Who are the Top Three Juvenile Hurdlers of 2021/22?

A juvenile hurdle race is a hurdle race restricted to horses that are three years old at the start of the current National Hunt season or, for races run on, or after, New Year’s Day, to horses that are four years old. The most prestigious juvenile hurdle race of the season is the Triumph Hurdle, run on the New Course at Cheltenham on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival in March. When placing bets via whatever payment method (card, paypal) it can be good to gauge the quality of those your wager is on.

Unremarkably, the top three highest rated hurdlers of the 2021/22 National Hunt season, according to Timeform – in fact, the top four, because two of them shared third place – contested the Triumph Hurdle. In finishing order, they were Vauban (149p), Fil Dor (143), Pied Piper (142) and Knight Salute (142). Vauban, trained by Willie Mullins, was always travelling strongly and, having taken the lead on the run to the final flight, drew clear in the closing stages to beat the Gordon Elliott-trained pair Fil Dor and Pied Piper by 2½ lengths and a neck. Knight Salute, trained by Milton Harris, was eased down when it was clear his chance had gone and trailed in ninth of 12, beaten 20 lengths.

However, three weeks later, at Aintree, Knight Salute proved to be a different horse, dead-heating with Pied Piper in the Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle, before being awarded the race in the stewards’ room. Celebrating his first Grade 1 winner, Harris said, ‘Nothing went his way at Cheltenham…when he was beaten.’

Indeed, in late April, Vauban and Fil Dor demonstrated the value of the Triumph Hurdle form when finishing first and second in the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown. Once again, Vauban ran out an impressive, 4-length winner, but the pair drew 14 lengths clear of the third horse, HMS Seahorse, who had previously finished a close fourth in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.