Top 3 Hurdling Race Horses in The UK for 2010

National hunt horse racing is made up of two major disciplines: steeple chasing and hurdling. While steeple chases receive great attention due to their manic pace and intense meetings, hurdling is an art in its own right. Hurdlers develop an entirely different skill set to steeple chase horses and are therefore rated and judged separately. These three jumpers are currently the top performers on the United Kingdom hurdling circuit.

1. Big Bucks - Rating 174

Big Bucks, foaled 16th April 2003, is a French-bred hurdling sensation trained by David Nicholls. While Big Bucks started his career as a steeple chaser it became apparent quickly that his true forte was the sport of hurdling. Switching to the hurdling tracks after just seven starts (and three wins) in steeple chases, Big Bucks rapidly made a name for himself as the fiercest hurdler on the track. To date Big Bucks has started in 21 hurdling events, winning ten of them and scoring one second and two third places. Since 2009 Big Bucks has been ridden exclusively by champion jockey Ruby Walsh. Their successes include the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree 2010, the World Hurdle at Cheltenham 2010 and the Long Walk Hurdle at Newbury 2010.

2. Binocular - Rating 172

Binocular is an unusual contender in many ways, most of all because this outstanding jumper came from a career as a flat racer. Foaled 17th March 2004, Binoculars started in seven flat races, winning two and coming second twice, before moving into the hurdling game. Since then, Binocular has competed in eleven hurdling events, collecting seven wins, one second and two third places. During his hurdling career Binoculars has never taken to the track with a jockey other than Tony McCoy; and together they rode memorable winning races including the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle in 2010, the International Hurdle in 2008 and the 2008 Betfair Hurdle at Haydock.

3. Khyber Kim - Rating 167

Bay gelding Khyber Kim, who trains with Nigel Twiston-Davies, is one of the younger contenders on the hurdling scene. Foaled 9th April 2002 this fantastic jumper has thus far started in 21 professional races. Recording six victories, five runner ups and one third place since his first appearance on the track, Khyber Kim is still considered one of the most serious threats in a hurdle race. As Binocular, Khyber Kim started his professional racing career on the flat track, racing for trainer Henry Candy. Twiston-Davies took over the schooling of this prodigy in November 2008 and Khyber Kim’s successes since have included the Aintree Hurdle in 2010 and the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2009.

Article written by Jessica Greenbaum. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of HorseRacing.com