| 67th Champion Hurdle | |
| Horse Race: | Champion Hurdle |
| Location: | Cheltenham Racecourse |
| Date: | 12 March 1996 |
| Winning Horse: | Collier Bay (GB) |
| Winning Jockey: | Graham Bradley |
| Winning Trainer: | Jim Old (GB) |
| Winning Owner: | Wally Sturt |
| Previous: | 1995 |
| Next: | 1997 |
The 1996 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 12 March 1996. It was the 67th running of the Champion Hurdle.
The winner was Wally Sturt's Collier Bay, a six-year-old bay gelding trained in Wiltshire by Jim Old and ridden by Graham Bradley. Collier Bay's victory was a first in the race for jockey, trainer and owner.
Collier Bay, had been unsuccessful flat racer, who had become a good handicapper over hurdles before emerging as a potential champion by defeating Danoli in the Irish Champion Hurdle in January. Starting the 9/1 fourth choice in the betting, he won Champion Hurdle by two and a half lengths from Alderbrook the 1995 winner who started the 10/11 favourite. Fourteen of the sixteen runners completed the course.[1]
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| Pos. | Marg. | Horse (bred) | Age | Jockey | Trainer (Country) | Odds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collier Bay (GB) | 6 | Graham Bradley | Jim Old (GB) | 9/1 | ||
| 2 | 2½ | Alderbrook (GB) | 7 | Richard Dunwoody | Kim Bailey (GB) | 10/11 fav | |
| 3 | 6 | Pridwell (GB) | 6 | Chris Maude | Martin Pipe (GB) | 33/1 | |
| 4 | 1¾ | Danoli (IRE) | 8 | Tommy Treacy | Tom Foley (IRE) | 5/1 | |
| 5 | 1 | Squire Silk (GB) | 7 | Jason Titley | Andy Turnell (GB) | 20/1 | |
| 6 | 1¼ | Mysilv (GB) | 6 | Jamie Osborne | Charles Egerton (GB) | 7/1 | |
| 7 | 4 | Boro Eight (GB) | 10 | Richard Johnson | Venetia Williams (GB) | 100/1 | |
| 8 | 1½ | Staunch Friend (USA) | 8 | Peter Niven | Mark Tompkins (GB) | 66/1 | |
| 9 | 11 | Hotel Minella (GB) | 9 | Charlie Swan | Aidan O'Brien (IRE) | 10/1 | |
| 10 | 5 | Land Afar (GB) | 9 | Mick Fitzgerald | Paul Webber (GB) | 25/1 | |
| 11 | 8 | Chief Minister (IRE) | 7 | Tony Dobbin | Thomas Dyer (GB) | 100/1 | |
| 12 | 18 | Right Win (IRE) | 6 | Graham McCourt | Richard Hannon, Sr. (GB) | 25/1 | |
| 13 | 13 | Kissair (IRE) | 5 | Jonothon Lower | Martin Pipe (GB) | 66/1 | |
| 14 | 4 | Absalom's Lady (GB) | 8 | A. P. McCoy | David Elsworth (GB) | 66/1 | |
| PU | Mack The Knife (GB) | 7 | David Bridgwater | Martin Pipe (GB) | 33/1 | ||
| PU | Muse (GB) | 9 | Paul Holley | David Elsworth (GB) | 100/1 |
Further details of the winner, Collier Bay