entitles groups of seven or more racegoers to further discounts on top of the savings available for purchasing early – so the earlier a group books, and the bigger the group is, the more they save:

A group of 7-12 racegoers attending together – 10% discount

A group of 13-29 racegoers attending together – 15% discount

A group of 30+ racegoers attending together – 20% discount