Annie Power (foaled 20 March 2008) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A National Hunt horse specialising in hurdle racing, she won fifteen of her seventeen races including the Johnstown Novice Hurdle, Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle, Ascot Hurdle, Doncaster Mares' Hurdle and Mares Champion Hurdle. In 2016, she became the first mare for twenty two years to win the Champion Hurdle. Background Annie Power is a chestnut mare with a narrow white blaze bred in Ireland by Eamon Cleary. She was sired by the German stallion Shirocco, whose wins included the Breeders' Cup Turf in 2005. As a breeding stallion he has sired the Goodwood Cup winner Brown Panther and several good National Hunt horses. Annie Power's dam Anno Luce was a high-class racemare, winning at Group Three level in Germany in 1996. The filly was sent into training with the leading Flat trainer Jim Bolger. Racing career 2012/2013 National Hunt season Annie Power began her racing career in National Hunt Flat races (also known as "bumpers") in the late summer of 2012. On 4 August at Galway Racecourse she was ridden by the amateur jockey Patrick Mullins and defeated nine opponents at odds of 9/10. Three weeks later at Wexford Racecourse she started 6/4 favourite for a mares' race and won by fifteen lengths from Ourbeautifuldream. Following this race the mare was sold to Rich and Susannah Ricci and moved to the stable of Willie Mullins (the father of Patrick) in County Carlow. On her first appearance for her new connections, Annie Power contested a bumper at Listowel Racecourse in which only one horse, a gelding named Vintage Supreme appeared to oppose her. The mare started at odds of 1/10 and led from the start before winning by sixty-one lengths. In November, the mare was tested over hurdles for the first time in a race at Thurles Racecourse. Starting at odds of 1/2 in a field of eighteen mares, she took the lead three hurdles from the finish and won easily by thirteen lengths. Ruby Walsh took over the ride on Annie Power for her next race, when she was matched against more experienced opponents in the Kilsheelan Mares Hurdle at Clonmel Racecourse on 7 February. She was made the 1/3 favourite and led from the start, winning by six and a half lengths despite being eased down by Walsh in the closing stages. At Naas Racecourse