The second and third home in the 2011 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton ( Rock on Ruby and Overturn) went on to fill the first two places in the 2012 Champion Hurdle but in general winning the race has not been a great pointer to the Champion Hurdle success. Only three winners have followed up at Cheltenham in the same season ( Lanzaraote, Dawn Run & Kribensis ) – the last double was in 1989-90. The 2010 Champion Hurdle winner Binocular has won the last two renewals ( both run in the 2011 calendar year).
Christmas Hurdle Result 2012
| Pos | Dist | Horse | Trainer | Age | Jockey | SP |
| 1st | Darlan | N J Henderson | 5 | A P McCoy | 3-1 | |
| 2nd | 4½ | Raya Star (IRE) | A King | 6 | R Thornton | 8-1 |
| 3rd | 2¾ | Dodging Bullets | P F Nicholls | 4 | R Walsh | 8-1 |
| 4th | 1¼ | Countrywide Flame | J J Quinn | 4 | D F O’Regan | 6-4F |
| 5th | 3¾ | Cinders And Ashes | D McCain Jnr | 5 | J M Maguire | 11-2 |
| 6th | 19 | Punjabi | N J Henderson | 9 | B J Geraghty | 14-1 |
| PU | Get Me Out Of Here (IRE) | Jonjo O’Neill | 8 | R P Mclernon | 25-1 |
Christmas Hurdle Stats
- Noel Meade has trained 4 of the last 8 winners
- 9 of the last 10 winners aged between 5 and 7
- Tony McCoy has ridden 3 of the last 5 winners
- Favourites have won 5 of the last 10
- The last 5 winners have been rated 161+
Christmas Hurdle Winners 2002-2011
| Year | Horse | Age | Jockey | Trainer | OR | SP | FOF |
| 2011 | Binocular | 7 | Tony McCoy | Nicky Henderson | 164 | 5-4 | 1 |
| 2010 | Binocular | 7 | Tony McCoy | Nicky Henderson | 171 | 13-8 | 1 |
| 2009 | Go Native | 6 | Davy Condon | Noel Meade | 164 | 5-2 | 3 |
| 2008 | Harchibald | 9 | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade | 162 | 7-1 | F |
| 2007 | Straw Bear | 6 | Tony McCoy | Nick Gifford | 161 | 9-2 | 2 |
| 2006 | Jazz Messenger | 6 | Niall Madden | Noel Meade | 140 | 10-1 | 4 |
| 2005 | Feathard Lady | 5 | Ruby Walsh | Colm Murphy | 137 | 6-4 | 1 |
| 2004 | Harchibald | 5 | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade | 145 | 8-11 | 1 |
| 2003 | Intersky Falcon | 6 | Liam Cooper | Jonjo O’Neill | 160 | 11-4 | 2 |
| 2002 | Intersky Falcon | 5 | Charlie Swan | Jonjo O’Neill | 162 | Evens | 1 |
