Cheltenham Festival 2025 Tips - March 11-14

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Triumph Hurdle 2025 - Lulamba still the one to beat in Gold Cup day opener?

Jon Vine

Editor

Last updated: 07 Mar 2025

Jon Vine 07 Mar 2025

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Free guide to the 2025 Triumph Hurdle
This race will take place on day four of the Cheltenham Festival on Friday 14th March
Lulamba and Charlus feature in our verdict

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Nico de Boinville riding Lulamba (yellow) clear the last to win The BetMGM Juvenile Hurdle at Ascot. (Getty)

Gold Cup day at the Cheltenham Festival opens with a bang, as the best four-year-olds in the sport take part in the Triumph Hurdle. This two-mile Grade One always provides Friday's spectators with fantastic entertainment and this year's renewal is looking extremely competitive.

Here's our free guide to the 2025 Triumph Hurdle, featuring the latest odds, expert analysis and our best betting tips.

*Note - Best bets won't be finalised until the field has been confirmed*

2025 Triumph Hurdle Odds

Name	Odds
East India Dock	9/4
Lulamba	5/2
Hello Neighbour	6/1
Lady Vega Allen	12/1
Palladium	14/1
Bar	16/1

2025 Triumph Hurdle Tips - The Top Two

The Triumph Hurdle is the only race of the meeting where British horses occupy the first two places in the betting. East India Dock has won his three starts over hurdles by a combined distance of 32 lengths, including runaway victories in the two Grade Twos held at Cheltenham earlier in the season.

James Owen's mount was rated in the 90s on the flat and took to hurdling immediately. East India Dock thrashed a modest field in the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle and motored ten lengths clear of the chasing pack when making all in the Finesse on Trials Day.

An impressive winner at Auteuil in October, Lulamba made the ideal start to life in Britain in January. Nicky Henderson's newcomer travelled well and jumped nicely at Ascot and asserted after the last to beat Mondo Man by three-and-a-half lengths.

Henderson's star shot straight to the head of the Triumph market following that debut victory. Lulamba has, however, drifted markedly in the Cheltenham Festival betting after missing his intended prep-run in the Adonis Hurdle, with punters fearing the former favourite could fall foul of the injury problems that have plagued Henderson's stable stars over the past two years.

2025 Triumph Hurdle Tips - The Irish Challenge

Hello Neighbour has established himself as the leading Irish juvenile in recent months. Gavin Cromwell's four-year-old won both of his starts on the flat, saw off Lady Allen Vega to land the Grade Two at Leopardstown over Christmas, and opened his account at Grade One level with a hard-fought success at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Lady Allen Vega ran a mighty race to push Hello Neighbour within a short-head over Christmas. Willie Mullins' mare was then forced wide to make her challenge in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle, but a poor jump at the least meant she couldn't finish any better than third.

Galileo Dame came from off the pace to finish closest to Hello Neighbour in the Spring Juvenile and Joseph O'Brien has confirmed that his mare will take on the geldings again in the Triumph Hurdle. Willie Mullins has also handed Triumph entries to Naas winner Charlus, flat recruit Poppano, Gowran Park scorer Blue Lemons, and Sainte Lucie - who was sent off as the favourite for the old Spring Juvenile, but pulled fiercely throughout the contest and was virtually tailed off.

2025 Triumph Hurdle Tips - The Best Of The Rest

Nicky Henderson could also be represented by £1.4m purchase Palladium, who didn't look like a natural over hurdles when scoring at Huntingdon in January and looks set for a campaign on the flat over the summer. Tom Lacey has handed an entry to unbeaten hurdler Gibbs Island, who ran out an impressive winner of the Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock.

Mondo Man impressed with that runner-up finish to Lulamba at Ascot, but failed to settle when only third as the favourite in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton. Dan Skelton has said previously that the Triumph remains the target for Live Conti, but failed to mention his Wetherby winner during that pre-Cheltenham Festival stable tour.

2025 Triumph Hurdle Tips

Irish horses have dominated the Triumph in recent years. However, the form of the two Graded races that we've seen at Leopardstown doesn't seem particularly strong. Hello Neighbour has done well to win both races, but Galileo Dame and Willy De Houelle finished mighty close to the winner in the Spring Juvenile, I don't think either is of Triumph class.

Considering the path she took into contention, I thought Lady Vega Allen came out of that Grade One with plenty of credit. Willie Mullins has enjoyed success in the Triumph with mares in recent years and she offers each-way value at 14/1.

East India Dock would be a worthy favourite. His two victories around Cheltenham have been mightily impressive. James Owen's star didn't beat anyone of note in either of those Grade Twos, though, and I fancy there may be something a little classier than East India Dock lurking in the field.

On raw ability, LULAMBA (5/2) is the best horse in this year's Triumph Hurdle. Nicky Henderson's recruit won well in France and sent the Twitter-sphere into meltdown following his British debut at Ascot.

What's impressed me most about both of Luluamba's wins is that he did his best work in the latter stages of those races. That trait bodes well as Henderson's star prepares to tackle the hill at Cheltenham. Lulamba will, however, need to be at peak fitness to repel this field and Henderson clearly wanted to get another run into his star before his first trip to the Festival.

One who interests me at a massive price is CHARLUS (33/1), who cost the Why Not Syndicate over £300k following four flat outings in France.

Willie Mullins' recruit made a belated hurdling debut at Naas in January, where he ground out a narrow victory. Paul Townend's mount was fairly keen throughout and wandered around once he hit the front, but there was more than enough left in the tank to repel Holy See, who looks set to take part in the Fred Winter on day one of the Cheltenham Festival.

Following that victory, Mullins said that Charlus was an intended runner in the Triumph Hurdle and that he'd improve plenty for that first run of the season. A fast pace should help Charlus settle better than what he did at Naas and soft or heavy ground would greatly enhance his chances.

Verdict

2025 Triumph Hurdle

Of the leading contenders, Lulamba appeals to me most in the Triumph Hurdle - I'm just a little worried that his Cheltenham prep hasn't gone entirely to plan.

Charlus is an interesting runner for Willie Mullins and could be a springer in the market if the ground looks likely to come up very soft.

Lulamba

2025 Triumph Hurdle

@5/2 - 5 Units

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Charlus E/W

2025 Triumph Hurdle

@33/1 - 5 Units

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