Finale Juvenile Hurdle

The Finale Juvenile Hurdle is a Grade 1 race for three-year-olds over two miles at Chepstow in late December.

The Finale Juvenile Hurdle takes place on the 27th of December 2023.

More than just a race, the Finale Juvenile Hurdle is a key trial for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Join us as we uncover the history, participants, and the sheer excitement surrounding this race, celebrating the potential stars shaping the future of jump racing.

Whether you’re a seasoned fan or a newcomer eager to see emerging talents, this guide provides a straightforward look into the captivating world of the Finale Juvenile Hurdle.

Find out more about the Finale Juvenile:

Race Overview – The Finale Juvenile Hurdle

Three-year-old horses can compete in the Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle, a National Hunt hurdle competition in Great Britain.

There are eight hurdles to clear during the race, which is held at Chepstow over a distance of around 2 miles (2 miles and 11 yards, or 3,228 metres). The novice hurdler races takes place each year in late December during the Welsh Grand National meeting.

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Finale Juvenile Hurdle Previous Winners

Finale Juvenile Hurdle Previous Result

Check out the latest result from this race:

Famous Finale Juvenile Hurdle Winners

The Finale Juvenile Hurdle is one of only three Grade 1 races for juvenile hurdlers in Britain. The others are the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Anniversary Four-year-old Hurdle at Aintree.

One of the earlier winners of the Finale was Broadsword in 1980. He started hot favourite for the Triumph Hurdle but was beaten by 66-1 outsider Baron Blakeney.

Out Of The Gloom (1984) went on to win the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in 1985 and the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot in 1986.

Mysilv (1993) went on to win the Triumph Hurdle the following spring. She also won the valuable Tote Gold Trophy (1996).

Bristol De Mai made a winning UK debut in this race for Nigel Twiston-Davies in 2014. The grey became one of the leading chasers in Britain, winning the Grade 1 Betfair Chase in 2017, 2018 and 2020. He also finished third to Al Boum Photo in the 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The most recent Finale winner to go on to win the Triumph Hurdle was Defi Du Seuil in 2016-17. He won this race by 13 lengths and was a 5 lengths winner at Cheltenham. He followed up at Aintree to extend his unbeaten juvenile record to seven races. He was also a Grade 1 winner over fences, notably in the Tingle Creek Chase (2019) and Clarence House Chase (2020).

Key Finale Juvenile Hurdle Trials

The best form guide for this race is The Summit Juvenile Hurdle at Doncaster. Three of the last twelve winners ran in that race. We Have A Dream (2017) and Quel Destin (2018) both won at Doncaster prior to winning at Chepstow.

Quel Destin had also won the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham before the Finale.

The winner always gets quotes for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Mysilv (1993) and Defi Du Seuil (2016) won both races while Franchoek (2007) and Walkon (2008) both finished second at the festival.

The Finesse Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham is a popular choice for the next start for Finale Hurdle winners.

Finale Juvenile Hurdle Betting Trends

Six favourites have won in the last twelve renewals.

Defi Du Seuil (2016) and We Have A Dream (2017) both won as odds-on favourites.

All but one of the last twelve winners was in the first three in the betting, the exception being Le Rocher (2013) who won at 11-2.

The biggest-priced winner of the Finale Juvenile Hurdle was Sunray at 40-1 in 2003. He came to Chepstow without a win in six previous attempts but lowered the colours of odds-on favourite Mondul.

Nine of the last twelve winners had won on their previous start.

Four of those had already won a grade 1 to 3 race and all recent winners were rated 132 or higher.

Defi Du Seuil and We Have A Dream were both officially rated 143.

Finale Juvenile Hurdle – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Nicky Henderson is the leading trainer in the Finale Juvenile Hurdle with four winners; Mister Banjo (1999), Nas Na Riogh (2002), Blue Shark (2005) and We Have A Dream (2017).

Alan King won it in successive seasons with Franchoek (2007) and Walkon (2008) and saddled Karezak and Sceau Royal to finish runner-up here in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Irish-trained runners are rare but there have been three winners from France in modern times; Jair Du Cochet (2000), Tempo D’Or (2001) and Good Bye Simon (2006).

Three jockeys share the honour of leading rider in this race with three winners; Mick Fitzgerald, Richard Johnson and Daryl Jacob.

Betting on the Finale Juvenile Hurdle

The Finale Juvenile Hurdle often sparks the Triumph Hurdle ante-post betting market into life.

Although it is rare for juveniles to complete the double, the race has continued to provide high-quality winners.

Summary of the Chepstow Fianel Juvenile Hurdle

Thank you for reading our Finale Juvenile Hurdle guide.

It is always one of the top Juvenile Hurdle races of the season and has been won my many great horses over the years, including one of my favourites in Mysilv!

There are more races in December that you might enjoy, so make sure you check them out.

Check out our Chepstow tips page if you enjoy watching races at Chepstow Racecourse.

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