Bumper winner Relegate makes cut as handicappers grapple with Irish form

The 2018 Champion Bumper winner Relegate has been guaranteed a run back at the Cheltenham Festival in the Pertemps Network Final thanks to both the weather and the BHA handicapper revising her handicap rating.

The seven-year-old, a best-priced 14-1 for the Thursday handicap hurdle, is rated 132 in Ireland but BHA hurdle handicapper Andrew Mealor reviewed her runs over hurdles this season, including over three miles at Punchestown last week, and added another 5lb to take her rating to 137. The ratings hike leaves her 24th in the handicap for the £100,000 race, which has a 24-runner limit.

The loss of a number of meetings has also contributed to trainer Colm Murphy getting the green light as the race has just 40 entries after Pertemps qualifiers were lost to the wet and windy weather in recent weeks.

Mealor's fellow BHA handicapper Martin Greenwood faced a similar quandary with the handicap chasers but was spared difficult decisions over Glenloe, who was ruled out of the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase with an injury, and Early Doors, who was not qualified to run.

Greenwood added: "Generally speaking I have the biggest problem with the Irish novice chasers as not everyone knows that they go back to a rating of zero when starting over fences, whatever they've done over hurdles.

"That has made the Northern Trust Company Novices' Handicap Chase the hardest for me this year, and a few [of 18 entries from Ireland] are higher than their Irish ratings. We have to look at them and they have to qualify under our rules.

"We don't get many complaints from the Irish trainers and if you look back at the last five festivals, with 50 handicaps run, the Irish have won 24 and the British 26."

There was one curio at Cheltenham as the weights were announced on Wednesday for the ten handicaps at next month's festival and that was also in the 2m4f novice handicap chase.

The race is restricted to novice chasers rated 0-145 but topweight Southfield Stone is rated 146 and therefore has been allotted 11st 11lb, 1lb in advance of a group of five rated 145.

Southfield Stone (Bryony Frost, far side) jumps the last upsides winner Who Dares Wins in the Grade 2 Pendil Novices' Chase at Kempton on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Greenwood explained: "He was eligible for the race as he was rated 144 when entries closed, but he was raised 2lb for finishing second to Who Dares Wins at Kempton on Saturday before the weights cane out today."

This year's Ultima Handicap Chase has the potential to prove a cut above its Grade 3 status with Vinndication set to carry top weight of 11st 12lb and a rating above 140 needed to make the field of 24.

Greenwood added: "The cut-off to make this race has been steadily rising. It was 134 three years ago, then 137 and 140 last year, but 140 is 60th on this year's entry at the moment, so it looks like being a bit higher again.

"The five who chased home Beware The Bear last year are in the entries."

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