12th - 15th March 2024

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14:10 Cheltenham 14 Mar 2024 View Racecard

2 Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle
Premier Handicap | GBB Race | Class 1 | 5YO plus
Winner £56,270 - 24 declared to run
2m 7f 213y
Soft-heavy in places
Draw Advantage: None
Weather: View course guide

Last year’s race

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Winner: Good Time Jonny
Jockey: Liam McKenna
Trainer: A J Martin
Owner: A Shiels/Donal Gavigan/Niall Reilly
Age: 8 Weight: 11st 9lbs
Starting Price: 9/1
Season Form Figures: P4030
Previous Best: 1st - Grade B Handicap Hurdle, Leopardstown (February 2022)

By Paul Jones

Regards qualifying, horses must finish in the first four which was cut from six two seasons ago having
previously been eight and having previously been to simply just run or be entered for an abandoned
qualifier……when it was all fun and games. This is more likely to favour the home team with just three
qualifiers in Ireland - though that’s one more than usual with a new qualifying race at Naas being the
final qualifier this season two days before the weights are published. Sneaky.

Do note, however, that only two winners of any qualifier have gone on to also win the final in the last
28 runnings, though with just four getting in now per qualifying race, that trend could soon come
under pressure. However, 11 of those last 28 winners did win on their previous outing which is a high
strike rate for a Cheltenham Festival handicap hurdle so that is also worth taking on board, especially
as far as the British are concerned.

Following a 1-2-3 for the Brits in 2022, it was normal service resumed last season with an Irish 1-2
having won all six runnings between 2016-2021.

It wasn’t previously just the winners when the Irish were mopping up as Mrs Milner led home an Irish-
trained 1-2-4 in 2020 following Sire Du Berlais heading a 1-2-3-5 for the raiders in 2020. The Denise
Foster-trained (but Gordon Elliott prepared) The Bosses Oscar couldn’t quite give Cullentra Stables a
fourth consecutive win in the race in 2020 but the well-backed favourite finished a clear second.
Prior to 2020, Elliott had saddled the 1-2 in two of the previous three runnings plus the third and fifth
in 2017 and we can now add to that last season’s runner-up.

The class acts have also been coming to the fore in the last decade. The obvious example is Sire Du
Berlais who won off top weight four seasons ago (beating the third-top weight into second - pair well
clear) following up his victory off 11st 9lb in the previous season’s running. In addition, Presenting
Percy led home a 1-2-3 for horses in the top six in the weights in 2017 and the previous year the
second, third and fourth could be found in the top five in the handicap. Moreover, in 2014 the top
weight beat the second top weight into second and, for good measure, the third and fourth in the
handicap finished fourth and fifth. As for 2020 and 2023, the Elliott-trained top weights only found
one too good.

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11 of the last 28 winners did win on their previous outing which is a high strike rate for a
Cheltenham Festival handicap hurdle.

With the Irish dominant of late, that has heavily contributed to seven of the last 19 winners of the
final qualifying at Leopardstown during their Christmas Meeting. Good Time Jonny qualified in
third place last season en route to winning the final and the winner over Christmas when just edging
out Farouk D’Alene .Gaoth Chuil , looks their chief hope from that contest this time. However,
also respect their only other qualifier as three of the last eight winners of the final ran in the
Punchestown qualifier finishing 313. Jody Ted won it but he’s the only one of the three qualifiers not
entered for the final.

The most successful British qualifier of late has been at Warwick in January having featured two of
the last four winners which saw J’Ai Froid beat Kyntara in what I thought was the weakest
renewal of that race for many a year.

Staying in Britain and outside of the qualifiers, the Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle (formerly the
Fixed Brush Handicap Hurdle) at Haydock on Betfair Chase day has featured three horses that went
on to the final in the last 15 years, all finishing in the first five. The fourth (Gowel Road ), fifth (Bold
Endeavour ) and sixth (Lord Snootie ), have all qualified subsequently.

Jonjo O’Neill has won the final on four occasions, two of which for J P McManus who also won it with
Kadoun and Sire du Berlais (x2) for other stables and his Glenloe would have won in 2018 but for
blundering his way over the final flight. O’Neill has a lively contender in the Musselburgh qualifier
runner-up, Springwell Bay, having won Cheltenham earlier in the season. He runs in the same
ownership as Holywell who won the 2013 running for O’Neill.

Paul Nicholls has yet to win the final but he could not have gone any closer than when Southfield
Theatre was edged out by a nose nine years ago and he supplied the runner-up again the following
season and the third at a big price in 2018. Seven of his 18 runners have finished between second
and fifth so he has been there or thereabouts.
Novices can win this staying handicap, seven of them have done so going to back to Danny Connors
in 1991, though none for eight years until Mall Dini seven years ago. Only Pragada and Delta Work
have won for five-year-olds since it was first run in 1974.

No real positive angle on age. What was a strong race for grizzled, tough, hardened handicappers had
gone back to favouring younger horses again like between 1983-1997 when all bar two winners were
aged no older than seven but, all change again as upped popped Third Wind to win at the age of
eight in 2022 improving three places on his effort in the 2020 final and Good Time Jonny was
another successful eight-year-old last season. Horses aged 8+ won on as many as nine occasions
between 1998-2012 but six of the last nine winners were younger.

Sire Du Berlais also winning as an eight-year-old meant that he became the highest rated winner by
as much as 4lb for many a moon when successful off 152. Who would have guessed then he would go

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on to win the Stayers’ Hurdle three years later at the age of 11!?

At a glance summary
POSITIVES NEGATIVES

Top six in the weights Winner of a qualifier

Trained by Gordon Elliott Five-year-olds

Contested the Leopardstown, Punchestown

or Warwick Qualifiers

Last-time-out winners

Contested the Betfair Exchange Handicap

Hurdle at Haydock

Representing Jonjo O’Neill and/or J P

McManus

For more betting and trends analysis visit Paul Jones Horseracing.

Latest odds from

Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier

Handicap) (GBB Race)

No. Horse Odds

LE MILOS (26)
6 J
Harry Skelton T
D Skelton 11/2

CLEATUS POOLAW (18)

11 J
J W Kennedy T
G Elliott 6/1
 CUTHBERT DIBBLE (IRE) (26)
12 J
Sam Twiston-Davies T
NA 13/2 Stats Guides
Twiston-Davies
Tuesday 12 March
GAOTH CHUIL (IRE) (40)
16 J
Mr Shane O'Callaghan T
T M Walsh 8/1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)
Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase (Grade 1)
ICARE ALLEN (FR) (124)
7 J
M P Walsh T
W P Mullins 8/1 Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1)
GABBYS CROSS (IRE) (109)
19 J
D J O'Keeffe T
H De Bromhead 10/1 Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle (Registered As The
David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle) (Grade 1)
POPOVA (IRE) (109) Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Registered As
12/1
21 J
Rachael Blackmore T
H De The Fred Winter) (Premier Handicap)
Bromhead
National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys'
Novices' Chase (Grade 2)
View full racecard

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Wednesday 13 March

Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)

Brown Advisory Novices' Chase (Grade 1) (Registered
As The Broadway Novices' Chase)
Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)
Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup
Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Standard Open
National Hunt Flat Race) (Grade 1)

Thursday 14 March

Turners Novices' Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The

Golden Miller)
Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier
Handicap)
Ryanair Chase (Registered As The Festival Trophy)
(Grade 1)
Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (Grade 1)
Trustatrader Plate Handicap Chase (Premier
Handicap)
Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered
As The Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle)
Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur
Jockeys' Handicap Chase
Friday 15 March

JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)

County Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) (Registered
As The Spa Novices' Hurdle)
Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1)
St. James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open
Hunters' Chase
Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase (Registered As The
Liberthine Mares' Chase) (Grade 2)
Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle

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Previous winners
Year Going Ran Winner Draw Age Weight OR Form Last Trainer (Distance) Jockey SP Time
run

2023 Soft 23 Good Time 8 11 9 142 490030 39 A J Martin Liam 9/ 1 5:59.06

Jonny days McKenna

2022 Soft 22 Third Wind 8 10 11 141 51P-733 26 H Morrison (55 Tom O'Brien 25/ 5:57.40
days miles) 1

2021 Good to 22 Mrs Milner 6 10 9 134 2-1324F 39 P Nolan Bryan Cooper 12/ 1 5:59.00
Soft days

2020 Soft 24 Sire Du Berlais 8 11 12 152 618-494 61 G Elliott B J Geraghty 10/ 6:00.22
days 1

2019 Good to 24 Sire Du Berlais 7 11 9 145 0248- 76 G Elliott B J Geraghty 4/ 1 5:52.98

Soft 86 days

2018 Soft 23 Delta Work 5 10 10 139 133243 22 G Elliott Davy Russell 6/ 1 6:09.20

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days

2017 Good 24 Presenting 6 11 11 146 411541 19 P G Kelly Davy Russell 11/ 1 5:49.30
Percy days

2016 Good 24 Mall Dini 6 10 11 139 631433 26 P G Kelly Davy Russell 14/ 5:49.10
days 1

2015 Good 23 Call The Cops 6 10 12 133 1421-41 12 N Henderson (51 Andrew 9/ 1 5:41.20
days miles) Tinkler

2014 Good 23 Fingal Bay 8 11 12 148 1212R-1 32 P Hobbs & J White Richard 9/ 2 5:49.50
days (90 miles) Johnson

2013 Good to 24 Holywell 6 11 4 140 31-2222 61 Jonjo O'Neill (1 Richie 25/ 5:59.90
Soft days miles) McLernon 1

2012 Good 24 Cape 8 10 11 142 2-5P504 26 J M Jefferson (203 Denis 14/ 5:44.00
Tribulation days miles) O'Regan 1

2011 Good 23 Buena Vista 10 10 8 138 728700 61 D Pipe (100 miles) Conor 20/ 5:40.00
days O'Farrell 1

2010 Good to 24 Buena Vista 9 10 4 133 62- 48 D Pipe (100 miles) H Frost 16/ 5:49.00
Soft 8508 days 1

2009 Good to 22 Kayf Aramis 7 10 5 129 426211 20 V Williams (39 miles) Aidan 16/ 6:02.70
Soft days Coleman 1

2008 Good to 24 Ballyfitz 8 10 8 132 1U-1271 26 N Twiston-Davies (1 Paddy 18/ 6:02.10

Soft days miles) Brennan 1

2007 Good to 24 Oscar Park 8 10 9 140 292-2F0 40 D Arbuthnot (114 T J Doyle 14/ 5:46.20
Soft days miles) 1

2006 Good 24 Kadoun 9 11 10 142 258505 39 M J P O'Brien T G M Ryan 50/ 5:46.90

days 1

2005 Good 24 Oulart 6 10 2 121 421102 42 D T Hughes Paul Carberry 10/ 5:52.85
days 1

2004 Good 24 Creon 9 10 0 120 6- 38 Jonjo O'Neill (1 Timmy 50/ 6:16.30

380P6 days miles) Murphy 1

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