Close Brothers and Cheltenham Festival 2025
Tuesday 11 to Friday 14 March 2025
Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle 2025
Day 1 – Champion Day, saw our named race, the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, take place at 3:20 pm.
It was Lossiemouth, ridden by Paul Townend and trained by Willie Mullins, who claimed the victory by an impressive seven and a half lengths ahead of stablemate Jade De Grugy, ridden by Danny Mullins, who come in second.
Congratulations to Lossiemouth on retaining her crown and adding her name to our roll of honour for a second consecutive year.
Last year's winner: Lossiemouth
Last year's Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle saw the favourite Lossiemouth, ridden by Paul Townend and trained by Willie Mullins, surge to victory, with the prior year's winning jockey Rachael Blackmore coming second on Telmesomethinggirl.
We also saw Love Envoi run her final race, as trainer Harry Fry announced her retirement. Love Envoi previously finished second behind Honeysuckle in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle in 2023.
Our sponsored race highlights for 2024
Roll of Honour for Cheltenham Festival sponsored races
Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2025 | Lossiemouth | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2024 | Lossiemouth | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2023 | Honeysuckle | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2022 | Marie’s Rock | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
| 2021 | Black Tears | Jack Kennedy | Denise Foster |
| 2020 | Honeysuckle | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead |
Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2019 | A Plus Tard | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2018 | Mister Whitaker | Brian Hughes | Mick Channon |
| 2017 | Tully East | Denis O’Regan | Alan Fleming |
| 2016 | Ballyalton | Brian Hughes | Ian Williams |
Honeysuckle: The Next Chapter
Who could forget the fairytale ending at Cheltenham Festival 2023 with Honeysuckle, ridden by Rachael Blackmore and trained by Henry de Bromhead, signing off her career with a fourth Festival victory in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, a race she previously won back in 2020.
Watch the video to see how Honeysuckle is settling into life after retirement and meet her new foal.
Proud partner of The Jockey Club
Since 2016, we have been proud to partner with The Jockey Club, supporting British horse racing at 15 of the country’s most iconic racecourses.
From Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National Festival and The Derby, The Jockey Club is part of the fabric of British racing.
At Close Brothers, we believe in hard work, determination, teamwork and resilience, and these values are at the heart of our people and our business.
It’s these values that have drawn us to the world of horse racing, a world where success comes from following these same principles.
Governed by Royal Charter, every penny The Jockey Club makes goes back into British horse racing, with more than 6,000 people employed to look after the 14,000 horses in training. It continues to invest in its facilities to make sure they offer their equine participants the best possible experience.