The Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle

[YoungHustler]

Fagan is an interesting runner today. First run for almost 2 years and I think he is well handicapped on his old form. Was hoping to see 100/1 for the Final but Bet365 only priced him at 33s! The same price as he is today!

[Kevloaf]

Kilbricken Storm qualified in 3rd just now.

[jonthehammer]

Kilbricken Storm qualified in 3rd just now.

I just don't think he is very good tbh, wont be getting any of my money,

[Kevloaf]

I just don't think he is very good tbh, wont be getting any of my money,

I find it hard to ignore previous festival winners, let alone course and distance festival winners.

I just always think (at the right price) they're worth chancing to bounce back to 'form'.


He might not be very good though, that is entirely possible

[jonthehammer]

3 horses I just refuse to back are KS, Pentland Hills and Bristol De Mai. Just 3 I can never catch right and they always put in a pig of a performance if I put money on them. So get an EW Trixie going, I wont touch it and then you will win a fortune haha.

[mayo]

I find it hard to ignore previous festival winners, let alone course and distance festival winners.

I just always think (at the right price) they're worth chancing to bounce back to 'form'.


He might not be very good though, that is entirely possible

Harry ticks those boxes too

[punterorplonker]

Why so little kilbricken storm pleasure ? Hes got there ???

[The King Pimm]

I haven’t seen the Kilbricken Storm race but the result looks ideal on paper. They clearly wanted him to qualify as connections went out of their way to make it possible. Therefore lots to like punter from me and very much looking forward to seeing if he can recreate a performance of 2 years ago in a few weeks.

[Liammet]

Pertemps Hurdle Selection

The phrase ‘a lot of water has run under the bridge’ will spring to mind as you read this post, as it’s a wildcard selection for the Pertemps Hurdle this season based on the shrewd career of a famous man, who hasn’t had a jumps runner in britain for four years.

The man in question is Dermot Weld, and his last great foray to the Festival came in 2015 when Windsor Park (owned by the Lambe family in their well known purple silks with a yellow cross of lorraine and cap), romped to victory by over 3 lengths in the Ballymore.

2010
I am diving back five years earlier than that to the 2010 Festival for my link to the 2020 Pertemps.

The horse in question was Prince Erik, trained by Dermot Weld, owned by the Lambe family, and a handy recruit to hurdles from the flat. He was 6th in the Irish Derby and rated over 100 on the flat in 2007, but by 2009 the flat rating was down to 82, and after an earlier relatively unsuccessful hurdling campaign (ran unplaced in 2008 Triumph) in December 2009 he rolled into Leopardstown for:-

A 3 Mile Handicap Hurdle, he came third, off a mark of 111 and earned an RPR of 126.

Dermot Weld then tried Prince Erik in a Leopardstown 3M Pertemps Hurdle Qualifier at the end of January
OR 114, and blasted home by 6 lengths, with an RPR of 140.

He ran next in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, the English handicapper gave him an OR of 137 for that race (up 26lb in 11 weeks).

He ran a cracking race at the Festival in the Pertemps Final, finishing 2nd of 24 to the runaway winner Buena Vista, the field having given up too big a lead to catch him.

2020
Now, roll forward 10 years to December, Leopardstown at Christmas again, and in the Lambe colours trained by Dermot Weld is a horse called Dalton Highway.
A 7yo, rated 86 on the flat, but with a new lease of life in his recent runs, with three Flat handicaps of 2M yielding three improved ratings and a win and two seconds, including a 2nd of 20 to WPM’s Great White Shark in the Galway Festival over 2M1F.

His hurdles runs started in early 2019, I’ve watched them all, over 2M twice, and 2M4F twice, all in fields of 19 to 24 runners, buried in the back half of the field and running through late on after appearing too far off the pace, and a little outpaced when asked to make headway, prior to his last run at Christmas in A Leopardstown Handicap (ring any bells?).

Low and behold Christmas at Leopardstown 2019 he runs in a handicap Hurdle (over 2M4&1/2F)
off an OR 111 (ring any bells?)
and puts up an RPR of 126 (ring any more bells?)
when staying on well from mid-division in another big field, to win by 2&1/2 lengths, doing much his best work on the run-in.

His hurdles form is now 000-51
The Irish handicapper has raised his mark 8lb to 119.
Dermot Weld has entered him in the Pertemps Qualifier at Mussleborough on Sunday (when all eyes will be on the DRF in Ireland).
The British Handicapper has given him an opening OR of 127 (8lb UK tax) this morning which I initially thought was a little harsh.
But thinking again, maybe DKW will be happy with that, as you need mid-130s to get into the Pertemps Final, so on reflection he would need to win or be a clear 2nd off OR 127 to get into the Pertemps. If he was rated closer to his Irish mark of 119 then his job would be harder to raise his handicap mark to get into the Pertemps.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the days of Prince Erik and Windsor Park at the Festival, but Dermot Weld is still no back-number, winning the Irish St Leger with a new star filly in September.

It’s an interesting entry, in Mussleborough, remembering the stable have had no British jumps runners for four years, the same owner silks as Prince Erik’s and the uncanny identical OR and RPR at Christmas in a Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle that Prince Erik and Dalton Highway shared.

We know what Prince Erik did next, a 6 length romp in a late January Pertemps Qualifier and then 2nd in the Final at the Festival.

Dalton Highway was entered yesterday in a Pertemps Qualifier in Mussleborough (there isn’t one in Ireland nos until 19th Feb), with a mark that gives him a chance of making the Final if he were to win or come a close and clear 2nd. There are currently only 12 entries.

I thought this may be worth a look so I had him added to B365, and the initial 40/1 went within a few minutes, even before I knew that he had been added to the market!

Now a current 33/1 Dalton Highway could be worth a look if he takes up his entry. If he doesn’t and you had struck a bet in Hope, then you could always look at any cashout offered by the firm.

Entered up in a qualifier at Punchestown on Wednesday
Would be seriously interested in him if he qualified
Taking the chance now nrnb

[jonthehammer]

Entered up in a qualifier at Punchestown on Wednesday
Would be seriously interested in him if he qualified
Taking the chance now nrnb

Lets hope the meeting is on and he gets his run mate

[Saxon Warrior]

For any Palmers Hill backers in the Pertemps, who haven’t cashed out their 50/1 BetfairSports bet yet.

Following today’s Exeter abandonment Palmers Hill faces a rush against time to get qualified.

There should be two key pieces of information tomorrow that we need to look for.

1) Palmers Hill could get a 5-Day entry in the last Pertemps Qualifier at Chepstow on Saturday. If he doesn’t then cashout - UNLESS an additional qualifier is added on Monday to take place this week.

2) The BHA produced a notice on Friday that following abandoned meetings, and potential abandonments over this weekend that it would consider replacing meetings (and key races) lost. Monday they should release any plan they have for them. They could add a Pertemps Qualifier to replace the lost Exeter one but they may not, we need to keep a look out on BHA website, Racing Post etc.

I would love to see him get a run and qualify, but won’t miss the chance to cashout if it’s the only one.

[Saxon Warrior]

For any Palmers Hill backers in the Pertemps, who haven’t cashed out their 50/1 BetfairSports bet yet.

Following today’s Exeter abandonment Palmers Hill faces a rush against time to get qualified.

There should be two key pieces of information tomorrow that we need to look for.

1) Palmers Hill could get a 5-Day entry in the last Pertemps Qualifier at Chepstow on Saturday. If he doesn’t then cashout - UNLESS an additional qualifier is added on Monday to take place this week.

2) The BHA produced a notice on Friday that following abandoned meetings, and potential abandonments over this weekend that it would consider replacing meetings (and key races) lost. Monday they should release any plan they have for them. They could add a Pertemps Qualifier to replace the lost Exeter one but they may not, we need to keep a look out on BHA website, Racing Post etc.

I would love to see him get a run and qualify, but won’t miss the chance to cashout if it’s the only one.

Palmers Hill is NOT Entered in the final Pertemps Qualifier at Chepstow on Saturday.
Instead he has an entry in a 2M5F Handicap hurdle at Kempton.

Unless the BHA is rescheduling the Exeter Qualifier, or entries for that abandoned qualifier are permitted to be qualified for the Final, then Palmers Hill has no other way of qualifying for the Pertemps at the Festival.

Anyone who has backed him without NRNB should consider what to do regarding cashout with Betfair (or others).

I have just cashed out my bet, as I don't think he will get qualified, and if he were to run in a resurrected qualifier then its getting too close to Cheltenham for a first run in 15 months, over 3M in soft ground, and to have recovery time.
The entry at Kempton and not the Qualifier at Chepstow has led me to think they may have decided to leave the Pertemps qualification-chase this season.

[Quevega]

Palmers Hill is NOT Entered in the final Pertemps Qualifier at Chepstow on Saturday.
Instead he has an entry in a 2M5F Handicap hurdle at Kempton.

Unless the BHA is rescheduling the Exeter Qualifier, or entries for that abandoned qualifier are permitted to be qualified for the Final, then Palmers Hill has no other way of qualifying for the Pertemps at the Festival.

Anyone who has backed him without NRNB should consider what to do regarding cashout with Betfair (or others).

I have just cashed out my bet, as I don't think he will get qualified, and if he were to run in a resurrected qualifier then its getting too close to Cheltenham for a first run in 15 months, over 3M in soft ground, and to have recovery time.
The entry at Kempton and not the Qualifier at Chepstow has led me to think they may have decided to leave the Pertemps qualification-chase this season.

He probably needs a few pounds to get in.
Do you think they have an idea (been given heads up) that they may automatically qualify the exeter declared.
There weren't many and it would seem fair to do so after two abandonments for the same race.

[Saxon Warrior]

He probably needs a few pounds to get in.
Do you think they have an idea (been given heads up) that they may automatically qualify the exeter declared.
There weren't many and it would seem fair to do so after two abandonments for the same race.

That's one key hope for him in this Festival race, there were only 9 declared and 4 of them ran at Haydock, so they could let 5 in.
Its the non-entry at Chepstow that most led me to cashout, added to the entry in a non-Pertemps race at Kempton over 2M5F.

Maybe he will be entered in the Martin Pipe and the Coral Cup instead, when this Thursdays Festival handicaps are announced, if he is then I would be keen to back him at Kempton on Saturday.

[Quevega]

That's one key hope for him in this Festival race, there were only 9 declared and 4 of them ran at Haydock, so they could let 5 in.
Its the non-entry at Chepstow that most led me to cashout, added to the entry in a non-Pertemps race at Kempton over 2M5F.

Maybe he will be entered in the Martin Pipe and the Coral Cup instead, when this Thursdays Festival handicaps are announced, if he is then I would be keen to back him at Kempton on Saturday.

The pipe could be a good call.

edit - just checked his price and he's not been missed 12's