The final day of the Festival gets underway with the JCB Triumph Hurdle, the season’s championship contest for juvenile hurdlers.
With the four-year-old contestants very much at the start of their careers, it is no surprise to see many winners and placed horses go on to bigger and better things.
Four horses have won the Triumph and Champion Hurdle, most recently Katchit.
Persian War won in 1967 before winning three consecutive Champion Hurdles (1968-70).
Tiger Roll won the 2014 renewal, the first of his five Festival wins plus, of course, back-to-back Grand National victories.
TRIUMPH HURDLE TRENDS
Field sizes have reduced dramatically since the introduction of the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle in 2005, with graded form coming to the fore.
Since then, 17 of the 20 winners have had an SP of 10/1 or shorter.
While some are yet to be handed an official handicap mark, Peace And Co in 2015 and Defi du Seuil in 2017 were both rated 155.
The Spring Juvenile Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival in February has unquestionably been the best form guide in recent years.
Majborough, Lossiemouth, Vauban, Quilixios, Farclas, Ivanovich Gorbatov, Tiger Roll, Our Conor and Countrywide Flame all ran in that race ahead of winning the Triumph.
Nicky Henderson has won multiple Triumph Hurdles - including a 1-2-3 in 2015. But he hasn't had a runner in the last five years.
By contrast, Willie Mullins saddled seven entries in both 2023 and 2024, including the 1-2-3-4 in 2023 and the 1-2 in 2024.
All six of those were French-bred, while four were fillies, in receipt of a 7lb sex-allowance.
Gordon Elliott has had two winners and three seconds since 2016, from just eight Triumph runners. He was also training Quilixios before his suspension ahead of the Festival in 2021.
LAST 5 WINNERS’ DATA
RECENT WINNERS
Majborough 2024
Majborough - Triumph Hurdle 2024#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/5tRABxDZHn
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) September 14, 2024
Lossiemouth 2023
Lossiemouth - Triumph Hurdle 2023#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/UKoWNEItqR
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) March 17, 2023
Vauban justified pre-Festival hype by powering to victory in the 2022 Triumph Hurdle, despite hitting the last hurdle.
According to winning jockey Paul Townend, the classy gelding still has a bit to learn:
Vauban - Triumph Hurdle 2022#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/meKwuYKNN2
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) February 2, 2023
Quilixios was Rachael Blackmore's sixth winner at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.
He was a recent transfer to the Henry de Bromhead yard having previously been trained by the suspended Gordon Elliott:
Quilixios - JCB Triumph Hurdle 2021#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/HjT3BaQQRX
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) February 19, 2023
The 2020 Triumph will forever be remembered for favourite Goshen's dramatic final-flight exit, unseating Jamie Moore when in command.
That let in the Willie Mullins-trained filly, Burning Victory, for a rather fortunate win:
Burning Victory - JCB Triumph Hurdle 2020#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/YDs2wrThSf
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) February 19, 2023
There was a surprise winner in 2019 in Pentland Hills - a former 73-rated flat horse who had raced just once over hurdles for members of an Owners Group syndicate.
That was a spin-off of the Elite Racing Club, who had won the Triumph with Penzance in 2005 and were former sponsors of the race.
Nicky Henderson was relieved to record his seventh Triumph Hurdle success:
Pentland Hills - JCB Triumph Hurdle 2019#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/cECWtwIwmh
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) February 19, 2023
The grey Farclas made it third time lucky in 2018, having finished second in both of his previous starts over hurdles.
Winning jockey Jack Kennedy was quick to praise trainer Gordon Elliott:
Farclas - JCB Triumph Hurdle 2018#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/sw9pu94qOE
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) February 19, 2023
Defi Du Seuil extended his unbeaten record over hurdles to six in 2017 for trainer Philip Hobbs - who had two previous Triumph Hurdle winners (Detroit City & Made in Japan).
The French-bred gelding travelled like a dream for Richard Johnson before taking command on the run-in:
Defi Du Seuil - JCB Triumph Hurdle 2017#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/pzqNZYSwgW
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) February 19, 2023
Ivanovich Gorbatov 2016
Ivanovich Gorbatov - Triumph Hurdle 2016#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/pozHMJlBkp
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) November 14, 2022
In 2015 Peace And Co led home a Triumph Hurdle 1-2-3 for Nicky Henderson:
Peace And Co - Triumph Hurdle 2015#CheltenhamFestival
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) July 20, 2022
pic.twitter.com/HLHTomWJRB
The great Tiger Roll collected the first of his five Festival victories on just his second start for Gigginstown and Gordon Elliott in 2014:
Tiger Roll - Triumph Hurdle 2014#CheltenhamFestival
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) July 19, 2022
pic.twitter.com/IrTCTEU9zZ
A year earlier, Our Conor was an exhilarating Triumph winner for trainer Dessie Hughes.
Ridden by jockey Bryan Cooper, he won by a record distance of 15 lengths, but tragically fell fatally in the Champion Hurdle 12 months later.
Our Conor - Triumph Hurdle 2013#CheltenhamFestival
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) March 10, 2022
pic.twitter.com/PLZFB9Z0a8
Countrywide Flame 2012
Countrywide Flame - Triumph Hurdle 2012#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/GgPCRKtVws
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) December 3, 2022
Zarkandar 2011
Zarkandar - Triumph Hurdle 2011#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/OBY7iMRaPe
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) November 12, 2024
Soldatino 2010
Soldatino - Triumph Hurdle 2010#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/x5tV97C1xN
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) November 14, 2022
Zaynar 2009
Zaynar - Triumph Hurdle 2009#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/lths9Xb2pw
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) November 12, 2024
Celestial Halo 2008
Celestial Halo - Triumph Hurdle 2008#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/efKRA7VEpB
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) November 13, 2024
Katchit 2007
Katchit - Triumph Hurdle 2007#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/6nWfUNAhC2
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) January 20, 2023
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Commanche Court 1997
Commanche Court - Triumph Hurdle 1997#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/HsZPrn1Yj1
— Cheltenham Festival Fans (@cheltfestfans) December 3, 2022