CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL TO INTRODUCE SAFER PADDED HURDLES NEXT SEASON

Innovative 'padded' obstacles introduced!

The Cheltenham Festival and Aintree's Grand National meeting are set for a major transformation next season.

On Tuesday, the Jockey Club announced that their premier racecourses will feature new hurdles starting in October. This change means punters will now see horses tackling the Champion Hurdle, Supreme Novices' Hurdle, and Triumph Hurdle over innovative 'padded' obstacles.

These new hurdles will replace the traditional birch jumps, following data that highlighted the increased safety of padded hurdles. The Industry Jump Racing Risk Model reported an impressive 11 percent reduction in the risk of falling in races using padded hurdles compared to birch ones.

Vets and trainers have also noticed that minor injuries, such as cuts and scrapes, are 'substantially reduced' with the new hurdles.

A statement from the Jockey Club elaborated:

"Padded hurdles are already in use at Exeter (since 2016), Market Rasen (since 2022), and Wincanton (since 2018). Both Aintree and Cheltenham will have padded hurdles in place by October this year, in time for the new season, meaning that hurdle races at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and 2025 Randox Grand National Festival will take place over padded hurdles rather than traditional birch hurdles."

Jon Pullin, the Jockey Club’s Group Head of Racing and Clerk of the Course at Cheltenham, stated:

"Following extensive research and analysis, it is evident that padded hurdles provide a safer alternative to traditional birch hurdles, while still presenting the same jumping challenge and spectacle for racing fans. Having been successfully utilised at some of our racecourses from as far back as 2016, we feel it is the right decision to deploy padded hurdles at all 11 of The Jockey Club’s racecourses which stage Jump racing. This process will require significant investment by The Jockey Club and will be completed in time for the start of the 2026-27 season."

The Jockey Club's decision to implement padded hurdles across all 11 of its jumps racecourses signifies a major shift aimed at enhancing safety in the sport. The complete transition to padded hurdles is set to be finalised by the start of the 2026-27 season.