Is the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle a trial for the Triumph Hurdle?

Nowadays, the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle is a Grade 2 contest, having been promoted to that status in 2004, and is run, for sponsorship purposes, as the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle. Unlike the Triumph Hurdle, which is run over two miles and a furlong, or thereabouts, on the New Course at Cheltenham, the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle is run over two miles and half a furlong on the slightly sharper, faster Old Course.

Of course, the race is also scheduled for day two of the November Meeting at Cheltenham, several months before the Triumph Hurdle, which is scheduled for day four of the Cheltenham Festival in March. Consequently, it’s perfectly understandable that trainers will have left something to work on so far ahead of the juvenile hurdling championship.

J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB) has sponsored the Triumph Hurdle since 2002, but didn’t take over sponsorship of the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle until 2010. In the last 14 seasons, just one horse, Defi Du Seuil, owned by John P. McManus and trained by Philip Hobbs, has won both races. Indeed, the French import went through the 2016/17 season unbeaten in seven starts, including not only the Triumph Hurdle, but also the Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow and the Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree.

By contrast, the last four winners of the Triumph Hurdle – Majborough (2024), Lossiemouth (2023), Vauban (2022) and Quilixios (2021) – all finished in the first three in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown in February, with the last two named winning that race.