1996 Champion Hurdle
The 1996 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 12 March 1996. It was the 67th running of the Champion Hurdle.
| 67th Champion Hurdle Cheltenham, 12 March 1996 |
| won by Collier Bay (GB) |
The winner was Wally Sturt's Collier Bay, a six-year-old bay gelding trained in Wiltshire by Jim Old and ridden by Graham Bradley. Collier Bay's victory was a first in the race for jockey, trainer and owner.
Collier Bay, had been unsuccessful flat racer, who had become a good handicapper over hurdles before emerging as a potential champion by defeating Danoli in the Irish Champion Hurdle in January. Starting the 9/1 fourth choice in the betting, he won Champion Hurdle by two and a half lengths from Alderbrook the 1995 winner who started the 10/11 favourite. Fourteen of the sixteen runners completed the course.[1]
Race details
- Sponsor: Smurfit
- Purse: £208,992; First prize: £127,966
- Going: Good to Soft
- Distance: 2 miles 110 yards
- Number of runners: 16
- Winner's time: 3m 59.00
Full result
| Pos. | Marg. | Horse (bred) | Age | Jockey | Trainer (Country) | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collier Bay (GB) | 6 | Graham Bradley | Jim Old (GB) | 9/1 | |
| 2 | 2½ | Alderbrook (GB) | 7 | Richard Dunwoody | Kim Bailey (GB) | 10/11 fav |
| 3 | 6 | Pridwell (GB) | 6 | Chris Maude | Martin Pipe (GB) | 33/1 |
| 4 | 1¾ | Danoli (IRE) | 8 | Tommy Treacy | Tom Foley (IRE) | 5/1 |
| 5 | 1 | Squire Silk (GB) | 7 | Jason Titley | Andy Turnell (GB) | 20/1 |
| 6 | 1¼ | Mysilv (GB) | 6 | Jamie Osborne | Charles Egerton (GB) | 7/1 |
| 7 | 4 | Boro Eight (GB) | 10 | Richard Johnson | Venetia Williams (GB) | 100/1 |
| 8 | 1½ | Staunch Friend (USA) | 8 | Peter Niven | Mark Tompkins (GB) | 66/1 |
| 9 | 11 | Hotel Minella (GB) | 9 | Charlie Swan | Aidan O'Brien (IRE) | 10/1 |
| 10 | 5 | Land Afar (GB) | 9 | Mick Fitzgerald | Paul Webber (GB) | 25/1 |
| 11 | 8 | Chief Minister (IRE) | 7 | Tony Dobbin | Thomas Dyer (GB) | 100/1 |
| 12 | 18 | Right Win (IRE) | 6 | Graham McCourt | Richard Hannon, Sr. (GB) | 25/1 |
| 13 | 13 | Kissair (IRE) | 5 | Jonothon Lower | Martin Pipe (GB) | 66/1 |
| 14 | 4 | Absalom's Lady (GB) | 8 | A. P. McCoy | David Elsworth (GB) | 66/1 |
| PU | Mack The Knife (GB) | 7 | David Bridgwater | Martin Pipe (GB) | 33/1 | |
| PU | Muse (GB) | 9 | Paul Holley | David Elsworth (GB) | 100/1 |
- Abbreviations: nse = nose; nk = neck; hd = head; dist = distance; UR = unseated rider; PU = pulled up; LFT = left at start; SU = slipped up; BD = brought down
Winner's details
Further details of the winner, Collier Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Foaled: 21 January 1990
- Country: United Kingdom
- Sire: Green Desert; Dam: Cockatoo Island (High Top)
- Owner: Wally Sturt
- Breeder: Stanley Estate and Stud
References
- "Champion Hurdle result". Racing Post. 12 March 1996. Retrieved 2014-03-25.