Cheltenham betting: 2026 Pertemps contenders and tip

The penultimate race on the penultimate day of the festival is the Pertemps, which Coral has previewed as part of its Cheltenham betting offering.

Coral's Pertemps Cheltenham 2026 tip

One of the big handicaps of the week is the sixth race on Thursday’s Cheltenham card and it looks a wide-open contest as usual among the 26 runners for the Pertemps. 

Absolutely Doyen is five wins from five for trainer Paul Nicholls and heads back into handicaps following a win in a novice contest at Musselburgh and should be bang in there to make it six wins from six. 

Supremely West was a good third on re-appearance behind the re-opposing Electric Mason back in October and trainer Dan Skelton has a good record in handicap hurdles at this meeting, landing the Plate on day one with Madara. 

Another runner of interest here is Kikijo, a chase winner last winner and sent back hurdling this season, winning a qualifier for this contest at Sandown back in December and has been kept fresh for the Pertemps by connections, while Staffordshire Knot is also one to keep an eye on, having finally hit some form when winning the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle at Navan last month though does shoulder top weight here for the Gordon Elliott team. 

Electric Mason is of interest too, second in the qualifier at this track for this race and then went on to win a valuable stayers’ contest last time out at Haydock and is another who has been held back for this race by connections. Finally, the shrewd Emmett Mullins team send Melbourne Shamrock who is lightly-race for a seven-year-old and was a last-time-out winner at Navan 18 days ago in attritional conditions. 

Coral’s big-race tip: Absolutely Doyen e/w @ 10/1

View the latest Cheltenham Festival 2026 betting odds

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.