AS WE know finding the winner of the Pertemps Final (2.10pm) is like finding a needle in a haystack, but that does mean it’s a race we get plenty of value in.
I’ve narrowed it down to two starting with the top-weight FAROUK D’ALENE who I think is very interesting here.
He might be a nine-year-old, but he’s only run 13 times and if you look through his form, he could be quite well-handicapped here off a mark of 150 with Rob James’ claim effectively meaning he races off 143.
That makes him 13 pounds lower than his chase mark and considering he was running a very big race behind L’Homme Presse – a contender for the Gold Cup – in the 2022 Brown Advisory before falling, he might have slipped in here under the radar.
He was off the track for 613 days after that and took a bit of time to get going, but ran a cracker last time at Leopardstown in a qualifier for this.
He was only just touched off by Gaoth Chuil and he’s a much bigger price, so could offer some value at 16/1.
The other one I’ve had a close eye on is NOBLE BIRTH.
The seven-year-old slips in here off a very low weight and it was hard not to be impressed with him last time at Naas where he won easily by over three lengths.
A revised mark demands plenty more, and a career best is probably required to win, but he might just have a bit more improvement in him for some very shrewd connections.
He looks a nice each-way bet at 20/1 with plenty of extra places on offer.
POINTERS
Farouk D’Alene e/w 2.10pm Cheltenham
Noble Birth e/w 2.10pm Cheltenham