Cheltenham Festival 2024: Majborough wins the Triumph Hurdle

Majborough (6-1) got Cheltenham Gold Cup day off to the perfect start for Willie Mullins with victory in the Grade One JCB Triumph Hurdle, the opener to the final day of the Cheltenham Festival.

With Nicky Henderson’s ante-post favourite Sir Gino already declared a non-runner – like many of the Seven Barrows stable stars this week – it was down to Cheltenham Festival centurion Mullins to star again. The four-year-old French import Majborough, who his trainer believes could make into a top three-mile chaser, won a Grade Three hurdle race at Auteuil when trainer by Johnny Charron before being bought by JP McManus and sent to Mullins. But he could only finished third to stable-mates Kargese and Storm Heart in a Grade One Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival last month. But Majborough turned that form on it's head to give Mullins a fourth win in the past five runnings of the Triumph. Under Mark Walsh, the four-year-old was sat just off a blistering pace set by Fratas and Ethical Diamond. And when they turned for home, Majborough moved around the outside with stable-mate Kargese (4-1). Initially it was the latter who hit the front, but the slick jumping and staying power of Majborough saw him go to the front over the final flight and he flew up the hill to score by a length-and-a-half from Kargese. Gary Moore's previously unbeaten Salver (10-1) – who had won the Victor Ludurom Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock Park on his last start – stayed on to third, four-and-three-quarters-of-a-length further adrift.

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Mullins, securing a fourth Triumph Hurdle in the past five years providing him with his 101st Cheltenham Festival winner, believes Majborough future