1989 Champion Hurdle
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| Champion Hurdle | |
| Location | Cheltenham Racecourse |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 March 1989 |
| Winning horse | Beech Road (GB) |
| Jockey | Richard Guest |
| Trainer | Toby Balding |
| Owner | Tony Geake |
The 1989 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 14 March 1989. It was the 60th running of the Champion Hurdle.
The winner was Tony Geake's Beech Road, a seven-year-old chestnut gelding trained in Hampshire by Toby Balding and ridden by Richard Guest. Beech Road's victory was a first in the race for jockey, trainer and owner.
Beech Road had established himself as a useful handicap hurdler in his early career but failed to complete the course when tried over fences on two occasions in the early part of the 1988/1989 National Hunt season. He was switched back to hurdling and earned a place in the championship with a twenty length win in the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell Racecourse in February. In the 1989 Champion Hurdle he started a 50/1 outsider and won by two lengths from Celtic Chief, with the 1988 winner Celtic Shot in third place. The 11/8 favourite Kribensis finished seventh. Twelve of the fifteen runners completed the course.[1]
- Sponsor: Waterford Crystal
- Purse: £83,614; First prize: £50,206
- Going: Good to Soft
- Distance: 2 miles
- Number of runners: 15
- Winner's time: 4m 02.10