13 remain in contention for the Triumph Hurdle, the opening race on the final day the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.
13:30 Friday
The opener on the fourth and final day of the Cheltenham Festival is the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle for juveniles. It is littered with serious potential as a number of these could turn out to be future Grade 1 winners.
Here I look at six of the leading protagonists for the race.
Triumph Hurdle Runners
Majborough - 3/1
The race favourite since Sir Gino has been pulled out by Nicky Henderson. He won his only start in France and was highly tried on his stable debut for Willie Mullins in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown.
Despite his lack of experience, he ran with extreme credit to finish a staying-on third after being briefly outpaced and should take a major step forward from that effort. Mark Walsh keeps the ride.
Storm Heart - 5/1
Another representative from Willie Mullins. This four-year-old bolted up on his hurdles debut at Punchestown by 22 lengths and did little wrong in finishing second to stablemate Kargese in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle last time out.
With improvement to come, he could easily make an impact.
Kargese - 7/1
A likeable filly who is improving with each start. After two wins and a second from three starts when trained in France, she’s transferred that form to the Mullins stable.
She came marginally close to winning on her stable debut when second in a Grade 2 race before winning a hot renewal of the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle when last spotted. She has a gorgeous profile, immense talent and could serve it up to the favourites.
Nurburgring - 15/2
Trained by Joseph O’Brien, this youngster has won two of his four starts over hurdles and he is closely matched with a few of these. He is very smart and could run well for a stable that does well at the Cheltenham Festival.
Salver - 9/1
Gary Moore encountered heartbreak in this race four years ago with Goshen, but he's got another exciting prospect who has to be given the utmost respect, having won all four starts over hurdles.
He won a Grade 2 race on his penultimate start and followed up at Haydock last month. The form has been let down by the runner-up, but he is clearly smart and cannot be ruled out at large odds.
Bunting - 16/1
A very well-bred four-year-old who I know was behind three of these in the Spring Juvenile last time out, but he did extremely well under the circumstances to finish as close as he did and shouldn’t be written off in this race.
He scored very easily on his hurdles debut at Limerick on testing ground by eight lengths and was travelling as well as any of his rivals last time out when stopped in his tracks at the second last hurdle.
Still, he recovered to get himself into a decent position on the home turn, but was squeezed for home after the last hurdle and had to switch around runners. He hit the line very strongly and was gaining on the front three despite being ridden quite tentatively throughout.
A strongly-run race will massively help this strong traveller, and I am optimistic he will acquit himself admirably. He is an appealing proposition, in my opinion.
Triumph Hurdle Tips & Prediction
BUNTING (best price 16/1) was seriously impressive on his hurdles debut and caught the eye in a Grade 1 race at the Dublin Racing Festival last time out, finishing fourth of 11 behind just Kargese, Storm Heart and Majborough.
I have no doubt he would have gone close without being impeded twice when the tempo lifted. He travelled very well throughout and kept on strongly from an unfavourable position.
I can envisage him reversing form with those he was behind last time out with that experience under his belt, so he’s my bet at double-figure digits.
