Triumph Juvenile Hurdle Cheltenham Festival 2014 Ante-Post Preview and Tips

Free Cheltenham 2014 betting tips and advice for the Triumph Juvenile Hurdle, the opening contest on the final day of the Festival.

The first race on the final day of the Festival is the Triumph Hurdle; routinely a tricky, competitive affair.  Last year’s race turned into a procession for Our Conor and, whilst a horse with that sort of presence is so far absent from this year’s ante-post market, there are still numerous contenders who have shown good juvenile form.

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The market is headed by a pair of joint favourites, one of which is Le Rocher (8/1 William Hill) trained by Nick Williams.  A French-bred gelding who won his first start in the UK in the Future Champions Finale at Chepstow on bottomless ground.  Le Rocher solidified that form on Trials Day at Cheltenham where he beat Nicky Henderson’s Kentucky Hyden (40/1 Stan James) once again, this time by 10 lengths.  He also beat previous Kempton winner, and smart Paul Nicholl’s recruit, Vicenzo Mio (33/1 bet365) that day.  Both victories came on very testing ground and the fear is that he may be ground dependant.  Despite winning French form on good to soft ground, until he performs well on similar ground in the UK this issue will remain a concern and it may pay to look elsewhere.

The other joint favourite is another French-bred import, Ivan Grozny (8/1 Coral).  With just two spins over hurdles he caused a bit of a stir on his second start when turning a Maiden at Naas into a procession.  The form has been franked to a certain extent with both the runner-up and third having placed since in other Maidens but it is difficult to evaluate his true chances prior to seeing him stepped up in class.  The market probably reflects the ability Ivan Grozny showcased in France as he took three conditions races and also went on to perform well in Graded races.  He reappears on Sunday at Leopardstown and a lot more will be learnt.

If the market support behind Ivan Grozny is justified then following the form of his debut, strong consideration must be given to Plinth (14/1 William Hill).  Sired by Monteju he received a canny ride from McCoy to topple Ivan Grozny on his first in Ireland.  He has an excellent turn of foot and in bottomless Leopardstown ground Plinth’s victory was mightily impressive.  When Aidan O’Brian saddles a horse over jumps it is usually worth noting and Plinth certainly has the pedigree and gives the visual impression that he is a classy horse.  He travels really well and given more experience merits a lot of respect.

Another recruit adopting a change of codes and who could figure come the Festival is BROUGHTON (16/1 Betfred).  John Ferguson’s recent Scottish Champion Hurdle winner has improved in his two starts over obstacles and looks progressive.  He was occasionally messy on debut when he pulled clear with Fox Norton (20/1 bet365) and left former ante-post favourite Royal Irish Hussar in his wake at Doncaster, but he showed much improvement at Musselburgh.  He’s a likable sort who, thanks to his flat breeding, looks like he would thrive when faced with Cheltenham’s stamina sapping hill. 

Royal Irish Hussar (33/1 Stan James) is still worthy of consideration despite having his colours lowered by Broughton and Fox Norton.  The ground at Doncaster that day may well have been plenty soft enough for him and on a sounder surface he could well prove a different horse.  Importantly, he has won at Cheltenham besting Guitar Pete who has since franked the form winning by 7 lengths. That form reads well and given good ground he could have a strong chance and is underestimated by his current odds.

Paul Nicholl’s made no secret of how highly Calipto (12/1 Betfred) is thought of after he travelled well and asserted close home to record a comfortable victory on his debut at Newbury.  He would definitely be the preference over the earlier mentioned Vincenzo Mio.  With just one start he warrants plenty of respect, and although Paul Nicholls has stated he could be a horse for next season its hard to see Calipto not lining up.  

Another who was visually impressive when demolishing previous winner Dubai Prince was Pearl Castle (16/1 William Hill) on just his second start hurdling.  He arguably sprang a surprise for many after a less than inspiring debut for John Quinn where he finished tired and needed the run. 

Overall it may be best to side with a real improver from the flat recruits. Plinth looks good value after beating Ivan Grozny but those two might be best left alone until after their clash this Sunday.  On balance, BROUGHTON showed marked improvement last time out and he certainly looks to have some nice form with his recent Scottish Champion Hurdle victory.  John Ferguson is used to unearthing gems from the flat and he could well have done so once more.  Providing he jumps well and handles Cheltenham’s stamina test, Broughton looks good each-way value.

Ante-Post Triumph Hurdle Free Betting Tip – 

BROUGHTON (E/W) (16/1 Betfred) 

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