Triumph hero Poniros could run in Irish Champion Hurdle

January 8, 2026

Willie Mullins’ Triumph Hurdle hero Poniros could make his seasonal reappearance in the Irish Champion Hurdle.

The five-year-old produced an all-time great Cheltenham Festival shock to win the Friday opener last year at odds of 100/1, the longest-priced winner in the race’s history.

In the colours of Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom, Poniros also became the joint-longest priced horse to score at the Festival in the modern era alongside Nortons Coin in the 1990 Gold Cup and Hipparchus in the 1954 Grand Annual.

The gelding by Golden Horn made his hurdling debut that day in the Grade 1 contest, lowering the colours of subsequent two-time top-level winner and Arkle favourite Lulamba.

Sean Graham, racing manager to Bloom, told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast that Poniros will have entries in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival and the International Hurdle at Cheltenham on Trials Day.

“The plan is to run him in one of those two races, a decision is yet to be made on which one. He’s fine and he’s working well.

“He’s grown a bit, put on a bit of weight. Whether he’s a genuine Champion Hurdle contender, I suppose it’s very difficult for a juvenile to win a Champion Hurdle the following year, there aren’t too many that have done it.

“But if you look at his runs, he beat Lulamba at Cheltenham, albeit a bit lucky maybe. He was only beaten three lengths by Lulamba at Punchestown and we saw what he did at Sandown, he looks to be very special indeed.

“Poniros is completely unexposed over hurdles, he’s with the master trainer so anything is possible.”

Four horses have won the Champion Hurdle the year after a juvenile campaign – Persian War (1968), See You Then (1985), Katchit (2008) and Espoir D’Allen (2019).

Graham explained that Poniros’ early season absence is because if four-year-olds run before Christmas they’re normally badly treated as they aren’t mature enough to take on older rivals in open company, so the extra few months of training aids their cause going forward.

It’s looking like a hot Irish Champion Hurdle with Gordon Elliott confirming Brighterdaysahead will head there for a rematch with Lossiemouth.

WATCH: Poniros wins the Triumph Hurdle

WOW. 100-1

What a shock in the JCB Triumph Hurdle! Poniros beats out East India Dock and Lulamba 😳#ITVRacing | #CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/UfwLVscRP7

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 14, 2025

A decent dual-purpose type, Poniros was bought by Bloom for 200,000 guineas out of Ralph Beckett’s stable at the Tattersalls horses in training sale in October 2024.

Rated 91 on the level, he was sent off the 6/1 favourite in the £175,000 bet365 Cambridgeshire at Newmarket, finishing 22nd of 31.

Following the Triumph success he went to Punchestown for the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle where Lulamba reversed the form in good style.

The plan was always to go back on the flat during the summer and he was a disappointing 3/1 shot in the Ascot Stakes at Royal Ascot, beating just three of his 19 rivals.

Poniros is 66/1 to win the Champion Hurdle and 25/1 for the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.