Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle Betting Tips, Winners & History

Next Race: Thursday, 18th March 2021

The next race is scheduled to run on 18th March 2021. The race info, trends and tips shown below will be updated for the next renewal once the final declarations have been made.

Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle Betting Tips

Note: The following tips are from 2020. Tips for the next renewal will be added once the final declarations have been made.

Locally based handler Jonjo O’Neill boasts the all-time lead in this race with four previous wins – an impressive record considering just how competitive the event invariably is. O’Neill has just the one horse qualified to run in this year’s renewal in the shape of the JP McManus-owned, Dream Berry.

Fans of jockey trends will likely look no further than the current favourite for this year’s race – the Gordon Elliott-trained, The Storyteller. The man in the saddle aboard this previous Cheltenham Festival scorer is a certain Davy Russell who has ridden the winner of this three times in the past four years. It would take a brave punter to oppose the jolly here and for us he certainly looks very tempting.

Recent trends suggest that this may be a young horses race these days, with five of the past seven editions having fallen to a runner aged six or younger. Interestingly only six of this year’s 24-runner field fall into that age bracket and so they will have work to do to improve that current run.

THE STORYTELLER (5/1)

A pretty significant gamble seems to be developing around The Storyteller, and it is not hard to see why. In addition to the Davy Russell factor outlined above, this nine year old hails from the yard of Gordon Elliott who has landed the two most recent editions of this. Age trends speak against him but at nine he is by no means past it and he looks well handicapped here.

Rated 161 over fences at his peak, The Storyteller’s hurdling mark of 149 looks very attractive in comparison, particularly considering he landed the 2018 Brown Advisory and Merriebelle Plate at this meeting off a mark just 2lbs lower.

A huge eyecatcher when hitting the line full of running in sixth spot in his qualifier at Leopardstown in December, he arrives here fresh having been kept off the track since, and looks a major player. He does looks a short enough price at first glance in so competitive a race, but four of the past six editions have been claimed by a runner at a single figure price, and he gets our vote here.

RELEGATE (6/1)

Another contender with solid previous Cheltenham Festival form is the ex-Willie Mullins-trained mare, Relegate. Relatively lightly raced for a seven year old, this daughter of Flemensfirth also prevailed at the 2018 edition of this meeting when coming with a late rattle to cause a 25/1 shock in the Champion Bumper.

She hasn’t really gone on to deliver all that would have been hoped for since that win, but did post an encouraging effort when a staying on fifth over 2m6f in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown on her final start for Mullins in February 2019. Brought back to the track following an absence of 382 days at the back end of February, she qualified for this in fairly comfortable style when fourth at Punchestown for her new handler Colm Murphy. It is reasonable to expect her to strip fitter for that effort here, and it would be no surprise to see her go close.

SIRE DU BERLAIS (6/1)

In what looks to be a very strong race for the Irish, another for the shortlist is the Gordon Elliott-trained defending champion, Sire Du Berlais. Now eight years old, this JP McManus-owned runner fluffed his lines on his first attempt to qualify this season, but made no mistake when staying on into fourth last time out at Warwick.

Getting up close home to score by just a neck in the race 12 months ago, a 7lb higher mark would appear to make things significantly tougher this time around. On watching the 2019 race back though, this son of Poliglote did pretty well to win the race at all having made a significant error early in the race and then been hampered on the bend as they turned for home. The excellent Barry Geraghty takes the ride once again, and a repeat success looks a real possibility, although the extra weight may just prove too much.

KILBRICKEN STORM (12/1)

It wouldn’t be the biggest shock were this to turn into something of a battle between runners to have been previously successful at the 2018 festival, as another to make our shortlist here is 2018 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle winner, Kilbricken Storm. That is a particularly eye-catching piece of form in regard to this race considering the Albert Bartlett is a Grade 1 event held over this very course and distance.

Kilbricken Storm has won just the once since that success – during an aborted chase career – but has been showing signs in his recent efforts that he may be coming to the boil at just the right time for this.

A sixth placed finish to Stayers Hurdle king, Paisley Park in the Cleeve Hurdle here was a respectable enough effort, as was his third in a qualifier for this last time out at Haydock. That race turned into something of a sprint in the end, which would have been all against this dour stayer, and with a strong pace assured here, he is fancied to go close. He certainly appeals each way at a double figure price and may find it easier at this sort of level.