Date: Friday 15th March 2024
The Triumph can often look messy on paper, but the same broad themes still tend to matter. Lightly-raced juveniles, strong Irish form and above all the Willie Mullins juvenile squad remain the key things to focus on.
The Spring Juvenile form at Leopardstown continues to be one of the best routes into the race, and French-bred juveniles again have plenty of appeal. This year’s field looks deep, but the ratings still point quite firmly towards a handful of Mullins runners.
These are the three that come out best on the Turf Talk figures.
TURF TALK RATINGS - LEADING CONTENDERS
| Horse | Turf Talk Rating |
|---|---|
| Majborough | 222 |
| Storm Heart | 214 |
| Kargese | 208 |
| Bunting | 196 |
| Salvator Mundi | 187 |
| Sir Gino | 181 |
| Kalif Du Berlais | 173 |
The ratings again lean heavily on Leopardstown juvenile form, Willie Mullins dominance, French-bred influence and the increasingly important angle of lightly-raced but obviously talented juveniles.
MAIN SELECTION
Majborough (8/1 available)
He comes out top on the ratings and looked the most appealing of the Mullins squad.
He had the French-bred angle, the stable strength and the kind of profile that can improve sharply from run to run. In a race where Mullins again seemed to hold the key, he looked the one with the strongest overall blend of class and upside.
BACKUP SELECTION 1
Storm Heart (7/2 available)
The market leader and a very obvious danger.
He had the form, the stable and the profile of a horse who could easily win a Triumph. He just missed top spot on the ratings, but only narrowly, and fully deserved his place near the head of the market.
BACKUP SELECTION 2
Kargese (13/2 available)
Another Mullins juvenile who made plenty of appeal on the figures.
She had graded form, the right trainer and the sort of lightly-raced profile that often goes very well in this race. With the Mullins team so deep, she looked another one to keep firmly on side.
SUMMARY
Majborough tops the ratings and gets the vote, with Storm Heart the obvious danger and Kargese another Mullins runner who looked very hard to leave out in a race dominated by that yard.
