Burning Victory
Of course, the story of the Triumph Hurdle was Goshen. It was desperate luck, what happened at the final flight. He was unquestionably the best horse in the race on the day. That said, the winner's performance may not have got due credit as a result. Burning Victory was settled at the rear of the field early on by Paul Townend. Her jumping lacked fluency throughout, she was last of the 13 runners as they raced to the top of the hill, but she still travelled well down the hill, and she made nice progress over the second last and around the home turn. Goshen had flown by the time they straightened up, but Willie Mullins' filly had moved into a good second on the run to the final flight. She was distracted, if not actually hampered, by Goshen's departure, she had to get going again, so she did well to stay on as well as she did up the hill to win nicely.
The early pace was strong, but it held up well, with Goshen up with the leaders throughout, along with ultimate second and third, Aspire Tower and Allmankind. Also, the form of the race is strong, with Allmankind and Aspire Tower filling the places. Winner of her maiden over a mile and a half in France in May last year, this was just Burning Victory's second run over hurdles. She didn't jump that well either in the Grade 3 contest that she won on her debut for Willie Mullins, so there could be a fair bit of improvement forthcoming as she gains in experience. It is going to be difficult for her next season, a four-going-five-year-old, but it could still be worth following her.
Cheltenham 13th March, 2020
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