Day four of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival gets underway at 1:20pm with the JCB Triumph Hurdle, the championship race for four-year-old hurdlers over 2m1f on the New Course.
Twenty juveniles line up, a near full field that should guarantee a proper test of jumping, temperament, and stamina on the climb to the line.
It is a race that often shapes the next generation of top hurdlers, but in the here and now, it feels like a very modern Cheltenham story: a deep field, plenty of angles, and Willie Mullins right in the thick of it.
The going is currently described as good to soft, which should be fair, and with prize money down to eighth, there is every incentive for connections to let their horses take a proper cut at it rather than ride just for a place cheque.
Mullins’ Twin Spearhead: Proactif and Selma De Vary
The market has framed the Triumph as a tussle between two Mullins inmates, Proactif and Selma De Vary, even in a race deep with alternatives.
Proactif brings the more straightforward profile: unbeaten in two, a dominant win in France followed by a smooth success at Fairyhouse that immediately shoved him towards the head of the ante‑post lists.
He travelled kindly there, jumped neatly, and put away stablemate Macho Man with a bit in hand, suggesting there is plenty of improvement left.
Selma De Vary, in contrast, arrives with more questions but perhaps a slightly higher ceiling if it all clicks.
She was an eye‑catching winner at Auteuil and has since joined Mullins from France with good experience already banked.
The bare form of her French races is a little tricky to weigh up, and some judges think she might be better suited to a slightly different test, but her ability to travel and quicken will be a real asset if they go a proper gallop early.
Tactically, how Mullins plays it is fascinating. If both show up with their A‑game, we might get the sort of team‑tactics drama that has become part of the Festival furniture.
2026 Triumph Hurdle Runners & Odds
*Odds from Betfred correct at time of publication
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proactif | Mark Walsh | W P Mullins | 9/2 |
| Selma De Vary | Paul Townend | W P Mullins | 9/2 |
| Minella Study | Ryan Mania | Adam Nicol | 5/1 |
| Maestro Conti | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton | 13/2 |
| Highland Crystal | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott | 13/2 |
| Macho Man | Brian Hayes | W P Mullins | 14/1 |
| Minella Academy | Danny Mullins | W P Mullins | 16/1 |
| Apolon De Charnie | Mr P W Mullins | W P Mullins | 22/1 |
| Mon Creuset | Harry Cobden | W P Mullins | 22/1 |
| Kai Lung | Sean O’Keeffe | W P Mullins | 25/1 |
| North Shore | Keith Donoghue | Gavin Cromwell | 28/1 |
| One Horse Town | Paul O’Brien | Harry Derham | 33/1 |
| Indian River | Kielan Woods | Adrian Paul Keatley | 40/1 |
| Lord Byron | Ben Jones | Faye Bramley | 40/1 |
| Fantasy World | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson | 50/1 |
| Forty Fifty | Jonathan Burke | W P Mullins | 50/1 |
| Noemie De La Vis | Daniel King | W P Mullins | 66/1 |
| Tenter Le Tout | Gavin Sheehan | Chester Williams | 80/1 |
| Berto Ramirez | Darragh O’Keeffe | Andrew McNamara | 150/1 |
| Wolf Rayet | Robert Dunne | Samuel Drinkwater | 200/1 |
The Home Defence and Other Irish Threats
It would be unfair to call this a match‑race, even if the betting suggests the Mullins pair are the ones to beat.
Maestro Conti and Minella Study carry much of the home side’s hopes after strong efforts in key trials.
Maestro Conti has already mastered Cheltenham’s New Course in the Triumph Trial, which is exactly the exam paper needed for this.
Minella Study similarly boasts course-and-distance form and high ratings, and he appeals as the type to keep rolling when others have cried enough.
Gordon Elliott’s Highland Crystal adds another layer to the Irish challenge, bringing solid ratings and grit, and looks the kind to thrive if the race becomes more about stamina than speed.
Further down the market, horses like Macho Man, Mon Creuset, Minella Academy, and Kai Lung give Mullins significant depth beyond his two headline acts.
One of them popping up wouldn’t shock anyone, even if it would slightly spoil the tidy “duel at the top” narrative.
Then there are the proper big‑price stories. One Horse Town, Wolf Rayet, and Berto Ramirez are among those trading at long odds, but in a race where many are still learning their job, a dramatic step forward from one of the outsiders is never totally out of the question.
They may not be the likeliest winners, but they can shape the race by forcing the pace, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time – this is juvenile hurdling, after all.
Before the Roar
The Triumph Hurdle often feels like the Festival’s version of first day at school: lots of raw talent, plenty of nervous energy, and one or two who clearly know they are going to amount to something.
In 2026, the classroom is packed, and the teacher’s pet badge currently sits somewhere between Proactif’s ears and on Selma De Vary’s noseband.
Whether they justify that status or are upstaged by a more streetwise type from the home camp is exactly why the race is worth watching.
What we can say with some confidence is that the opening race on Gold Cup day will give us plenty to talk about for the rest of the afternoon.
If you are already committed to a view, good luck; if you are still undecided, there is no shame in simply sitting back, listening to the roar, and seeing which juvenile handles the occasion best.
BETFRED
