Night Nurse reigns supreme in the latest People's Champion poll - Persian War and Enable are up next

Legendary hurdler Night Nurse eclipsed two top Flat stayers in Persian Punch and Ardross to win the latest poll to discover the Racing Post readers' favourite racehorse.

The two-time Champion Hurdle winner comfortably landed Tuesday's poll, easing to victory with 48.9 per cent of the vote and leaving the popular Persian Punch (31.5 per cent) trailing in his wake. Ardross (11 per cent) and Pendil (8.6 per cent) also featured.

Night Nurse shone in a brilliant era for hurdlers in the 1970s, beating the likes of Monksfield, Sea Pigeon, Bird's Nest, Lanzarote and Comedy Of Errors, and went on to finish second in the 1981 Gold Cup once switched to chasing.

He joins Stradivarius, Hurricane Fly, Istabraq, Sprinter Sacre, Nijinsky, Sea Pigeon, Arkle, Sea The Stars, Desert Orchid, Frankel, Dancing Brave, Red Rum, Kauto Star and Best Mate in the semi-finals. The top 20 horses will be whittled down to a final five to be profiled in National Racehorse Week and put to a vote of all Racing Post readers.

Another multiple Champion Hurdle hero features in Wednesday's poll, with Persian War set to take on the Derby winners Nashwan and Reference Point as well as the mighty mare Enable. The vote will be live from 10am until 4pm and head to @RacingPost on Twitter to have your say. 

Wednesday' contenders

Persian War

Won three successive runnings of the Champion Hurdle from 1968 to 1970

‘He’s the horse who really fired my enthusiasm for racing and was vastly underrated’
Charles Devlin

Nashwan

Pulled off the 2,000 Guineas-Derby double in 1989 before going on to add the Eclipse and King George

‘An amazing horse I was lucky enough to have backed in a Guineas-Derby double’
Mark Ash

Reference Point

Won the Derby, the King George and the St Leger during an astonishing campaign in 1987 

‘He wore his heart on his sleeve and always did it the hard way’
Martin Aylett

Enable

Brilliant mare who was a three-time winner of the King George and dual winner of the Arc

‘She travelled everywhere and so did I, going to the US and Paris to see her’
Mark Hoad

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