The first of three handicap races on day three at the Cheltenham Festival is the Pertemps Final. Horses earn their chance by securing top six finished in qualifying races staged across Britain and Ireland during the regular season, and the top 24 qualifiers on ratings make the final field.
This year’s contest is looking as open and competitive as ever, and it’s two British challengers who head the current market.
Gordon Elliott’s record in the Pertemps Final is brilliant. From his ten runners, he’s saddled three winners and seven placers. The worst any of his runners have finished is fifth. The Bosses Oscar was identified as Elliott’s Pertemps plot job earlier in the season, and he qualified with a runner-up finished at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Elliott’s three previous winners were all ridden to sneak into the places in their qualifiers, so I was surprised when The Bosses Oscar came so close to beating Dandy Mag. The British Handicapper has tried to quash the plot by handing Elliott’s charge a rating of 151 – a mark some eight-pounds above his Irish rating – and The Bosses Oscar will have to carry top-weight around Cheltenham.
From his many runners in this race, Nicky Henderson has managed just one winner and one placer. Champagne Platinum sits prominently in the market here, despite the fact he’s twice been beaten off lower marks this season and his two previous runs over three miles ended in eight and 11-length defeats.
Imperial Alcazar has always looked a classy sort, and convincingly won his qualifier at Warwick. History will be against Fergal O’Brien’s charge, as winners of qualifying races have a poor record in the final. All of Imperial Alcazar’s best runs have come on very soft ground too, which he won't get on day three of the Cheltenham Festival.
Imperial Alcazar finished three lengths ahead of COME ON TEDDY when they met at Warwick. Tom George’s charge went into that race on the back of a smart victory over three miles at Cheltenham, where Sam Twiston-Davies’ mount sprinted clear after the last to beat On The Blind Side by five lengths.
Come On Teddy may have been getting 23-pounds from the runner-up at the weights, but the Noel Fehily-owned seven-year-old proved he was very well handicapped and that he can deal with the New Course at Cheltenham. A career-best performance would be needed to get involved, but Come On Teddy is a hurdler going in the right direction, and he ticks plenty of boxes.
Spiritofthegames (left) usually runs well around Cheltenham. (Getty)
Having lost his way a little over fences, Dan Skelton decided to throw SPIRITOFTHEGAMES into the final qualifier run in Britain at Chepstow last month. Blackjack Kentucky proved a little too tough to pass in the end, but Skelton will have been encouraged by Spiritofthegames’ performance, as he finished a one-length runner-up.
Spiritofthegames is yet to win around Cheltenham, but he couldn’t have come much closer, finishing just a short-head behind Warthog in last year’s Caspian Caviar Gold Cup, his sixth-placed effort from nine starts around the track. Skelton’s charge also boasts decent Festival form, having placed in both the County Hurdle and the Paddy Power Plate.
I’ve always thought this experienced nine-year-old would make a strong three-miler, and he’s running off a hurdles mark which is four-pounds short of his rating over fences. At 20/1, Spiritofthegames is an attractive each-way proposition.
Verdict
Both Come On Teddy and Spiritofthegames look well-treated and boast valuable course form. 12/1 and 20/1 are good each-way prices.
2021 Pertemps Final Tip 1: Come On Teddy Each-Way @12/1 at bet365 - 8 Units
2021 Pertemps Final Tip 2: Spiritofthegames Each-Way @1/1 at Star Sports - 5 Units
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Spiritofthegames E/W2021 Pertemps Final Tip 2GET 20/1 HERE
