Grade Two Elite Hurdle Guide 2022

Sceau Royal will be looking to make it three Elite Hurdle’s on the bounce after two ridiculously easy success in this in the last two renewals.

He made a bright start to this season when making light work of Sebastapol in a listed race at Kempton a few weeks ago. He did that without coming off the bridle so he should have improved for his blow last time out.

He is top class graded horse who’s won a bucketful of good prizes including at G1 level. He should be very hard to beat in this.

Milkwood is without a win since April 2021 now, but he ran quite well last time out on his reappearance.

Milkwood has always been a very decent performer – he’s taken some nice pots but he’s been in and out for the last few seasons, he will need to maintain some form before he’s ready to pick up a prize like this.

He ran second of five last time out at Ffos Las, behind Effernock Fizz, and frankly that form is a million miles off what’s needed here. He has work to do.

Knight Salute was a very useful Juvenile last year, he won six of his seven races, including a success in the G1 Jewson Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle at the Aintree Festival from Pied Piper.

That was originally a dead-heat but he got it in the Steward’s room. They pulled well clear of Boodles winner Brazil back in third and the pair represented solid juvenile form lines – they were the right horses involved.

He made his return to racing a few weeks ago at Cheltenham, where Pied Piper managed to get the better of him by the best part of three lengths, he just appeared to outclass Knight Salute there.

With that under his belt, he may have a chance, but Sceau Royal sets the bar very high.

Knappers Hill came back to form last time out when getting the better of Lord Baddesley in a handicap hurdle at Chepstow.

He didn’t have the best of Spring’s as they go, and he was outclassed in a few Graded contests.

He is a very useful horse though, and he’s seemingly coming back into some form, but he has a lot of work on to get the better of Sceau Royal here, who’s made this race his own in recent years.

Tough task on the figures.