Triumph Hurdle

The Triumph Hurdle is the opening race on day four of racing at the Cheltenham Festival. It is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle that was first established back in 1939 but was not contested at Cheltenham Racecourse until 1965. It is the most prestigious hurdle race in the National Hunt schedule that is open only to juvenile novice hurdlers.

Triumph Hurdle Overview

The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 race for four-year-olds only. It is run over 2 miles and 179 yards of the new course where there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is run as the first race of the final day, Friday, at the Festival with the first-place prize money likely to be around £84,000 mark.

It is the leading race in the calendar for four-year-olds with the leading participants likely to be seen at Aintree the following month with the winner coming back the following year with the Champion Hurdle the likely target. Four horses have done that double over the years in Clair Soleil (1953), Persian War (1967), Kribensis (1988) and Katchit (2007).

Triumph Hurdle Betting Trends and Statistics

• Unbeaten horses have a good record in the race winning 9 of the last 17 renewals.19 of the last 28 winners have won last time out so good recent form is essential.
• Ireland has a good record in the race having won 10 of the last 13 runnings.
• The market is usually a good guide to the race with 16 of the past 21 winners starting in single odds with five favourites winning in the last ten renewals.
• Nicky Henderson is the leading trainer in the race with seven successes over the years.
• Willie Mullins also has a great record in the race having won five of the last six runnings including last year’s victor Poniros.
• French-bred horses do particularly well in this race winning 7 of the past 11 runnings with 8 of the 11 having started their careers in France.

Triumph Hurdle History

The event was first run in 1939 at Hurst Park Racecourse in Surrey. Flat legend Lester Piggott won one of his twenty hurdle victories in the race in 1954. The race was first run at Cheltenham in 1965 when it was sponsored by the Daily Express, becoming part of the Festival in 1968. The Elite Racing Club took over sponsorship in 1997 with JCB taking over in 2002.

Triumph Hurdle Winners