Tips For The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle 2022 – Winning Trends?

The Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, known for sponsorship purposes as the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, is a Grade 3 race open to horses aged four years.

It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong.

Throughout the race there are eight hurdles to be jumped and it usually takes around four minutes to complete.

Paul Nicholls and Gordon Elliott have won the race three times apiece so it often pays to look at anything they may target here.

None of the previous seventeen winners of this race had ever raced at the course prior to winning this and the vast majority of the winners have never placed in a class one race before.

Jockeys to avoid in this race in particular are Tom Scudamore (0-11) and Daryl Jacob (0-10).

Willie Mullins, Alan King, Philip Hobbs and Gary Moore have tried and failed to win this race on multiple occasions with multiple runners.

 

Previous Winners of the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

Runners To Watch

Below are selected runners who hold entries for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle 2022.

Karl Hedley provides some recent form notes to help point you in the right direction of identifying the winner.

GAELIC WARRIOR – WILLIE MULLINS

Gaelic Warrior has been a plunge horse for this race despite never having run a race in the UK or Ireland.

He has also never won any race although he only been tested on heavy ground on three occasions at Auteuil when trained by Lageneste and Macaire.

He has it all to prove and is only as short because of his new connections.

Willie Mullins has never trained the winner of this race and to assume he will with this inexperienced German bred gelding is a stretch.

THE TIDE TURNS – GORDON ELLIOTT

The Tide Turns won well in a maiden hurdle at Punchestown and got the better of HMS Seahorse on that occasion.

Since then he has run well in much loftier company including when only beaten eight lengths by Vauban in a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival.

This will be nowhere near as tough as that assignment and he has to come into the reckoning.

Gordon Elliott has trained three of the last nine winners of this race and he looks to be the stable first string for this.

CHAMPION GREEN – JOSEPH O’BRIEN

Champion Green got off the mark at the fourth attempt when winning a maiden hurdle at Naas last time out.

He has plenty of experience in big fields which will suit him and the yard won this with Band Of Outlaws for the same owner (JP McManus) back in 2019.

He is following an identical path as Band Of Outlaws as he also won at Naas prior to winning this race.

This looks like connections have planned this to a tee and Champion Green cannot be ignored.

BRAZIL – PADRAIG ROCHE

Brazil seems to have it all to do to reverse recent form with The Tide Turns.

He was beaten fair and square by the Gordon Elliott runner back in January when the pair faced off against one another at Punchestown.

Brazil clearly benefited from the experience as he has come out to shed that maiden status subsequently.

Mark Walsh is back in the saddle for the JP McManus owned four-year-old. Needs to improve again for sure.

HMS SEAHORSE – PAUL NOLAN

HMS Seahorse was a useful sort on the flat for Aiden O’Brien although he never lost his maiden in that sphere.

He was then switched to the yard of Paul Nolan by new connections and he has run three consistent races since.

He gained a first ever career success at Fairyhouse last month where he saw off Global Export and that form has been franked by the runner-up since as he won at Navan next time out.

He is still a big baby with any amount of improvement to come and dangerous to dismiss.

SAINT SEGAL – JANE WILLIAMS

Saint Segal is best when there is a bit of good in the going description.

The only time he has been found wanting was on soft ground at Chepstow where he was beaten eight lengths by the well regarded Porticello.

That run has been sandwiched between two wins at Bangor and Warwick where he was impressive on both occasions.

The form was given a nice boost by Thunder Ahead who won next time out at Doncaster.

This will be the largest field that Saint Segal has ever faced and that may just compromise him.

Chester Williams is likely to ride and he has a good relationship with the horse.

BELL EX ONE – PAUL NICHOLLS

Bell Ex One is an interesting recruit to the team at Ditcheat and is untested in GB.

He is a dual purpose horse and had some excellent flat form in his native Ireland when trained by Ray Cody.

He has as yet to make his debut for Paul Nicholls but the trainer has a good recent record in this race as he won it with Qualando (2015) and Diego du Charmil (2016).

The latter won this race on his debut for Paul Nicholls so if Bell Ex One lines up, he is one to take note of.

Ticks The Right Boxes?

2022 Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Tips & Key Trends

This is about as wide open as it gets but a speculative chance is taken on CHAMPION GREEN.

Joseph O’Brien seems to have a plan in mind for this son of The Gurkha. He has plenty of experience in big fields and that is probably deliberate to give him the necessary experience for a race of this calibre.

HMS Seahorse is an interesting recruit from the flat who seems to be getting better on each start for Paul Nolan and he too looks likely to go well.

Key Trends

• 6 of the past 11 winners ran in a Grade 1 or Grade 2 earlier in the season
• 10 of the seventeen winners had exactly three runs
• 8 of the seventeen winners won last time out

Odds With Betfred – correct at time of publication

• 9/4 Gaelic Warrior
• 13/2 The Tide Turns
• 8/1 Brazil
• 11/1 Champion Green
• 12/1 Hms Seahorse
• 14/1 Ebasari
• 16/1 Doctor Brown Bear
• 33/1 Bell Ex One