2023 Greatwood Hurdle Tips
There are lots of potential winners when it comes to the Greatwood Hurdle, with Nicky Henderson saddling a couple of the leading contenders. Under Control runs in the green and gold of JP McManus, while Iberico Lord and Luccia might also take their place in the field, with all three capable of running well at Cheltenham Racecourse.
However, many think Nemean Lion is the one to beat and Kerry Lee trains who finished the previous National Hunt season with a win at Kelso before returning to the track to land the spoils at Ffos Las. The latter victory was in the Welsh Champion Hurdle where the horse was able to secure a one and a half length over two miles and the horse showed lots of staying power.
Knickerbockerglory has to be respected after a smart win at Ascot in early November, with the Dan Skelton-trained runner able to triumph by over four lengths. There was plenty to like about this performance which came after the horse had previously been seen running on soft ground in the Land and Sea Handicap Hurdle at Aintree Racecourse.
Gin Coco also ran in the Welsh Champion Hurdle and has twelve lengths to find on Nemean Lion after that performance, with the horse flattering to deceive at the Cheltenham Festival. Fifteenth place in the County Hurdle was underwhelming although the horse did finish second in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle last season.
2022 Greatwood Hurdle Tips
There has already been some Cheltenham odds moves, with Sonigino trading as the racing favourite to win the Greatwood Hurdle, having landed a couple of eye-catching wins. This is a horse that is part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson and there have been victories at Chepstow on 26 October and 7 October which have seen the Greatwood odds shorten.
Harry Cobden rode the horse to victory in a handicap hurdle at the end of last month when being sent off as the 4/5 favourite, with a thirteen-length win proving to be impressive over two miles. Previously to this, there had been a victory over a similar distance and many horse racing punters will be looking at this selection as an each-way bet to nothing.
Dads Lad is an experienced seven-year-old who could make an outing in the 2022 Greatwood Hurdle betting market, with Willie Mullins having seen his runner claim a 7/2 victory on 22 October when winning a handicap chase. The fact that this was at Cheltenham Racecourse means that he has course and distance.
Nicholls also has Hackers Des Places and the five-year-old looks quite severely handicapped, with the horse paying the price for a second-placed finish in the Bateaux London Handicap Hurdle over nearly two miles. There was also a victory at Aintree in the Park Palace Ponies Handicap Hurdle at Aintree Racecourse.
2021 Greatwood Hurdle Betting Tips
The 2021 Greatwood Hurdle takes place on Sunday 14 November, with a maximum of twenty horses set to run at Cheltenham as part of the November Meeting, with some of the previous winners being Nietzsche, Harambe and The Shunter. This is often a barometer for horses that could go on to compete in one of the many hurdle races which comprise the four-day Cheltenham Festival.
Buzz Could Be Horse to Beat in Greatwood Hurdle
Buzz is trained by Nicky Henderson and has the highest official rating out of any horse that is currently entered for the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle. The seven-year-old has some solid form in the book and there are reasons for expecting a big run. Not least because the horse has outstanding flat form which saw him win the Together For Racing International Cesarewitch Handicap recently.
The same horse was also impressive when finishing second behind Abacadabras in the Betway Aintree Hurdle, with the runner also in contention for a long time during the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury Racecourse.
Who Are the Other Greatwood Hurdle Favourites?
Adagio looks set to line up in the 2021 Greatwood Hurdle, with David Pipe having a talented four-year-old on his hands and there is clearly scope for improvement. The horse ran very well when finishing second in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at 10/1 and there was no disgrace finishing behind Quilixios in that particular race.
Previously to this, the Pipe runner was sent off as second favourite in the Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree before finding market leader Monmiral too good for him, although this is a horse that does have wins on the board at Chepstow and Cheltenham.
Christopher Wood has already made an appearance during the current National Hunt season, with Paul Nicholls having a number of leading contenders although this horse finished third in a Novices’ Chase at Sedgefield, with Wild Max another runner for this trainer and he will look to recover after failing to finish his previous two races.
Who Are the Favourites to Win the 2020 Greatwood Hurdle?
Edwardstone is the William Hill favourite to win this renewal, with the six-year-old last seen running at the Cheltenham Festival before lockdown put paid to the remainder of the National Hunt racing season.
The horse outran his odds of 25/1 to finish sixth in a typically competitive Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, with Alan King now keeping him over hurdles and hoping that the runner can produce another spirited performance at the same track.
Thyme White finished well down the pecking order at the Cheltenham Festival when running in the Boodles Juveniles Handicap, although the Paul Nicholls-trained charge produced an excellent recent performance at Chepstow to win a four-year-old hurdle and announce his credentials for this game.
Tea Clipper was also a recent victory at Chepstow Racecourse and landed a Grade 3 win in the Wasdell Group Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle over a longer distance of two miles and three furlongs. That suggests that this horse will have plenty of staying power when it comes to this Cheltenham encounter.
Trainer Hughie Morrison could have Not So Sleepy lining up in this race and the horse was pulled up in the 2020 Champion Hurdle although has found noticeable improvement since then and won a race at Pontefract this season before finishing a creditable fourth in the Cesarewitch Handicap.
The History of the Greatwood Hurdle
The Greatwood Hurdle is open to any horse aged four or older, with this National Hunt encounter being named after a charity that is responsible for the welfare of retired race horses. It has also had a number of other sponsors including Stan James and the Racing Post.
Trainer Alan King has scored a couple of notable recent victories including Harambe in 2019 and Elgin in 2017, with legendary horses such as Rooster Booster and Sizing Europe also on the winners’ rostrum through the years.
Indeed, the Greatwood Hurdle is regarded as a race where horses can often kick on and run in the Champion Hurdle the following March when it comes to the Cheltenham Festival, with runners needing a strong amount of pace and stamina in order to do well.
The Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle takes place on Sunday 17 November, with a maximum of twenty-four horses allowed to line up for an encounter which takes place over a distance of two miles and half a furlong.
The Greatwood is always a wide open contest and this year’s renewal promises to be no different. William Hill have Sebastopol as their 10/1 favourite and the Tom Lacey horse looks an interesting runner for this race.
The five-year-old won at Wincanton in October and we might expect Nico de Boinville to be given the ride again, although much depends on whether Nicky Henderson calls upon his number one jockey.
Speaking of Henderson, Rathhill will go to Cheltenham and enjoy a first run of the season, with the six-year-old having had nearly a year off the racecourse and he’s currently available at 12/1.
It’s possible that Rathhill will need this run and it’s clear that the trainer has got high hopes, although Fusil Raffles could be even more exciting and the latter has the advantage of winning a top class race as recently as May.
The four-year-old won a Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown recently, with the horse showing a good turn of foot to beat Fakir D’oudairies and the horse’s odds has been cut with several bookmakers although William Hill continue to offer 14/1.
Adjali and Countister are other Henderson horses that could make it a strong race for the leading trainer, although Brain Power is a more interesting entrant and the experienced eight-year-old is currently a 20/1 and has a track record when it comes to running at Cheltenham.
Indeed, we really need to be looking for a horse that is going to stay the trip at this course considering the undulations that exist, with that gruelling finish up the hill often having a bearing on the outcome of the race.
Benny’s Bridge will be bidding to follow up an October win at Cheltenham by returning to the same track and running a big race and we’re always keen to back horses that have the course and distance in the bag.
The horse went off as the 5/2 favourite when winning the Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, with trainer Fergal O’Brien looking to get another tune out of the six-year-old.
Philip Hobbs has the talented Gumball and the five-year-old ran fairly well when finishing third at Market Rasen, although further improvement will be needed if the horse is to finish in the frame.
Monsieur Lecoq runs for a smaller stable although the Jane Williams-trained charge has a win under his belt ahead of the Greatwood, while others to be respected are Red Force One and Ecco.
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