14:05 Cheltenham – All statistics point to Barafundle

There are three main statistics that warrant being followed in the Pertemps Final and Barafundle is the only horse set to line up who ticks all three boxes.

Winning their last race prior to the Cheltenham Festival has been key for many recent winners, yet only three horses are scheduled to take part this year having achieved this feat.

However, only one contender with an official rating of 150 or greater has finished in the top six since 1997 and this does not bode well for Knockara Beau, who is rated 156.

The third horse to have won last time out is Rivage D’Or, who certainly merits consideration to finish in the places at 10/1, particularly with Bryan Cooper in the saddle to take off 5lb.

But 34 horses aged either five or six have tackled the Pertemps Final in the past five years and none of these have managed to secure victory.

Therefore, this leaves Barafundle, who is also 10/1 in the Cheltenham betting and alongside winning last time, is a seven-year-old.

Furthermore, all of the last seven winners have done so at double-figure odds, which is good for Barafundle based on his current price with Ladbrokes.

The only slight negative for Barafundle is that he did not run particularly well on his one previous visit to Cheltenham, while he has no previous experience of running in the Pertemps Final.

Punters looking for each-way value could do worse than opt for Heavenly Blues at Cheltenham odds of 20/1, as he gets in off a light weight and ran into the smart Call The Police on his latest start.

Chartreux and Sivota are the joint favourites at the head of the Pertemps Final betting at 7/1, with the latter sealing the final spot in the 24-runner field.

A £20 stake on Barafundle winning the Pertemps Final would return £200. New customers can sign up here to take advantage of free bets totalling up to £60.