Pertemps Final: Qualifier winners have a terrible record, so who is best placed to take advantage?

The trick to winning the Pertemps Final appears to be finishing in the first four in a qualifier without winning one, highlighted by the fact no winner of this race in the last ten years qualified in a position better than third.

That’s not to say winners of qualifiers can’t follow up at the festival, as Fingal Bay showed in 2014, but the statistics are not in their favour, which doesn’t augur well for Will The Wise, Win Some Lose Some, Catch Him Derry, One Big Bang, Harbour Lake, Henri The Second, Super Survivor, J’Ai Froid, Supreme Gift, Thomas Mor and American Sniper.

Significantly, the first two in that list feature among the handful of those available at single-figure odds. The theory of finding undercooked eyecatchers from the qualifiers still stands, so who looks to have done that well?

The market certainly hasn’t missed one-time Supreme hope Jeriko Du Reponet, who has always been surrounded by a certain amount of hype. He was ridden patiently and stayed on well to take third after a mistake on his first go at this trip at Exeter last month.

The strength of his novice form, notably a defeat of the now 147-rated Lump Sum, makes his mark of 135 look workable, while the fitting of cheekpieces for the first time could keep his mind on the job.

Paul Nolan has previous in this race, winning it in 2021 with Mrs Milner, who was having just her third start at three miles. Similar sentiments apply to his Feet Of A Dancer, who was third behind Jetara in a Listed race in October and qualified for this in that same position behind Win Some Lose Some, having led before a mistake at the last.

He is interesting, as is his stablemate Maxi Mac Gold, who has more experience at the trip. He won a 3m½f maiden hurdle on good ground at Cork in May, yet qualified for this when making Will The Wise pull out all the stops in the mud at Naas last month. A 9lb pull with that rival makes him very interesting, as does the fact his two best performances have come on left-handed, undulating tracks.

It could be fellow Irish trainer Thomas Cooper who lands the spoils, though, as D Art D Art has been much improved as his stamina has been drawn out.

He was third in a Navan handicap that has worked out well before producing a big career-best in qualifying for this over 3m1f at Carlisle last time, when he had subsequent Grade 2 winner Gwennie May Boy back in third.

Cooper has done well with the few runners he has sent to the festival (five top-four finishers from his ten runners since 2009) and, with Tiernan Roche Power’s useful claim offsetting this 5lb higher mark, he has a huge chance.
Analysis by Harry Wilson

Will Plan B bring out the best in Jeriko Du Reponet?

If things had worked out as they were meant to have done, Jeriko Du Reponet would have been contesting one of the novice chases at the Cheltenham Festival this year.

Yet, in a career spanning nearly 50 years, trainer Nicky Henderson has had to deal with plenty of setbacks and changes of plans with his horses. So, here we are, on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival, with Jeriko Du Reponent favourite for the Pertemps Network Final.

The six-year-old only qualified for this race a month ago. Before that, plans for chasing were aborted following a bizarre debut in November when Henderson described getting the normally placid horse ready as “like trying to break in a lion” with the subsequent performance on the track littered with jumping errors.

A quick return to hurdles failed to produce a spark, so after two and a half months off Jeriko Du Reponent was bumped up a mile in trip and ran on late to nab third at Exeter last month.

Jeriko Du Reponet: favourite for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle

Jeriko Du Reponet: favourite for the PertempsCredit: Mark Cranham

Henderson, who also runs Doddiethegreat and Shanagh Bob, is keeping the faith, and said: “Jeriko’s fine and we’ve popped some cheekpieces on him to help him travel a little better through the race. He should be chasing this season, really, but we’ve put that plan back to next year after what happened earlier in the season. I do think he is staying in these races now, so I see no reason why that would be against him.

“Doddie’s in good form and I was very pleased with his run at Haydock. Brian Hughes rode him that day and they seemed to get on well, so we’ve kept him on board. He’ll like the ground and he’ll stay. I like Doddie, I’m looking forward to him.

"Shanagh Bob always went chasing at the start of the year but it’s clear to us that he’s a three-mile hurdler. He’ll like the ground.”

What they say

Charlie Longsdon, trainer of Bugise Seagull
He ran well at Musselburgh last time as it is a track that wouldn’t suit him. If you look at his novice hurdle form I think he’s well overpriced. I would give him a good each-way chance.

Alan King, trainer of Harbour Lake
We've known he's been running in this for the last four months, as he earned a guaranteed spot by winning a qualifier at Aintree last November. He went close on an unsuitably soft surface at Market Rasen last time and was left along through the winter as he doesn't want deep ground. He was a good second at Cheltenham last April and while he's probably not well enough handicapped to win a Pertemps, he's capable of running very well.

Paul Nolan, trainer Feet Of A Dancer
She's a smart mare. She was just too fresh and keen at Leopardstown but if she settles better, I've no doubt she'll stay. She has some decent form in the book and is in good form, and she's very similar to Mrs Milner in her build up to it.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Lucky Lyreen and Patter Merchant
Jack [Kennedy] is on Patter Merchant. Hopefully he's not fully exposed yet and his last two runs have been rock-solid. Lucky Lyreen was just in front of him at Naas last time and goes there with a decent each-way chance, as well.

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Henri The Second
He's excelled in very testing conditions. If it's soft enough he'll run well, but I wouldn't want it to dry out too much. He's been creeping up the handicap. I wouldn't say he's got too much in hand, it might be more realistic once he jumps a fence in a minute, but we'll see.

Gavin Cromwell, trainer of Will The Wise
He's bouncing back quick enough from his Naas run on testing ground and the handicapper has put him up, but he'll appreciate the bit of better ground and that will hopefully bring about a bit of improvement to give him a chance.

Jamie Snowden, trainer of Super Survivor
He won his qualifier at Huntingdon last time and he still looks progressive over hurdles. We're hoping there's still a little bit more to come from him and think he's got a bit more scope to be competitive.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Catch Him Derry
He's got a nice weight and he comes here off a win at Exeter. It's a highly competitive running and will be difficult but I think he'll have an each-way chance.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of Guard The Moon
He's been running well all season. He'd like it softer, but we'll do our best.

Lucy Wadham, trainer of Zain Nights
We’re very pleased he’s got into the race and hopefully the ground will keep drying out as he’s suited to a better surface – it’s what we’ve been waiting for really. We know he handles the track as he ran a really good race there earlier in the season and we think he’s on a competitive mark.
Reporting by Pete Scargill

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