Key Points
- Today's antepost betting tip fully qualified for the Pertemps Final on Valentine's Day
- After fishing for a mark with a Doncaster entry, I believe he will run off 133
- He performed well on Yielding ground at Leopardstown but the softer the better
We are now just over three weeks away from the 2026 Cheltenham Festival! Today I have another antepost betting tip for the meeting, and he will run in the Pertemps Network Final. I think this horse has been overlooked at 16/1 and I’m very keen to get him on our side at that price. He ticked the final box qualification box on Valentine's Day, so we should see him lining up.
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Betting advice
- Thursday 12 March 2026 - 2026 Cheltenham Festival - Pertemps Network Final -
Yeah Man
@ 16/1 (4 places) -
1pt each way
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At the time of writing, a handful of bookmakers are offering 16/1 with 4 places for Yeah Man in the Pertemps Network Final. One of the bookmakers offering the
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Gavin Cromwell has clearly targeted Yeah Man for this race!
Some trainers are fantastic at working towards specific targets for their horses, and one of them is Gavin Cromwell. Arguably, the Pertemps Network Final is one of the races that requires the most work, as horses must first be qualified to run in the race, then go on to win it. With the first part now achieved, I’ll break down why I think Yeah Man can go on to win the final at Cheltenham.
Yeah Man qualified for the Pertemps Network Final on Valentine’s Day
There are two key elements to consider when trying to qualify a horse for the Pertemps Network Final. The first is that they must finish in the first four of any of the qualifying races. The second is that the horse must have five runs over Hurdles in order to run in a non-Novice Handicap at the Cheltenham Festival.
Yeah Man ticked off the first part of the qualification process when he finished second in the qualifier at Leopardstown over Christmas. However, as he has predominately raced over fences during his career, he hadn’t actually run over Hurdles five times.
With the deadline to meet the requirements looming, Gavin Cromwell ran Yeah Man in the Grade 3 Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park. The race was run over a completely inadequate trip, but then again it was the perfect race for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was Yeah Man’s fifth run over Hurdles, which means he is now fully qualified to take part in the Pertemps Network Final. Secondly, he was running over such a ridiculous short trip that there was no danger of him blowing his handicap mark.
After fishing for a mark with a Doncaster entry, I believe Yeah Man will run off 133
When Irish trainers want to run their horses at the Cheltenham Festival, they often enter them in a UK race to get an idea of the mark the BHA would give them (as it’s different from their handicap mark in Ireland). This avoids the disappointment of entering them for the Cheltenham Festival only to find their mark is completely different to what they hoped for.
When Gavin Cromwell entered Yeah Man in a Hurdles race at Doncaster in January, the BHA handicapper responded with a mark of 133. This may seem harsh considering his qualifying run was off a mark of 118, and the Irish handicapper only raised him 5lb to 123 subsequently. However, he won the Grand National Trial at Haydock off a mark of 133, and later raced off as high as 144 over fences. In fact he remains on a mark of 143 over fences, so his handicap mark over Hurdles should be 10lb lower.
The mark of 133 for that Doncaster race clearly didn’t frighten Gavin Cromwell off, and forced him to reconsider other options. And his decision is to take a crack at the Pertemps Network Final, and he finalised the qualification process with Yeah Man’s Hurdle run over the weekend. Judging from his form over fences, a mark of 133 could see him very well treated over Hurdles.
Yeah Man’s career best performance would either be his Grand National Trial win at Haydock in February 2024, or his second place in the Troytown back in November, with runs both producing a RPR of 144. Both were on Heavy going, so he clearly enjoys testing conditions, and he has an abundance of stamina.
He particularly impressed me with the way he ran in his Pertemps Qualifier at Leopardstown over Christmas, on going that was officially described as Yielding. As the pace lifted to 32mph, when many were already being ridden round the home bend, Yeah Man remained on the bridle, travelling easily at that pace. He also picked up well towards the finish, and was beaten less than a length at the line. That wasn’t his only good run on better ground either, as he finished a close second at Ascot on Good ground over fences, and also came third in the 2024 Troytown on Yielding ground too.
The Pertemps Qualifier at Leopardstown has been a breeding ground for Pertemps Final winners over the past decade. In fact, seven of the last ten winners of the race came from Ireland, and six of them ran in the Leopardstown race prior to winning the final. Those were Mall Dini (2016), Presenting Percy (2017), Sire Du Berlais (2019 & 2020), Mrs Milner (2021) and Good Time Jonny (2023). Hopefully Yeah Man can continue that fantastic record next month!
Can Gavin Cromwell add to his eight Cheltenham Festival winners?
There is a lot to like about Yeah Man’s chances in the Pertemps Network Final. He is now fully qualified, thanks to his second place at Leopardstown, plus his fifth run over Hurdles at Gowran Park earlier this month. While a 10lb higher mark in the UK might look harsh, it could still underestimate him, given his very strong form over fences. He has also shown his versatility in terms of ground, so I don’t see any issues there. In fact, he showed immense stamina when he won a Grand National Trial on Heavy ground, so even if the going at Cheltenham ends up very testing, he will thrive in those conditions when others will struggle.
In terms of the negatives, he does need to prove he can handle a mark of 133 over Hurdles. Some horses are simply far superior over fences, hence why they have different marks for the two disciplines. There is also a risk that the ground comes up on the quick side, which would mean he might not be seen at his best. But these are the types of risk you have to take when backing antepost. If the bookies knew for certain he could win off this mark over Hurdles, and could guarantee plenty of rain, you certainly wouldn’t see 16/1 for him.
All things considered, I think Yeah Man is underestimated. Especially as Gavin Cromwell has seen his mark, and proceeded to get him qualified since. He’s clearly not afraid of the mark given to Yeah Man by the BHA, and neither am I. If they go a strong gallop (which they usually do) and he is still in the mix turning for home, I don’t think there will be a horse finishing stronger up the Cheltenham hill than Yeah Man.
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