Arena Hobby Horsing - Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire
Sunday 28 September 2025
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Every so often, a jump racing season comes along that transcends the ordinary, delivering stories of triumph, heartbreak, and history in equal measure.
The 2024-25 campaign will be remembered as one of the most dramatic in living memory, with results that shocked punters, thrilled fans, and delighted those following horse race betting.
With ante-post odds for the big races shaping expectations long before Cheltenham and Aintree, the season proved that even the strongest favourites could falter while outsiders seized their moment. It was a season where certainty crumbled and fairytales came true.
The 2025 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle will go down as the most extraordinary in the race’s 98-year history. Constitution Hill, the unbeaten superstar, had returned from a year of illness and setbacks with a brilliant Christmas Hurdle win, silencing his doubters. Backed as the short-priced favourite, he seemed set to reclaim his crown, but at Cheltenham, he departed at the fourth-last, clipping the hurdle and sending shockwaves through the crowd.
Defending champion State Man then swept to the front, only to fall at the last with victory all but assured. Out of the chaos, 25/1 outsider Golden Ace surged past to claim glory under Lorcan Williams, becoming just the seventh mare to win the race. For owner Ian Gosden, who had insisted on the Champion target against advice, it was the ultimate vindication.
For fans and those involved in horse race betting, it was the perfect reminder of the sport’s volatility, where the shortest-priced favourite can falter and longshots can seize immortality.
While the Champion Hurdle descended into chaos, the Mares’ Hurdle was a masterclass in planning. Lossiemouth, owned by Rich Ricci and trained by Willie Mullins, bypassed the Champion to defend her crown, a decision that proved richly rewarding. She cruised home by seven and a half lengths, proving her connections right despite criticism from purists.
By season’s end, she had also claimed the Aintree Hurdle after Constitution Hill’s second fall of the season, her consistency showing the value of careful placement over blind ambition.
One of the season’s greatest achievements belonged to Rachael Blackmore, who became the first jockey to win all five open Grade Ones at Cheltenham. Her crowning moment came on Bob Olinger in the Stayers’ Hurdle, a ride of perfect judgment that sealed her “golden set.”
Weeks later, Blackmore stunned the sport by announcing her retirement at 35. With 575 winners, including the Grand National, Gold Cup, and Champion Hurdle, she left a legacy that redefined expectations for female jockeys. Her golden set was the perfect farewell.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup produced its own fairytale as Inothewayurthinkin, supplemented late at a cost of £25,000, stormed past dual champion Galopin Des Champs to win by six lengths. For trainer Gavin Cromwell, it was the pinnacle of his career, while owner JP McManus celebrated a homebred triumph courtesy of his wife Noreen’s breeding operation.
Yet the triumph was bittersweet, with the fatal fall of Corbetts Cross serving as a reminder of the risks that accompany racing’s greatest rewards.
Aintree delivered a family triumph as Nick Rockett, guided by amateur Patrick Mullins, won the Grand National at 33/1 for his father, Willie. Leading home a Mullins 1-2-3, the victory capped a season of progress for the gelding, whose wins in the Thyestes and Bobby Jo Chases had marked him as a rising force.
It was a result that delighted bettors and underlined the enduring magic of the world’s most famous steeplechase.
Beyond the headline acts, milestones abounded. Caldwell Potter, the €740,000 purchase, finally delivered at Cheltenham, giving Paul Nicholls his 50th Festival success. Sean Bowen celebrated his first Champion Jockey title with 180 wins, having missed out the previous year through injury.
The season also said goodbye to Delta Work, the three-time Festival hero whose death at 12 after colic complications was felt deeply across the sport.
The 2024-25 season wasn’t just about results; it was about narratives. Constitution Hill’s comeback and collapse reminded us that even legends are vulnerable. Lossiemouth’s brilliance highlighted the rewards of patience and precision. Blackmore’s golden set gave racing a history making farewell. Golden Ace’s Champion Hurdle triumph captured the sport’s unpredictability, where horse racing betting odds are merely part of the story.
What made this season special was how triumph and tragedy often unfolded within minutes of each other, creating moments that will be talked about for decades. In a campaign that delivered shock upsets, tactical masterclasses, record-breaking achievements, and poignant farewells, jump racing showed once again why it remains the most compelling of all sports.
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