Key Points
- This horse was a huge eye-catcher in this year’s renewal of the Martin Pipe
- With New Course form at Cheltenham, the Pertemps looks perfect for him
- Connections have qualified him early, now they can work on his handicap mark ahead of March
With a results update on Tuesday and no article on Wednesday or Thursday, it’s been a quiet week for you readers. However, we’re about to ramp it up! Today I have an antepost bet for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. Things go up another level tomorrow, as I have my regular Saturday betting tip and also a Lucky 15 based on the ITV Racing action.
If you’re new to my content here, I’m RacingGav and I’m the resident horse racing tipster here at Betting.co.uk. At present, I produce four to five articles per week here. These are mostly daily betting tips, plus a few antepost selections. In addition to that, I also venture into big race trends and educational guides.
If you want some reassurance about my tipping before getting involved, you can
check my latest stats
right here at Betting.co.uk, which includes my full results since joining the team here in March. Also., if you enjoy antepost bets like this one, make sure you also check out the others that I already have live. For the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, I have already covered the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. Away from Cheltenham, you’ll find betting tips for the King George VI Chase in December and the
2026 Grand National
in April.
Betting advice
- Thursday 12 March 2026 - Cheltenham Festival - Pertemps Network Final -
Act Of Authority
@ 20/1 (4 places) -
1pt each way
Back Act Of Authority bet with Unibet
At the time of writing, three bookmakers have this horse priced up for the Pertemps. All of them are showing the same price and the same place terms, so no advantage to be gained there. For that reason, I’ll highlight Unibet, based on their sign up offer. If you
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Act Of Authority can go one better at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival!
I strongly believe that Act Of Authority will run a huge race at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival as by the time the race comes around, it would have been a plan 12 months in the making. In addition to that, the horse himself ticks an awful lot of boxes for me and in this article, I’ll be breaking down those reasons for backing him, so make sure you read on!
Act Of Authority was a huge eye-catcher in this year’s renewal of the Martin Pipe
This story starts back at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival when Act Of Authority lined up in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at a huge price of 28/1. If you watch the race back, he raced towards the rear of the field for the majority of the race. He actually jumped the second hurdle last in 18th place! However, whilst initially outpaced, he powered home to be in a share of fourth jumping the last and a clear second at the line!
Wodhooh gave off the vibe of being a graded horse in a handicap and that was only proved correct when she pulled clear with Lossiemouth in the Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1). In hindsight, Act Of Authority ran a massive race to finish as close to her as he did, especially considering that she was just behind the leader at the second last!
If you look at the sectional times, Act Of Authority actually ran 2f to 1f faster than Wodhooh did. He was 13.70s compared to her 14.07s. From 1f to the line, he was 15.07, compared to her 15.29. No horse in the race covered those final two furlongs faster than Act Of Authority, he just wasn’t close enough to capitalise on it!
Following on from those sectional timings, I simply loved the way that Act Of Authority powered up the hill at Cheltenham. The hill is famous for sorting out the wheat from the chaff, and many throw in the towel before they reach the line. So, when you find one that powers up the hill like he did, you want to keep them on your side when they return to Cheltenham!
Whilst he makes up for it with his attitude, Act Of Authority isn’t the biggest in stature. Meaning he was likely to remain over Hurdles for the 2025/26 season, and that appears to be the case. Stepping up to 3m, he has two options at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival: The Pertemps Network Final as the Handicap route, or the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle.
Whilst I am a big fan of Act Of Authority, and he put on a huge performance in the Martin Pipe, I don’t think he is a Grade 1 horse. However, with his form over Hurdles on the New Course and particularly with the way he stayed on up the hill, shaping exactly like he wants three miles, he looks a perfect candidate for the Pertemps Network Final.
Connections have qualified him early, now they can work on his handicap mark ahead of March
The Pertemps works differently to the other races at the Cheltenham Festival. There’s a qualification process due to it being the final of a series. The series is made up of 22 races, and as the name suggests, the whole series is sponsored by the Pertemps Network. The final always takes place on the Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival, and is run on the New Course, which is better known for stamina than speed.
The way the series works is that horses have two ways to qualify. Winners instantly get a golden ticket to the final. But horses who finish in second, third or fourth place in a qualifier, become eligible for entry. However, they are not guaranteed a spot, it all comes down to the weights, so a horse on a lower handicap mark can be balloted out.
At Newbury yesterday, on Act Of Authority’s first start of the season, Olly Murphy threw him straight into a Pertemps Network Qualifier. He managed to run into fourth place, so he is now qualified to enter the race. Connections now have the rest of the season to ensure his handicap mark is where it needs to be. And with the way he travelled in that race before tiring, I’d say he wasn’t fully fit. But if just hitting the places was their plan, then it was mission accomplished.
Qualification achieved, but can Act Of Authority win it?
When you consider how well he performed in the Martin Pipe from the second last to the line, Act Of Authority looks the perfect type for the Pertemps Network Final. Proven form over the New Course at Cheltenham, and up the famous hill is a huge advantage. With just two starts over staying trips, one being his final run of last season, and the other his first run for this one, he is pretty unexposed as well. And of course, they now have the rest of the season to work on his handicap mark, so there is a lot to like about his chances.
The only real negative I can see is that his two runs over three miles have not fully convinced me that he stays three miles strongly. Something he will need to do to win a Pertemps Network Final - there will be no hiding place in that race. However, he stayed on strongly in the Martin Pipe and that counts for plenty. As mentioned, his two attempts over the trip came on his final race of last season, at a point where he was probably ready for a break, and his first start of this season at Newbury, where he was most likely not fully wound up.
All things considered, I think he has a massive chance in the Pertemps Network Final and he’s a fantastic early price at 20/1. The fact that he has already qualified almost guarantees that this is his target for the season. He went up 5lb for the Martin Pipe run from 134 to 139. The handicapper refused to drop him after that but surely after this Newbury run he will. Which leaves another four months to work on bringing it down further. Doddiethegreat won the race last year off 131 and if that was achievable, Act Of Authority would take a lot of beating, but anything around last year’s mark of 134 or lower would make me a happy man!
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