The Arkle is the second race of the Cheltenham Festival and is the centrepiece for the leading 2m novice chasers, meaning the race is without fail as frantic as it is high-quality. Unfortunately, ante-post favourite Sir Gino will miss the race due to injury, but there are still plenty of exciting novices due to line up. Here’s a rundown of the leading contenders this year…
Majborough
Trained by Willie Mullins, Majborough has already tasted Cheltenham Festival success courtesy of his win in the Triumph Hurdle last season. A big, physical specimen, chasing was always likely to be his game and he’s shown in winning both starts over fences so far, comfortably beating Touch Me Not by 9 lengths to win the Irish Arkle at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Mullins’ success in the Arkle, with six wins since 2015 – including last year’s winner Gaelic Warrior – underscores his ability to prepare horses for this prestigious race and he’ll saddle the hot favourite once again in 2025.
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L’Eau Du Sud
Runner-up in the County Hurdle at the Festival last season, L’Eau Du Sud has also taken his form to a new level over fences. Dan Skelton’s grey has won all 4 starts since sent chasing, the latest 3 all company in Graded company, most recently when successfully conceded weight to subsequent Grade 2 winner Rubaud in the Kingmaker Novices Chase at Warwick in February.
His fluent jumping will prove an asset again at Cheltenham and he could be best placed to upset Majborough should the favourite underperform.
Ballyburn
A standout novice hurdler, Ballyburn won the Gallagher Novices Hurdle at last season’s Festival and is a general 6/1 to land the Arkle this time. However, he’s a reasonably short-priced favourite to win the Brown Advisory over 3m the following day, and the likelihood is the he’ll race there rather than the Arkle.
Jango Baie
Steadily progressive over hurdles last season, Jango Baie has taking his game to new heights over fences this season. He ran out a comfortable winner of a hot-looking novice chase over 2m4f on his debut over fences at Cheltenham in December before going down only by a narrow margin upped to Grade 1 level in the Scilly Isles at Sandown last month.
The drop back to 2m shouldn’t prove an issue and the likely strong gallop in the Arkle should bring his stamina into play, so he’s definitely not a forlorn hope.
Only By Night
An improving mare from the Gavin Cromwell yard, Only By Night has taken to chasing like a duck to water, winning all three starts over fences so far. The most recent of those came when a cosy winner of a listed contest at Exeter and though she’ll face sterner opposition taking on the geldings here, she’s yet to put a foot wrong this season and has to be entitled to respect.
Touch Me Not
Touch Me Not has taken well to chasing and should give his running once again, though his defeats at the hands of Majborough and L’Eau Du Sud illustrate he falls just below the top level over fences. He’s a consistent type, though, and isn’t ruled out of landing some each-way returns.
Day 1 Cheltenham featured races quick links:
- 13:30 Supreme Novices Hurdle Tips
- 14:10 Arkle Challenge Trophy Tips
- 14:50 Ultima Handicap Tips
- 15:30 Champion Hurdle Tips
- 16:10 Mares Hurdle Tips
- 16:50 Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Tips
- 17:30 National Hunt Chase
Previous Analysis:
On the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, the first race over fences will be the Arkle Chase, a race for the best novice fence jumpers in the game.
As is often the case, the early favourite this season comes from the Willie Mullins yard, and that favourite is IL Etait Temps. However, he could be worth overlooking.
Sure, he’s proved to be a decent type since going over fences, but he doesn’t look the tidiest jumper, which could be a big problem in a race like the Arkle.
He doesn’t have a great record (as a hurdler and chaser) on undulating tracks, so I’d argue that he’s perhaps not as ideally suited by Cheltenham as he is by other tracks.
Also trained by Mullins is Hunters Yarn, who for my money, is more worthy of support.
He’s only run twice over fences, falling on debut at Fairyhouse back in December, but he was travelling sweetly that day and would likely have won quite comfortably, while he looked a very smart type when making amends over a furlong further and the same venue last time out.
What I also like about Hunters Yarn is the fact that he’s the only Mullins entrant in the race who is only entered in this contest. The other runners all hold entries in other races, which suggests that this has been the plan for the unexposed seven-year-old all along.
If you’re looking for something at a bigger price, then Djelo, trained by Venetia Williams, merits plenty of consideration, especially at odds of 33/1.
Three wins and one place from five runs over fences, winning a Grade 2 at Ascot, he’s got plenty of quality, while he stays further, which is never a bad thing at Cheltenham.
In graded chases at the festival in recent seasons, Williams has seen a few of her horses run well and hit places at big odds, so don’t be surprised if this one goes well.