Run under various titles in the past, the Greatwood Hurdle is a two-mile, half-a-furlong handicap hurdle race (Grade 3) with its origins going back to 1987 when Celtic Shot was the first winner of the event. It is run each year during Cheltenham’s second meeting of the season, the November Meeting in the middle of that month, with the 2021 edition due to take place on Sunday 14th.
Many future Cheltenham Festival runners have used the Greatwood as a season-starting prep race, most notably for the Champion Hurdle but also for races such as the County Hurdle or even the Supreme Novices’. While only one winner in recent times has gone on to Festival glory, this remains a race of great importance when assessing Cheltenham form overall.
Back in 2002 Philip Hobbs’ Rooster Booser, at eight years old the oldest horse to have won the Greatwood in the last 20 years, went on from his win in this race to score in the Champion Hurdle itself when scorching away by 11 lengths under Richard Johnson to record a famous and very popular victory.
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The key thing to remember is that this is a handicap hurdle, so while the above list will show that for the majority of the better horses this is used as a Champion Hurdle trial, it can in fact be won by a horse lower in the weights who will not be aimed very high at the Festival.
Prevailing trends can help you find the winner of big betting races like the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham. Stats are no guarantee of course, but you are more likely to make better informed decisions knowing them. Don’t forget to use Boylesports Cheltenham specials or the likes to increase your benefit and/or reduce risks. Here are some for the Greatwood Hurdle you should know:
7 places7 places
7 placesBetfred are paying 7 places on Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Wednesday, 14:50).
+4 places on Brown Advisory Novices' Chase (Wednesday, 14:10)
+5 places on Glenfarclas Chase (Wednesday, 16:10)
+6 places on Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Wednesday, 16:50)
+4 places on Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Wednesday, 17:30)
Odds 1/5, Full t&c apply.
7 placesDay 1:
Ultima Handicap Chase - 6 places
Juvenile Handicap Hurdle - 5 places
Day 2:
Coral Cup - 6 places
Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase - 4 places
Grand Annual Challenge Cup - 5 places
Champion Bumper - 5 places
Day 3:
Pertemps Network Final - 6 places
Plate Handicap Chase - 5 places
Mares' Novices' Hurdle - 5 places
Kim Muir Handicap Chase - 5 places
Back a horse in a race with Each Way+ and get enhanced place terms or an extra place. Earn yourself a bigger EW payout or gain some extra insurance on your EW bets. 888Sport will pay out an extra place on selected Cheltenham 2022 Races. 18+, T&Cs apply.
Day 2
14:10, The Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase - 4 places at 1/5
14:50, The Coral Cup - 6 places at 1/5
16:10, The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase - 4 places at 1/5
16:50, Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase - 5 places at 1/5
17:30, The Weatherbys Champion Bumper - 4 places at 1/5
Money BackThe Shunter, one of the Irish raiders in the 2020 Greatwood Hurdle, landed a gamble on rain softened ground. After being bigger prices the night before and opening at 10/1, the money was down Emmet Mullins’ charge as he was backed into a 13/2 chance off bottom weight. Robbie Power looked to be in trouble aboard this horse at one stage when he lost ground at the third last, but he soon rallied and led on the run-in before pulling clear up the Cheltenham hill. At the line, The Shunter was a comfortable three-length victor over topweight Ballyandy, who once again ran a mighty race under a welter burden for father-son team Sam and Nigel Twiston-Davies at 8/1.
They finished just ahead of the 4/1 favourite Tegerek from the Jonjo O’Neill stable, who was in turn another three lengths clear of Olly Murphy trained veteran Hunters Call in fourth at 16/1. Ante post favourite Edwardstone (returned at a 13/2 starting price) kept on into fifth for Alan King, but stable companion and previous Greatwood Hurdle winner Harambe came to grief when still in with a chance at the last. That hampered Paul Nicholls’ 9/1 hope Sir Psycho. While 10 of the 14-runner field (17 were declared, but three horses pulled out because of the going) finished the race, 5/1 second-favourite Proschema was one of three to pull-up with his chance blunted by the testing ground.
Harambe took a big step forward from his disappointing return to action when seventh in the Persian War at Chepstow by getting compensation in the Greatwood Hurdle. Tom Bellamy was back aboard him for the first time in almost a year and held him up towards the rear. Harambe, returned at odds of 16/1 was fourth jumping the last but ran on superbly up the famous Cheltenham hill and came with a late swoop, just touching off the rallying 9/1 chance Gumball from the Philip Hobbs stable by a neck. This gave trainer Alan King a second winner of the Greatwood Hurdle in the space of three seasons.
It was a further neck back to Monsieur Lecoq (9/1) for mother-daughter duo Jane Williams and Lizzie Kelly in third, while Welsh raider Quoi De Neuf (7/1) was behind in fourth for trainer Evan Williams and Adam Wedge. Nicky Henderson’s JP McManus owned mare, Dame De Compagnie (6/1) ran an eye-catching fifth but may need further than the extended two-mile trip of the Greatwood Hurdle. Benny’s Bridge, the 9/2 favourite, was never travelling and finished well down the field.
