Poniros springs a 100/1 surprise in the Triumph Hurdle

Ruby Walsh hits out at changes to Triumph Hurdle qualification

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Sat September 20, 2025 · 3M ago

Ruby Walsh has blasted the change to the jumps programme that would have prevented last year’s winner Poniros from running in the JCB Triumph Hurdle.

From now on horses in all Grade One novice and juvenile hurdles must have a rating of at least 110 or the BHA handicapper to deem they have run to that rating on at least one start.

Last season Willie Mullins ran three unraced hurdlers in the Triumph including the shock 100/1 winner.

Speaking on Friday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast the former jockey said: “I think it’s crazy. There were horses in the 1950s who won Triumph Hurdles who’d never run over hurdles. I think it’s reactionary. Ultimately, I was of the belief that what you want at any Festival or in any horse race is the best horses taking part.

“I don’t get this, it’s reactionary and why would you try and stop good horses running in races which is ultimately what they’re trying to do?”

“You look at field sizes and think of what the Triumph was before the Fred Winter. So pre the Fred Winter the average field size in the Triumph was between 25 and 26 runners.

"So you bring in the Fred Winter and that (average) drops between 2005 and 2009 to 19. Between 2010 and 2014 it dropped to just over 18 then in the next five years it dropped to just over 13 and in the last six years it has dropped to just over 12.

“You bring in the new rules, and the one I Iove is the bit of form the handicapper says is good enough (to allow you run). How does the handicapper know one run is good enough? Isn't that why there’s the stipulation you need three runs to get a mark?

“Now we’re going to give the handicapper the power to say a horse is good enough with one run, we’re changing more rules, and when you bring in this rule and eliminate horses, the new rule would bring the field size in the Triumph Hurdle down to just over ten runners on current trends."

And Walsh insists Poniros isn't an outlier - a freak occurrence in the four-year-old championship.

“They (the Mullins trio in 2025) weren’t the first horses Willie Mullins ran in a Triumph Hurdle who hadn’t had a run. The year before he had Salvator Mundi who was having his first run who wouldn’t have met the criteria, neither would Ethical Diamond.

“When you look at this it would have eliminated Il Etait Temps from running in the Triumph Hurdle, it would have eliminated Dodging Bullets. Mind you, they’re giving the handicapper the discretion now to say you’ve had one run and you’re good enough and should be rated over 110. But will the handicapper actually give the horse a mark or is that just in his opinion they're good enough to run in a Triumph Hurdle?

"That’s just too cloudy, that’s just too grey, you can go off one run. I don't agree with that, I think that makes things too murky. I don’t know why they needed to change anything."

Salvator Mundi - ran in the Triumph

Other changes announced by the BHA include a significant number of novice handicap chases being removed to make way for beginner or novice chases will which will be Class 3 events worth at least £12,000.

The Junior National Hunt Hurdles programme is tweaked, with the first races scheduled later in the year to give horses a little longer to develop, penalties for winners not being carried into a horse’s future career and non-winners permitted to drop back to Junior National Hunt Flat races.

The programme has also been extended by another three years.

Tom Byrne, BHA Head of Racing and Betting, said: “There’s a recognition across our industry about the importance of growing the number of horses – and particularly high-quality horses – that are bred, owned, trained and raced in Britain.

“Central to this is ensuring that developmental pathways exist so that we are nurturing future talent and, over the longer-term, making sure we are competitive at the top level.

“The changes being introduced for the Jump season are primarily geared towards improving the quality of racing for our participants and customers, and giving our promising younger horses the right opportunities to help them fulfil their potential over hurdles and fences.

“Like the measures introduced as part of the 2026 fixture list, such as the point-to-point bonus series and additional investment in the Elite Mares’ Scheme, these improvements may take time and require patience before we start to see the true benefits. For instance, the changes to weight-for-age novice chases may well result in some smaller field sizes for these contests in the short-term.

“But we firmly believe that whether it’s refining the novice chase division, requiring our top novice and juvenile hurdlers to show a level of form before competing in Grade 1 contests, or bolstering competition and returns for connections in the North, these are positive steps that can help support the long-term future of British Jumps racing.”

Ruby Walsh hits out at changes to Triumph Hurdle qualification

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