Cheltenham Festival 2025: Golden Ace lands shock win in the Champion Hurdle

Cheltenham Festival 2025: Golden Ace lands shock win in the Champion Hurdle

Jeremy Scott's 25-1 outsider lands the Grade One feature on the opening day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival as the past two winners Constitution Hill and State Man both fell

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Golden Ace (25-1) landed a shock victory in the Unibet Champion Hurdle on the opening day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival – as the last two winners, Constitution Hill and State Man, both fell with latter clear after jumping the last hurdle in front.

Nicky Henderson's favourite and 2023 Champion Hurdle hero Constitution Hill departed early on in the Grade One feature on the first day at Prestbury Park. Brighterdaysahead looked set to battle it out with Willie Mullins' State Man – who had won last year's race. But the defending champion came down at the final flight, just when it appeared he would land a second victory. Brighterdaysahead was hampered but she was tiring at the time. Then the Jeremy Scott-trained Golden Ace powered to the front under Lorcan Williams to triumph by nine lengths from Burdett Road (66-1).

The Ian Gosden-owned seven-year-old was scoring for the second successive year at the Cheltenham Festival having won the Mares' Novices' Hurdle last year. Trainer Scott said: "I couldn't even dream that would happen. I've just asked someone to thump me because I must be dreaming, it is just bizarre. It's a tragedy those horses came down and it spoilt the race entirely, we looked booked for second if not third but then State Man came down so it is marred by that, but the gods have favoured us. My owner was not at loggerheads (with me) because he pays the bills, but he was very keen to have a runner in the Champion Hurdle and we thought we could nick a bit of prize-money and we didn't think we could beat Lossiemouth (in the Mares' Hurdle) – it's extraordinary how things work out.

"She is unbeaten here so she obviously likes the track. It's interesting Willie tends not to run his mares much before Christmas so maybe that might be the way to go next year. Winning the Champion Hurdle is brilliant for the whole team, it's amazing."

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Scott added: "I haven't taken in it yet and I hope the other two are OK, it was such an odd race. This race wasn't my initial thought, but it's a horse race and anything can happen."

A proud Gosden said of the decision to run in the Champion rather than in the Mares' Hurdle: "He who dares, wins, Rodney! You've got to be in it to win it, haven't you? I watched every race Lossiemouth has ever had and she has never come off the bridle against a mare, the only time she has was against Constitution Hill. So I just thought we may as well go for it.

"Jeremy and his whole team do a superb job and this mare is something special. This, winning a Champion Hurdle, is beyond my dreams. Last year I was quite happy, winning at the Festival for the first time and now I've done this. I'll have to come back next year now, won't I! I think she might go up a bit in the weights!"

Jockey Williams couldn't believe he had won the Champion Hurdle. He said: "Literally, I cannot believe it. She wasn't travelling as well as I wanted in the latter part of the race; all I was thinking was that we could do with a bit further, then I thought 'we're staying on well for second' and things started to happen. I hope they're all right (fallers) – they're iconic horses – but we were there to pick up the pieces. I'm absolutely thrilled for the Jeremy Scott team; it's a massive team effort to come here and I'm lost for words as to what a pleasure it is to get it done.

"Fair play to the owner – we were pushing for the Mares' Hurdle massively, but I got his point of view from the sense that we could go for the mares' next year because she'd be a little bit older and would see the trip out. I promise you, I did not know what to expect and nothing compares to how I am feeling now. I hope this day will never end. I'm shell-shocked – every time I have come here and got a winner, it's been a dream come true for me."

Both Constitution Hill and State Man were reported none the worse, as were their jockeys Nico de Boinville and Paul Townend.

On Consitution Hill, trainer Henderson said: "You think of the first word that comes into your head and it would probably be the same as mine. I don't know, what can you say? He seems fine, he's very bright and breezy. He hasn't had a race, obviously, and we'll just have to think of a plan.

"We thought we had him right, he's been in terrific form, but there you go – it happens. Poor old State Man as well, you couldn't believe those two silly old fools have gone and done what they've done today."

He added: "When you're jumping as fast as they jump, you've got to get it deadly accurate. You'd like to see the replay of it, but it doesn't really matter what he did. I can't take it out of his vocabulary, they will do these silly things. Somebody said the hurdle swung back into him. He was having a lovely time and he's run two miles even if he didn't have Nico on his back and he's come back in here very fresh. It's tough, but we have to live with it. We know what we're playing with and that's the game – you have to take these things. It's just typical it's on a day like this. So now what do we do? I know what we'll do, surely there'll be a rather fun day in Punchestown now."

Mullins was magnanimous in defeat after a fall that brought back memories of a similar mishap with the stable's Annie Power in the 2015 Mares' Hurdle. The Irish trainer said: "He's a little bit sore and got a bang on the head I think when he was getting up, but he cantered away and trotted up sound, so we're happy enough with him. The vets have examined him and they've said he's fine to travel home this evening – that's good news.

"It's unfortunate, but it's racing and that's what makes winning over here so hard, you never know when something like that is going to happen. You've really got to choose the right horse for any race here and you make plenty of plans, but you couldn't have imagined that – two Champion Hurdle winners falling. The only thing stranger would have been if Lossiemouth was in there, she would probably have been brought down! You never know what's going to happen and that's why bookmakers drive bigger cars than us."

County Carlow handler Mullins had two winners on the day with Lossiemouth (4-6 favourite) taking the Grade One Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle for a second successive season after Kopek Des Bordes success earlier in the day.

It was a record-extending 11th victory in the Mares' Hurdle for the Closutton maestro and added to his incredible record in both the race and the Festival. The six-year-old could have ran in the Champion Hurdle, but connections decided to stick to the mares contest she won in fine style last season. And Lossiemouth, who also won the Triumph Hurdle at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, grabbed a third victory in a row at Prestbury Park, when scoring by 11 lengths under Paul Townend.

Mullins said of the Rich Ricci-owned grey: "As a trainer and as a professional I didn't see the work (the other day) to run her in the Champion Hurdle, which disappointed me on the day, but we had the alternative to come here and that worked. You have to look at Rich Ricci's team – he hasn't had a great year this year and we all sort of gauge ourselves by Cheltenham. I'm not sure he has another live chance of a winner this week and she was a live chance of a winner in this race.

"It was disappointing to change our minds from a two-year plan, but it was the correct decision for the connections, I think. For these owners that we have, it's all about coming here and having a winner, and Paul wasn't going to ride this mare in the Champion Hurdle. When Paul said he wasn't going to ride her in the Champion Hurdle, that was enough of a pointer for most people. I was happy with where our horses were placed in the race. Danny (Mullins) said he was going to make the running on Jade De Grugy, she ran a cracker as well and there's more big days in her, too."

On whether Lossiemouth will be aimed at the Champion Hurdle next season, Mullins added: "I'm not going to open my mouth again! This is her third win in Cheltenham, which puts her in a different league from a lot of other horses, and if we want to see that battle (with the geldings) they can come to Ireland and take her on, or we might go to Liverpool for the Aintree Hurdle (at the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse on April 3). It doesn't have to be all about one day here, there are other opportunities to meet those type of horses.

"She is a mare with a nice pedigree. At the moment Rich probably has mares for racing rather than breeding. If a breeder owned her she'd probably be retired to stud, but I'd say the fact that she's in the pink and green spots means she'll probably race for another season at least."

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