Triumph Hurdle – Cheltenham Festival Day 4 15/03/2024

Triumph Hurdle – Cheltenham Festival Day 4 15/03/2024

The National Hunt Supported By Tattersalls Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, also known as the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, is one of the newest races at the Cheltenham Festival, having first been staged in 2016.the race has been dominated so far by Willie Mullins, who has trained all five winners.

1:30 – Winner: £75,964.5 Runners: 33 Going: Soft Distance: 2m0f179y

10 Year Official Rating Trends

• Highest Winning Official Rating:   155
• Lowest Winning Official Rating:    142
• Average Winning Official Rating:  147

Sir Gino:

There would seem to be little doubt amongst informed opinion that Sir Gino looks to be the best juvenile hurdler seen on either side of the Irish Sea this season.  The Nicky Henderson trained son of It’s Gino made his UK debut at Kempton over Christmas and he won the juvenile hurdle by upwards of 14 lengths.  The three horses that followed him home have all won since.  He then went to Cheltenham on Trials Day and he won a Grade 2 hurdle there and in the process he destroyed Burdett Road, a hitherto unbeaten hurdler that had jockey Harry Cobden stating: ‘I’m confident he’s a Triumph Hurdle horse’ after riding him to victory on debut at Huntingdon.  That pretty much puts into perspective the 10 lengths demolition job that Sir Gino handed out to Burdett Road at Cheltenham.  This horse has the size and scope to keep improving and the New Course at Cheltenham on which the Triumph Hurdle is run should absolutely play to his strengths.  The one major concern is the current form of his stable which is worrying to say the least.  However if this horse gets to Cheltenham in the same form as he was on Trials Day then it is hard to see him getting beat.

Majborough:

The ex-French gelding Majborough currently features prominently in the Triumph Hurdle betting following his two lengths third to stable companion Kargese in the recent Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at the DRF.  He led for most of the way before being headed just before the final hurdle.  However he stayed on really well after being headed and it was a really encouraging first run in Ireland for the Willie Mullins trained juvenile.  He won on his only start in France in a conditions hurdle and he is clearly a smart prospect.  However in truth he may currently be so prominent in the betting because his trainer has waxed lyrical about him as a specimen and as a long-term prospect.  Based on what he has achieved so far, he will have to improve to trouble Sir Gino though that is not impossible given his connections.

Kargese:

It can be argued that the filly Kargese is just about the best juvenile hurdler seen out in Ireland this season.  She followed up a narrow half-length defeat to Kala Conti on stable debut at Christmas in the Grade 2 juvenile hurdle at Leopardstown by winning the afore-mentioned Grade 1 race at the DRF.  The latter race is possible the best juvenile hurdle run in Ireland this season and she was a good winner of it.  She has two questions to overcome in the Triumph Hurdle.  1.  Will she settle and not be too keen as she was at Christmas?  2.  How will she handle better ground if the going is more on the ‘good side’ at the Festival given that pretty much all of her racing in both France and Ireland has taken place with plenty of cut in the ground?  If she is malleable and can adapt to both then she has the form to be right in the mix come the business end of the race.

Storm Heart :

Another Willie Mullins contender is the Storm The Stars gelding Storm Heart who created a big impression when bolting up by 22 lengths on his Irish debut at Punchestown in December.  Not everything went according to plan in the race but once he straightened up and headed for home, he quickly bounded clear and he was seriously impressive.  On the strength of this he was made favourite for the Grade 1 at the DRF and he found only Kargese too good for him here with Majborough finishing a half-length behind him in third place.  The interesting thing about the race was that he was the choice of stable jockey Paul Townend in a race where Willie Mullins had six runners and so he must have been impressing Townend at home ahead of the race.  He too will head to the Triumph with every chance of being in the shake-up but whether he is good enough to beat the favourite is another question.

Ethical Diamond:

This particular Willie Mullins gelding could interest those punters looking for a bigger priced each-way contender.  Bought from the flat for a huge sum of 320,000 Guineas after winning a 1m4f Limerick maiden in June of last year, he frankly bombed out on his stable debut at Leopardstown over Christmas when trailing home a disappointing 11^th of 19 at odds of 6/5 fav.  He was then sent to the Grade 1 juvenile hurdle at the DRF (won by Kargese) and unfancied at odds of 50/1, he came home in 6^th place beaten 5¼ lengths.  However his run was hugely eyecatching as he was closing in on those ahead of him without being given too hard a time by his jockey.  It was thought that they may run him again to gain a mark for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap at Cheltenham however that has not been the case.  His only entry is the Triumph Hurdle.  If he does take up his entry and the ground proves to be better than soft or heavy, then he could easily outrun his big double-figure odds.

There is so much potential depth to this race that if the likes of Salver, Nurburgring and Bunting turn up, they would all have valid claims based on their exploits this season and one suspects that this could prove to be one of the best Triumph Hurdles’ run for some time.

Triumph Hurdle Summary:

For all that there is a lot of depth to the race this year, the Triumph Hurdle does contain a horse in Sir Gino that will feature in many punters’ multiple bet selections.  Based on his two victories in the UK this season, he does look to be an exceptional juvenile and if he turns up fit and well and with ground conditions to suit (Soft/Good To Soft) then it will take a huge performance to lower his colours.

  Any number of credible alternatives could be put forward against him and to test his mettle and whatever horse Willie Mullins’ stable jockey Paul Townend chooses to ride should be noted however, the each-way option could be Ethical Diamond.  One suspects there is much more to come from this expensive purchase and he could easily find the necessary improvement to reach the frame in what looks to be a classic renewal.

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