Fred Winter Boodles Handicap Hurdle Predictions, Betting Tips & Odds (Cheltenham 2025 - DAY 1)
- Written by David Bet
The Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle is a competitive race run over two miles and 110 yards, a race for four year olds and first season jumpers just starting out on their national hunt careers. The 2024 winner was Lark In The Mornin (9/1) for trainer Joseph O'Brien and jockey J J Slevin. Find here a complete 2025 Boodles Handicap Hurdle race preview, our free predictions and tips, key trends, best odds, free bets, no deposit bonuses and bookie promotions.
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FRED WINTER HANDICAP HURDLE BETTING PREVIEW
The Fred Winter Hurdle is one of the toughest races to win at the Cheltenham Festival. It's a Grade 3 Handicap Hurdle covering two miles and about half a furlong, for horses aged four. This is a very tough race for horse racing punters as their are generally over 20 runners and it is a handicap. Furthermore, this race is all about horses that are improving for each run as they are just novices at the smaller obstacles.
And now we take a closer look at this year's Fred Winter Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle and try to determine which horse is likely to prevail.
Who will win the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle 2025?
STENCIL had some good form over in France winning 2 from 3 and has been installed as odds-on favourite after an eye-catching run behind East India Dock on Trials Day. JP McManus moved to purchase Stencil following his second win over hurdles in France and James Reveley's mount didn't run badly in a Grade Three on his final outing on French soil. An opening mark of 135 looks lenient and if he settles better and jumps well then that is half the battle.
Gavin Cromwell's TOTAL LOOK has impressed on his three hurdles runs in Ireland. He finished second two and a half lengths behind Beyond Your Dreams at Navan in November before beating Slurricane at Fairyhouse on his subsequent outing. A mistake at the last cost Total Look in the Triumph Hurdle trial at Cheltenham. He has course form, he jumps pretty well, and his run last time was eye-catching to say the least.
Joseph O'Brien's BEYOND YOUR DREAMS, who has won on the Flat, has shown plenty of talent thus far over obstacles, finishing second in her first two hurdling starts, before beating Slurricane in a Fairyhouse maiden in December. He will be coming into this race fresh and completely unexposed, with the scope for further improvement.
Willie Mullins' WILLY DE HOUELLE was well-backed for the Triumph when he arrived in Ireland but has failed to live up to his Grade One billing in three starts since.
MURCIA has plenty of weight in the Fred Winter but has run a couple of eye-catching races. won a listed hurdle in France last June on her final run there. She was a little disappointing on her first run for Willie in the Grade 2 juvenile hurdle at Leopardstown at Christmas, but she was much better in a rated novice hurdle at Naas last month on her second. She stayed on well to take second place, just a neck behind Bacchanalian, who won a Grade 3 race two weeks later.With Rachael Blackmore on board, she could be an interesting long-shot option.
PUTURHANDSTOGETHER got off the mark over hurdles on his second start at Cork in December. Hetravelled powerfully throughout and found an extra gear after the last to hold off TURN AND FINISH, a subsequent winner for Harry Derham.
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Dark horses?
TORRENT was not disgraced when finishing an eighteen lengths third to East India Dock in the Triumph Trial earlier in the season. While he has eighteen lengths to find with Stencil on their last outing, a subsequent 9lbs swing in the weights aids in that respect and on a collateral piece of earlier form with East India Dock, he’d only have a length to find with Stencil.
SONY BILL finished around eight lengths adrift of Hello Neighbour, a leading contender for the Triumph Hurdle, on a couple of occasions this term and he is very interesting on handicap debut off a mark of 136.
HOT FUSS ran to a good level in his sixteen starts on the flat prior to making his hurdling debut at Wincanton where he ran a promising race in defeat. He got off the mark next time at Sandown but he was a bit disappointing in the Finale at Chepstow on his last start over hurdles.
OUT FOR A STROLL, TERIFERMA, LIAM SWAGGER, WENDROCK, HOLY SEE and SLURRICANE are other horses with top 3 ambitions.
Latest Odds
At the moment, the most backed horses are the following:
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FRED WINTER HANDICAP HURDLE TRENDS
- Only 1 of the last 14 winners were favourites/joint favourites
- Only 1 of the 19 winners were the top weight
- 7 of the last 13 winners had an SP of 25/1 or more
- 9 of the last 20 winners won last time out
- Only 3 winners had run in a handicap hurdle before
- 10 of the last 14 winners all came from the bottom half of the weights/handicap
- 10 of the last 20 winners started their careers in France
- 9 of the last 13 winners were rated 125-134
BOODLES JUVENILE HANDICAP HURDLE PREDICTIONS
Don't miss our free predictions on the Fred Winter Boodles Handicap Hurdle 2025. Feel free to copy our Cheltenham Festival expert predictions and get the best odds available offered by our recommended bookmakers by clicking the 'Bet' button!
Ruby Walsh's Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle Tips
Cheltenham Festival’s winning-most jockey turned TV pundit Ruby Walsh have shared his tips."Paul Townend rides Sonny Bill, and he has a chance. Neither of Willie’s horses looks particularly well handicapped, but the drying ground will help Murcia. I fancy BEYOND YOURD REAMS, who has the cheekpieces on, and that will sharpen up her jumping. That has been her Achilles heel so far. She has a great chance."
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2025 BOODLES HANDICAP HURDLE FAQs
What time is the Boodles Handicap Hurdle?
The Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle (renamed Boodles Juvenile Hurdle) is the 6th race run on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival. That falls on Tuesday March 11, 2025 and the official starting time is 4:40pm.
How many obstacles are jumped in the Boodles Handicap Hurdle?
There are 8 obstacles to jump for the Boodles Handicap Hurdle runners
What is the distance of the Boodles Handicap Hurdle?
The Boodles Handicap Hurdle is run on a distance of 2 miles and 87 yards
What is the prize money for the Boodles Handicap Hurdle?
The total prize money on offer for the Boodles Handicap Hurdle at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival will be around £80,000.
Who won the Boodles Handicap Hurdle last year?
Last year's renewal was won by JLark In The Mornin at SP of 9/1, trained by Joseph O'Brien and ridden by J J Slevin.
What weights are carried for the Boodles Handicap Hurdle?
Top weight – 11st 10lbs down to the bottom weight – 10st
Who is the leading jockey in the Boodles Handicap Hurdle?
Only Mark Walsh (2020 and 2022) and J J Slevin (2019 and 2024) have won the race more than once in the last 12 years.
Who is the leading trainer in the Boodles Handicap Hurdle?
Gordon Elliott has won three of the last seven editions and four in all. Paul Nicholls has trained three winners in the race, courtesy of Sanctuaire (2010), Qualando (2015) and Diego Du Charmil (2016). Joseph O'Brien has two winners (2019 and 2024). It is one of the few Cheltenham Festival races that Willie Mullins has yet to win.
