| 60th Champion Hurdle | |
| Horse Race: | Champion Hurdle |
| Location: | Cheltenham Racecourse |
| Date: | 14 March 1989 |
| Winning Horse: | Beech Road (GB) |
| Winning Jockey: | Richard Guest |
| Winning Trainer: | Toby Balding |
| Winning Owner: | Tony Geake |
| Next: | 1990 |
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]
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| Pos. | Marg. | Horse (bred) | Age | Jockey | Trainer (Country) | Odds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beech Road (GB) | 7 | Richard Guest | Toby Balding (GB) | 50/1 | ||
| 2 | 2 | Celtic Chief (GB) | 6 | Graham McCourt | Mercy Rimell (GB) | 6/1 | |
| 3 | 1 | Celtic Shot (GB) | 7 | Peter Scudamore | Charlie Brooks (GB) | 8/1 | |
| 4 | nk | Floyd (GB) | 9 | Simon Sherwood | David Elsworth (GB) | 14/1 | |
| 5 | nk | Vagador (CAN) | 6 | Mark Perrett | Guy Harwood (GB) | 20/1 | |
| 6 | 1 | Mole Board (GB) | 7 | Hywel Davies | Jim Old (GB) | 20/1 | |
| 7 | 7 | Kribensis (IRE) | 5 | Richard Dunwoody | Michael Stoute (GB) | 11/8 fav | |
| 8 | 10 | Cloughtaney (GB) | 8 | Willie Mullins | Paddy Mullins (IRE) | 33/1 | |
| 9 | shd | Chatam (USA) | 5 | Jonathon Lower | Martin Pipe (GB) | 14/1 | |
| 10 | Condor Pan | 6 | Tommy Carmody | Jim Bolger (IRE) | 16/1 | ||
| 11 | Wishlon (USA) | 6 | Ian Shoemark | Ron Smyth (GB) | 40/1 | ||
| 12 | Grey Salute (CAN) | 6 | Steve Smith Eccles | John Jenkins (GB) | 10/1 | ||
| Fell | Sprowston Boy (GB) | 6 | Dermot Browne | Paul Kelleway (GB) | 100/1 | ||
| Fell | Cashew King | 6 | Trevor Wall | Bryan McMahon (GB) | 100/1 | ||
| Fell | Chesham Squire | 5 | Graham Bradley | David Elsworth (GB) | 66/1 |
Further details of the winner, Beech Road