David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle

Known for sponsorship purposes as the Close Brothers’ Mares’ Hurdle, the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle is run over two and a half miles on the Old Course at Cheltenham, where it is, nowadays, scheduled as the four race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. As the name suggests, the race is restricted to mares only, aged four years and upwards, and commemorates the late David ‘The Duke’ Nicholson, who died in 2006, but was champion trainer in 1993/94 and 1994/95 and saddled 17 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, including 1988 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Charter Party.

The race is a fairly recent addition to the Cheltenham Festival programme, having been inaugurated, as a Grade 2 contest run on the New Course on Gold Cup Day, in 2008, before being rescheduled the following year. Indeed, the switch to the Old Course corresponded with the start of the winning streak of Quevega, trained by Willie Mullins, who went on to win again in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, thereby beating the previous record of five consecutive wins in the same race, set by Golden Miller in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1936.

The David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle was promoted to Grade 1 status in 2015 and Mullins has since recorded four more winners, namely Glens Melody (2015), Vroum Vroum Mag (2016), Benie Des Dieux (2018) and Lossiemouth (2024), making him far and away the most successful trainer. In 2015, a last flight fall by the odds-on favourite, Annie Power, also trained by Mullins, reportedly saved bookmakers £50 million.