One of the stand out races on the undercard on Grand National day is the Grade 1 Ivy Liverpool Hurdle, which is off at 3:05pm. The 3m staying division lacks significant strength in depth, but there will be big field going to post and our in-house tipster Steve Chambers picks out his 1-2-3 for the contest on Saturday 5th April.
TEAHUPOO
(Sam Ewing/Gordon Elliott)
A fine winner of the 2024 Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, Teahupoo failed to follow up in this year’s contest when finishing second to Bob Olinger, but Gordon Elliott’s Irish raider is back for another crack at Grade 1 glory and is the proven class act in the race. Despite losing his Stayers’ Hurdle crown last month, he still run an excellent race in second place and if he can repeat that effort on quicker ground than ideal then he’s still the one they all have to beat here.
KITZBUHEL
(Paul Townend/Willie Mullins)
Willie Mullins and Paul Townend have already teamed up for some big winners during Aintree’s Grand National Festival and they will team up again in this with the fascinating five-year-old Kitzbuhel. The French recruit was a fine winner on his Irish debut when cruising to a three-and-three-quarter length win at Punchestown, while he followed that up with a Grade 3 at Gowran Park, This is a huge step up in class and he’s tackling three miles for the first time, so it’s fascinating to see how he can fair against proven, experienced Graded performers over a staying distance.
STRONG LEADER
(Sean Bowen/Olly Murphy)
Olly Murphy’s Strong Leader heads into this contest as the reigning champion having bounded to victory in this race 12 months ago. An impressive four-and-a-quarter length winner of this contest last April, the eight-year-old has found life hard in 2025 and was last seen finishing fourth in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham. The undulations of Prestbury Park have often seen him falter, so Murphy opted to bypass last month’s Stayers’ Hurdle and he’s set to try and retain his crown here.
THE FIELD
Pulled up in this race last year, Home By The Lee headed into the Stayers’ Hurdle in excellent form having won at Leopardstown and Navan, but he was a faller at Cheltenham and is another that could find the underfoot conditions a little quick for him. The Wallpark was a creditable third in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and is a horse that still has potential improvement in him and he adds more depth to the Elliott charge. Dan Skelton’s Gwennie May Boy was a shock winner of the Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock, but comes here in fine form, while the likes of Monmiral and Hiddenvalley Lake add more depth to the contest.
VERDICT
TEAHUPOO is undoubtedly the best staying hurdler in this line-up on proven form, and while he lost his Stayers’ Hurdle crown at Cheltenham he wasn’t disgraced by Bob Olinger. He is certainly the one to beat in this contest, if he can follow up that fine run, and he can get the better of Strong Leader, with The Wallpark finishing third.
2025 Liverpool Hurdle 1-2-3
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