Cleeve Hurdle betting

Keep tabs on all the top 3m hurdlers ahead of the Cheltenham Festival with William Hill’s Cleeve Hurdle betting every January in the Cotswolds.

It’s one of the leading trials for the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival, with Inglis Drever, Big Buck’s (twice), Thistlecrack and Paisley Park all picking up the Cleeve Hurdle on the road to Cheltenham glory.

The race was first run in 1983 over a distance of 2m5f, with John Francome and Al Kuwait claiming the first Cleeve Hurdle spoils for trainer Fred Winter.

Later that decade, the Cleeve Hurdle - or the Bishops Cleeve Hurdle, as it was then known - gained Listed status, and was promoted to Grade 1 level in 1991, with the title shortened to its present form shortly after.

Despite being downgraded to Grade Two status in 2004, the Cleeve Hurdle has gone from strength to strength since, with the trip extended to its present distance of 3m in 2005.

The Cleeve Hurdle has been well-subscribed in recent years, with 15 runners entered in the 2017 renewal, which was won by Harry Fry’s 10/11 favourite Unowhatimeanharry.

Favourites do well here, but there have been one or two upsets in the Cleeve Hurdle betting markets of late, including George Charlton’s 66/1 shocker Knockara Beau in 2014, the 11-year-old winning the race at the third attempt.

Cleeve Hurdle betting - trainers to watch

Paul Nicholls has solid past form in the Cleeve Hurdle, taking the race twice with Big Buck’s in 2009 and 2012, and then again with Saphir Du Rheu in 2015.

Nicholls’ well of staying hurdlers seems to have run dry for now, with the Gloucestershire handler struggling to muster a viable Cleeve Hurdle contender since his last success, but any future Ditcheat entrants should be closely monitored.

Agrapart gave Nick Williams his second Cleeve Hurdle in 2018, the 9/1 shot adding to Reve De Sivola’s victory as 15/8 favourite five years earlier.

Williams entered Reve De Sivola into the Cleeve Hurdle on three further occasions, with the gelding losing by just a neck to Saphir Du Rheu in 2015.

Colin Tizzard saddled Thistlecrack for a Cleeve Hurdle success in 2016 and has had a few interesting runners since including 20/1 shot West Approach, 12l runner-up to Emma Lavelle’s impressive 10/3 favourite Paisley Park in 2019.

Mistinguett gave Nigel Twiston-Davies a taste of Cleeve Hurdle success back in 1998, and the Naunton trainer clearly hasn’t given up hope of repeating that triumph, with 2018 runner-up Wholestone coming closest in recent years.

Cleeve Hurdle betting - jockeys to watch

Tom Scudamore clearly knows how to steer home a Cleeve Hurdle favourite, having landed the spoils aboard David Pipe’s 2/1 jolly Grands Crus in 2011, and 4/5 hotpot Thistlecrack five years later.

Scudamore has a fine record in the Cleeve Hurdle, finishing second with Pipe’s 13/2 shot Dynaste in 2012 and landing the runner-up spot again aboard Tizzard’s 20/1 outsider West Approach in 2019.

Richard Johnson steered Inglis Drever to Cleeve Hurdle success in 2008, and repeated the feat aboard Reve De Sivola five years later, but the best result the Herefordshire native has managed since was fourth aboard 4/1 shot Ballyoptic in 2017.

Barry Geraghty endured a series of Cleeve Hurdle disappointments, including finishing second by a neck on Nicky Henderson’s Oscar Whiskey in 2013, before making amends aboard Unowhatimeanharry in 2017.

Lizzie Kelly’s only previous Cleeve Hurdle ride prior to taking the prize with Agrapart in 2018 came aboard the 12-year-old Reve De Sivola a year earlier, finishing ninth of 15 at 66/1, while Paisley Park rider Aidan Coleman’s win was achieved on his debut in the race.

Cleeve Hurdle betting trends to follow

Knockara Beau became the oldest horse to take the Cleeve Hurdle in the race’s history at 11-years-old in 2014, but the trend has been moving towards younger challengers of late.

Only one nine-year-old has won the Cleeve Hurdle since, with horses aged 6-8 usually stealing the limelight.

Cleeve Hurdle favourites have done well of late - surprisingly so given fields have stretched up to 13 runners - with over half going onto justify their status in the past decade.

All recent Cleeve Hurdle winners had at least one run at Cheltenham under their belts going into the race, with most previously experiencing victory at the track.

Good form is a must ahead of the Cleeve Hurdle, with the majority of winners going into the race off the back of victory last time out.

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