The McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle - or the ‘County Cap Hurdle’ or ‘County Handicap Hurdle’ as it’s more commonly known - is one of the most competitive and exciting races of the Cheltenham Festival. Find out more about this particular handicap fixture on our informative race card page.
Below you can find the runners and entries for the McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle for this year's Cheltenham Festival.
This is a full list of entries, but there are further declarations five days before the race, and then final declarations 48 hours before. So be sure to check back with this page for updates on the County Cap Hurdle runners and riders.
If you’re looking for some County Cap Hurdle tips, below you’ll find our latest selections and insights as soon as they become available:
We also have all the latest odds for the race on our County Cap Hurdle odds 2024 page. Plus, you can get even more tips for the rest of Day Four of Cheltenham 2024 here.
A hugely popular event, the County Cap Hurdle is the second race on Gold Cup day - the fourth and final day of the Festival. It is also the first of the handicaps on the day itself and it’s run on the New Course at Cheltenham. It has sizable prize money too, which as of 2024, sees up to £100,000 to be won. The race also has Premier Handicap which some still refer to as ‘Grade 3’ status.
The race itself is over two miles and one furlong, with eight hurdles for the runners. It’s only for horses that are aged five and older and the required handicap mark to make the final field often changes year on year.
The ‘County Hurdle’ as it was, is one of the older races of the Cheltenham Festival and it was first run in 1920 and won by Trespasser. Originally, the County Cap Hurdle was traditionally the closing race of the Cheltenham Festival, but in 2009 it was rescheduled to be the second race on Gold Cup day.
In 1995, the title of the race was changed in tribute to the great trainer, Vincent O’Brien, with the race being named the ‘Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle’, following his retirement in 1994. However, as the official full title now suggests, the race is currently named after McCoy Contractors who become the sponsors in 2021.
Here are the most recent winners, jockeys and trainers of the County Cap Hurdle:
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Faivoir | Bridget Andrews | Dan Skelton |
| 2022 | State Man | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2021 | Belfast Banter | Kevin Sexton | Peter Fahey |
| 2020 | Saint Roi | Barry Geraghty | Willie Mullins |
| 2019 | Ch'tibello | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton |
| 2018 | Mohaayed | Bridget Andrews | Dan Skelton |
| 2017 | Arctic Fire | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2016 | Superb Story | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton |
| 2015 | Wicklow Brave | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2014 | Lac Fontana | Daryl Jacob | Paul Nicholls |
| 2013 | Ted Veale | Bryan Cooper | Tony Martin |
With such a long and prestigious history, there are also plenty of interesting stats about this particular race. Here are a few examples:
