Pertemps Final

The Pertemps Final is one of the most competitive staying hurdle races of the season and takes place at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

In order to qualify for the final, a horse must finish in the first six in one of a series of qualifiers held throughout the winter. The race is a handicap over three miles and was upgraded from listed to Grade 3 status in 2018.

Find out more about the Pertemps Final:

Pertemps Final Race Overview

The Pertemps Final is a hurdle race for horses aged five and up.

This Grade Three National Hunt hurdle is run over a distance of around 3 miles on the New Course at Cheltenham, and there are twelve hurdles to jump during the race.

It is a handicap race that takes place every year in March during the Cheltenham Festival.

Pertemps Final 2022 Odds

The 2022 odds for the Pertemps Final are listed below:

• Sporting John – 8-1
• Alaphilippe – 7-1
• Dunboyne – 8-1
• Sire Du Berlais – 6-1
• Folcano – 12-1
• The Big Galloper 14-1
• Rightplacerightime – 14-1
• Tullybeg – 14-1
• Dallas Des Pictons – 14-1
• The Jam Man – 14-1

Pertemps Final Previous Winners

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer
2012	Cape Tribulation	8	Denis O’Regan	Malcolm Jefferson
2013	Holywell	6	Richie McLernon	Jonjo O’Neill
2014	Fingal Bay	8	Richard Johnson	Philip Hobbs
2015	Call The Cops	6	Andrew Tinkler	Nicky Henderson
2016	Mall Dini	6	Davy Russell	Pat Kelly
2017	Presenting Percy	6	Davy Russell	Pat Kelly
2018	Delta Work	5	Davy Russell	Gordon Elliott
2019	Sire Du Berlais	7	Barry Geraghty	Gordon Elliott
2020	Sire Du Berlais	8	Barry Geraghty	Gordon Elliott
2021	Mrs Milner	6	Bryan Cooper	Paul Nolan
2022	Third Wind	8	Tom O’Brien	Hughie Morrison

Famous Pertemps Final Winners

The Pertemps Final was formerly known as the Coral Golden Hurdle until its current sponsors began supporting the race in 2002.

It was first run in 1974 and quickly became established as one of the big ante-post betting races of the Cheltenham Festival.

The remarkable Willie Wumpkins earned his place in the Cheltenham history books with three successive victories from 1979 to 1981. What was particularly astonishing about him was that the first of those victories was achieved at the age of eleven. He showed precious little form all season but would always peak for the festival meeting.

1983 winner Forgive ‘n Forget was heavily supported for Jim Fitzgerald and Mark Dwyer. He was sent off the 5-2 favourite and led at the last flight before going on to score by three lengths. He would go on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1985 and the Irish Gold Cup in 1987.

Buena Vista (2010 and 2011) and Sire Du Berlais (2019 and 2020) were dual winners of the race. Buena Vista was a bold front-runner trained by David Pipe while Sire Du Berlais would arrive late on the scene for Gordon Elliott.

Other significant Pertemps Final winners include Holywell (2013), Presenting Percy (2017) and Delta Work (2018), all of which went on to excel over fences.

Buena Vista won at 16-1 and 20-1 and was well supported for a third success in 2012, only to fade tamely at the third last.

Sire Du Berlais started co-favourite for a record-equalling third victory in 2022 but was hampered early on and eventually finished eleventh behind Third Wind.

Key Pertemps Final Trials

There are a dozen or more qualifiers across Britain and Ireland.

The two most productive in terms of winners are the qualifiers at Haydock and Warwick.

Sire Du Berlais caught the eye at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting prior to his 2019 success. The following season he finished fourth at Warwick.

The Warwick race certainly produced the best clues in 2022. The winner Third Wind and runner-up Alaphilippe had finished third and fifth respectively at the Midlands track in January.

Mrs Milner (2021) had also qualified at Leopardstown, although she had fallen on a return visit to the track prior to the Cheltenham Festival.

Pertemps Final Betting Trends

There have been two winning favourites in the last twelve renewals of the Pertemps Final; Fingal Bay (2014) and Sire Du Berlais (2019). Call The Cops (2015) started third favourite for Nicky Henderson when successful in 2015.

All of the other recent winners have been in double-figures, Holywell (2013) and Third Wind (2022) both returning at 25-1.

Six-year-olds have the best recent record, winning five times in the past ten years.

Only Pragada (1988) and Delta Work (2018) managed to win this race at the age of five. Willie Wumpkins won the race at 11, 12 and 13.

The next oldest winner in the history of the race was Buena Vista who won as a nine and ten-year-old.

Ten of the last twelve winners had raced three times or more in the current season but only five of them had achieved a victory in that period.

All twelve had raced at least six times over hurdles and eight of them had at least one victory over three miles or further.

An official rating of 138 or higher is usually required to win this race.

Mrs Milner (134) was the only recent winner to fall below that mark while Sire Du Berlais was rated 152 when defying 11st 12lbs in 2020. The latter equalled the record weight-carrying performance achieved by Fingal Bay six year’s earlier.

Liverpool and Punchestown are the obvious targets for Pertemps Final winners. All ten winners between 2011 and 2019 ran at one of those festival meetings but only Cape Tribulation (2012) was successful.

Holywell (2013), Presenting Percy (2017) and Sire Du Berlais (2019) returned to win at the Cheltenham Festival the following season.

Pertemps Final – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Jonjo O’Neill is the leading trainer in the history of the Pertemps Final with four winners; Danny Connors (1991), Inching Closer (2003), Creon (2004) and Holywell (2013).

In more recent years, Gordon Elliott has been the trainer to follow with three successive victories from 2018 to 2020, two of them courtesy of Sire Du Berlais. They came during a run of six consecutive Irish-trained winners ended by Hughie Morrison’s Third Wind in 2022.

Davy Russell joined Jim Wilson and Barry Geraghty on the three-winner mark when scoring on Elliott’s Delta Work in 2018. Wilson’s victories were all aboard Willie Wumpkins and he would also train the winner with Taberna Lord in 1987.

Betting on the Pertemps Final

The Pertemps Final always has a strong ante-post betting market and is often the subject of significant gambles. Bookmakers have started offering “non-runner – no bet” on all Cheltenham races from the end of January so this has boosted interest considerably.

If you fancy a horse who has qualified for the final you can back them under “NR/NB” terms without the worry of being balloted out or withdrawn through injury. Bookmakers usually offer enhanced place terms on the day of the Pertemps Final, down to sixth or even seventh place for your each-way bets.

The Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival has quite a lively ante-post market.

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Summary of the Pertemps Final

The Pertemps Final is one of the most competitive handicaps of the week at Cheltenham.

The Irish have a recent good record in the race. It is one of the most difficult races in the week to predict with improving types pitched against experienced handicaps.

A great sight to behold with many holding a chance at the last!

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