Since 1972, how many horses have won the Stayers’ Hurdle more than once?

Run over three miles on the New Course at Cheltenham, the Stayers’ Hurdle has existed in its current guise since 1972. However, since the Festival Trophy, better known, for sponsorship purposes, as the Ryanair Chase, was promoted to Grade 1 status in 2008, the long-distance hurdling championship has become the second of two feature races run on day three of the Cheltenham Festival.

In the five-and-a-bit decades since modern renewals began, half a dozen horses have won the Stayers’ Hurdle more than once. The first of them was Crimson Embers, trained by the legendary Fulke Walwyn, who won in 1982, as a seven-year-old, and again four years later, thereby providing Walwyn with the fortieth and final Festival winner of his career.

Long before Irish dominance of the Festival, Galmoy recorded back-to-back victories for John Mulhern and Tommy Carmody in 1987 and 1988 and the French-trained Baracouda did likewise for

Francois and Thierry Doumen in 2002 and 2003. Inglis Drever, trained by the subsequently disgraced Howard Johnson, went one better, winning the Stayers’ Hurdle three times, in 2005, 2007 and 2008.

Indeed, Inglis Drever may well have completed a four-timer, but for missing the 2006 Cheltenham Festival with a tendon injury. The redoubtable Big Buck’s, trained by Paul Nicholls, did just that,

in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, having returned to the small obstacles following an abortive chasing career. Most recently, Flooring Porter, trained by Gavin Cromwell, was the latest back-to-back winner for Ireland, in 2021 and 2022.