The Arkle Chase takes place on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and is always one of the most eagerly anticipated races of the week.
Its full name is the Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase.
The race is often billed as the ultimate clash between the top novice chasers from Great Britain and Ireland with the winners of the top trials meeting for the first time. It features the rising stars of the National Hunt game.
The emphasis is always on jumping as one serious error could prove costly at this level. Run over the distance of 2 miles – the shortest distance for a jumps race – pace and accurate jumping are therefore key assets required to win.
It is a race often ran at an end-to-end gallop and is one of the most prestigious races over the whole jumps calendar.
Many former winners go on to claim the Queen Mother Champion Chase in future years.
Famous Arkle Chase History
The Cotswold Chase was renamed the Arkle Chase (or Arkle Challenge Trophy) in 1969 in honour of the three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner. His illustrious stable companion Flyingbolt had won the race in 1965 while dual King George VI Chase winner Pendil won this race in 1972.
In more recent years it has been rare for the Arkle to be won by a horse who excels at longer distances.
The Arkle Chase is very much regarded as a talent pool for the Queen Mother Champion Chase with numerous horses going on to win both races. 1991 winner Remittance Man won the Champion Chase the following season for Nicky Henderson and Richard Dunwoody.
1999 winner Flagship Uberalles won the 2002 Queen Mother Champion Chase, emulating his half-brother Viking Flagship (Champion Chaser in 1994 and 1995).
Moscow Flyer (2002) was a hugely popular Irish-trained winner of the Arkle for Jessica Harrington and Barry Geraghty. He went on to win the Champion Chase for the next two seasons, despite competition from subsequent Arkle winners Azertyuiop and Well Chief.
Nicky Henderson has enjoyed unprecedented success in this race, none more so than in recent seasons. Sprinter Sacre (2012) and Altior (2017) were arguably the two most talented horses he has trained in his long career. Sprinter Sacre won 18 of his 23 races and over a million pounds in prize money, recovering from heart problems to claim a second Champion Chase in 2016.
Altior reigned supreme in the two-mile division, achieving a record 19 consecutive victories including four at the Cheltenham Festival. Henderson won the race for a record seventh time with Shishkin in 2021. The gelding had won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle a year earlier and looked every bit as exciting as his predecessors.
Arkle Chase Previous Result
Check out the latest result from this race:
Top Trainers and Jockeys of The Arkle Challenge Trophy
Nicky Henderson leads the all-time standings in the Arkle Chase with seven winners. All have been high-class performers, notably Sprinter Sacre (2012) and Altior (2017) who would each be recognised as the highest-rated steeplechaser in training.
Willie Mullins won the race four times in the space of five seasons between 2015 and 2019.
Martin Pipe also won the race four times and his son David joined him on the roll of honour with Western Warhorse (2014).
The recently retired Barry Geraghty and Ruby Walsh (joint leading jockey) share the riding honours in the Arkle with four winners apiece. Geraghty won it for the first time in 2002 with Moscow Flyer and his final victory was aboard Simonsig in 2013. Walsh struck first on Azertyuiop for Paul Nicholls in 2003 and won it on a further three occasions for Willie Mullins.
Key Arkle Chase Trials
The most productive trial for the Arkle Chase in recent seasons has been the Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown Racecourse.
Willie Mullins has successfully farmed this race with Un De Sceaux (2015), Douvan (2016) and Footpad (2018) all going on to win at Cheltenham. He also trained Duc Des Genievres to win the Beginners Chase at Gowran Park before the grey was an impressive Arkle winner in 2019.
Favourites have a great record in the Arkle Chase, winning seven of the last ten renewals. All seven started odds-on and most had been an ante-post favourite for several months.
The shortest returns were Douvan (2016) and Altior (2017) who both started 1-4 favourites.
Western Warhorse (2014) and Put The Kettle On (2020) have provided the only recent shock results in the Arkle.
Western Warhorse returned at 33-1 while Put The Kettle was a 16-1 chance. The latter proved that the victory was no fluke when coming out on top in a thrilling finish to the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2021.
Arkle Chase Stats
Key Arkle Chase trends:
Horses aged six and seven have been completely dominant in this race, winning the last eleven renewals.
Sizing Europe (2010) was the last eight-year-old to be successful here while Voy Por Ustedes (2006) won as a five-year-old.
Previous form at Cheltenham is a distinct advantage in the Arkle with all but three of the last seventeen winners having raced here.
Most Arkle winners had raced at least three times over fences and a high percentage of them had remained unbeaten.
Betting on the Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase
The ante-post market for the Arkle Chase runs throughout the year, similar to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and those who have taken early prices have been well rewarded.
Trainers are usually quick to announce plans for their Cheltenham Festival winners.
There is often an outstanding novice chaser in Great Britain and/or Ireland going into the race, resulting in very cramped odds on the day.
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The Arkle Chase is a National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for five-year-olds and above steeplechasers.
It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham Racecourse over a distance of 2 miles and 1 furlong (3,420 metres), and during its running, there are 13 fences to be jumped.
The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in early March.
Arkle Chase FAQ’s
What time is the Arkle Chase?
The Arkle Chase will begin at 14:10.
How far is the Arkle Chase?
The Arkle Chase has a total distance of 1 mile, seven furlongs and 199 yards.
Summary of the Cheltenham Arkle
The Arkle Chase (Arkle challenge trophy) has launched several chasing superstars over the years, many confirming the promise of their hurdling careers into novice chasers.
The powerful stables of trainer Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins have dominated the race in recent seasons, winning eight of the last ten between them.
It is always exciting to see whether the race can produce the next Sprinter Sacre, Moscow Flyer, Un de Sceaux or Altior.
The Arkle 2023 promises to be another mouth-watering clash.
Other Cheltenham Related Articles
If you have enjoyed this Arkle Chase review page, here are some other articles related to Cheltenham betting you may also like:
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Betfair bet £10 and get £30 is a decent offer if you are opening an account for Cheltenham betting. Betfair is one of the best bookmakers around and is highly recommended for betting on the Cheltenham Festival as well as other top sporting events. Find out more about them today.
The bet365 Cheltenham offer is one of the best out there. As one of the top UK bookies we would expect this. The offer is a current deposit £10 and get £30 in free bet credits, for information and T&Cs follow the links below.
The Betfred offer is a great one -deposit £10 and get up to £40 in bet bonuses. These can be used on a variety of betting markets including racing, football and other sports. For more information on this leading UK bookmaker read our full view.
Get the 888Sport Bet £10 and get £30 Cheltenham offer today. For full terms and conditions or to claim this great free bet credit for the Cheltenham Festival simply follow the link now.
Coral is another hugely popular bookmaker and a high-street name. This deal for new customers is a good one, for more information on this free bets credit either follow the link or check out our bespoke review. As with all betting offers certain terms and conditions will apply.
Take advantage of the very best Cheltenham betting offers and free bets at the Parimatch sportsbook website with great sportsbook sign up bonuses for new horse racing bettors at the Cheltenham Festival
Bet £10 and get £30 in free bet credits with William Hill for the Cheltenham races. These can be used on all the big races at the Festival including the Gold Cup, Champion Chase and Champion Hurdle. Certain deposit restrictions may apply.
Bet £5 and get £20 with Ladbrokes is a good deal for punters who want to wage a small amount of their money but see a decent amount of free bet credits. As one of the leading and most respected bookies in the UK there are lots of benefits to opening an account whether for Cheltenham betting or at other times of the year.
The Unibet offer is a bit different from other bookies and is your money back as a free bet credit if your horse finished in second. This takes away some of the pain of just missing out! Unibet are great Cheltenham bookmaker and currently sponsors the Champion Hurdle, check out our full review for more info.
The Mr Play Cheltneham offer of bet £10 and get £15 is not one of the best on the market. However, this new bookmaker is hugely popular for punters looking for a new betting site. We have reviewed all of the best features, read our review or follow the link for more info.
A different Cheltenham offer from 32Red is their 100 profit boost! This one is definitely worth checking out as its totally different from the type of Cheltenham offered by other leading bookmakers. Read their full T&Cs to find out more.
Betway’s £70 in free bets for the countdown to 2023 Cheltenham Festival is an impressive sign up bonus
A good new offer for Paddy Power customers, basically bet £20 and you’ll be refunded in cash if you lose. This is a great Cheltenham offer from this leading Irish bookmaker. For information on them including BOG, live streaming of Cheltenham races and more, follow the links.
There’s a BetUK Cheltenham Offer to claim that requires you to just deposit and wager £20 and get £60 in Cheltenham Festival free bets.
A Cheltenham double-the-odds promotion from Grosvenor is good and Cheltenham offer with a difference. New to the UK gambling scene Grosvenor is growing in popularity, check out the perks in our full review.
The livescorebet Cheltenham free bet made our top list of hand-selected Cheltenham Festival special offers for horse racing punters looking to wager bets in the UK or Ireland
Take advantage of the Matchbook £50 free bets for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival
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