| 79th Champion Hurdle | |
| Horse Race: | Champion Hurdle |
| Location: | Cheltenham Racecourse |
| Date: | 10 March 2009 |
| Winning Horse: | Punjabi (GB) |
| Winning Jockey: | Barry Geraghty |
| Winning Trainer: | Nicky Henderson (GB) |
| Winning Owner: | Raymond Tooth |
| Previous: | 2008 |
| Next: | 2010 |
The 2009 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 10 March 2009.[1] It was the 79th running of the Champion Hurdle.
The winner was Raymond Tooth's Punjabi, a six-year-old gelding trained in Berkshire by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty. The victory was Henderson's fourth in the race, following See You Then in 1985, 1986 and 1987, and a first in the race for Geraghty..
Punjabi won at odds of 22/1 by a neck from the Triumph Hurdle winner Celestial Halo. The field included four previous winners of the race: Hardy Eustace (2004, 2005), Brave Inca (2006), Sublimity (2007) and Katchit (2008). Twenty-one of the twenty-three runners completed the course.
| Pos. | Marg. | Horse (bred) | Age | Jockey | Trainer (Country) | Odds | |
| 1 | Punjabi (GB) | 6 | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson (GB) | 22/1 | ||
| 2 | nk | Celestial Halo (IRE) | 5 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls (GB) | 17/2 | |
| 3 | hd | Binocular (FR) | 5 | A. P. McCoy | Nicky Henderson (GB) | 6/4 fav | |
| 4 | 2¼ | Crack Away Jack (GB) | 5 | Noel Fehily | Emma Lavelle (GB) | 16/1 | |
| 5 | 2¾ | Muirhead (IRE) | 6 | Davy Condon | Noel Meade (IRE) | 33/1 | |
| 6 | nk | Katchit (IRE) | 6 | Robert Thornton | Alan King (GB) | 12/1 | |
| 7 | 8 | Snap Tie (IRE) | 7 | Richard Johnon | Philip Hobbs (GB) | 40/1 | |
| 8 | 3¼ | Jered (IRE) | 7 | David Casey | Noel Meade (IRE) | 33/1 | |
| 9 | ½ | Hardy Eustace (IRE) | 12 | Paddy Flood | Dessie Hughes (IRE) | 100/1 | |
| 10 | 3 | Won In The Dark (IRE) | 5 | Davy Russell | Sabrina Harty (IRE) | 33/1 | |
| 11 | ¾ | Osana (FR) | 7 | Andrew McNamara | David Pipe (GB) | 13/2 | |
| 12 | 3¼ | Whiteoak (IRE) | 6 | Jason Maguire | Donald McCain (GB) | 16/1 | |
| 13 | 3¼ | Blue Bajan (IRE) | 7 | Graham Lee | Andy Turnell (GB) | 80/1 | |
| 14 | 5 | Sentry Duty (FR) | 7 | Andrew Tinkler | Nicky Henderson (GB) | 33/1 | |
| 15 | 14 | Sublimity (FR) | 9 | Philip Carberry | Robert Hennessy (IRE) | 20/1 | |
| 16 | 7 | Alph (GB) | 12 | Colin Bolger | Roger Teal (GB) | 250/1 | |
| 17 | ¾ | Harchibald (FR) | 10 | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade (IRE) | 33/1 | |
| 18 | 3¼ | Brave Inca (IRE) | 11 | Dominic Elsworth | Colm Murphy (IRE) | 25/1 | |
| 19 | 2½ | Ashkazar (FR) | 6 | Timmy Murphy | David Pipe (GB) | 14/1 | |
| 20 | 2¾ | Ebaziyan (IRE) | 8 | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins (IRE) | 50/1 | |
| 21 | 10 | River Liane (FR) | 5 | Niall Madden | Thomas Cooper (IRE) | 125/1 | |
| PU | Cybergenic (FR) | 11 | Keith Mercer | Paul Murphy (GB) | 250/1 | ||
| Fell | Othermix (FR) | 5 | Paddy Brennan | Tom George (GB) | 100/1 |
Further details of the winner, Punjabi.