The Bet365 Select Hurdle is a Grade 2 hurdle race run over 2 miles, 5 furlongs and 110 yards at Sandown Park in April. Open to horses aged four years and upwards, the race was inaugurated, as a Listed contest over 2 miles and 6 furlongs, in 2014, but elevated to Grade 2 status, and shortened to its current distance, in 2017. The Bet365 Select Hurdle is currently scheduled for the final day of the National Hunt season in Britain, the Bet365 Jump Finale Day.
In the relatively brief history of the Bet365 Select Hurdle, both Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson have saddled three winners apiece and are, jointly, the most successful trainers so far. Nicholls was successful with Southfield Theatre (2014), Ptit Zig (2016) and McFabulous (2022), while Henderson was responsible for Polly Peachum (2015), L’Ami Serge (2017) and Call Me Lord (2018). In fact, Kim Bailey is the only other trainer to have won the Bet365 Select Hurdle, having saddled Younevercall to back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2021; the 2020 renewal was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2023 renewal of the Bet365 Select Hurdle is scheduled for Saturday, April 29, so it must be long odds against picking a runner, never mind the winner, so far ahead of time. However, as the National Hunt season reaches its climax, punters may be able to take advantage of some significant trends that the race has brought to light. Experience appears to be key to winning the Bet365 Select Hurdle, with all eight winners so far having run at least eight times over hurdles, including at least three times during the current season. Likewise, all eight had at least three hurdling wins to their name and all eight were in the first three in the starting-price betting.