The Arkle is the 2nd race on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival. The Arkle is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase and open to horses aged 5 years or older. The race distance is 2 miles and takes place on the old course at Cheltenham. With 13 fences to jump, the Arkle is the leading race of the season for medium-distance chase novices. Recent winners have included Douvan, Un De Sceaux and Sprinter Sacre. 

The Arkle seems to lack much depth this year, with Notebook, Fakir D´oudairies and Cash back the top 3 in the betting. The Arkle has been kind to favourites in recent years, with four of the last five winners topping the market at huge odds on prices between 2015-2018. As a result, The Arkle winner has traditionally made its way into many an Acca selections. Last year was a different kettle of fish. Hardlin was sent off 100-30 favourite, but never threatened and ended up 7th with 5-1 shot Duc Des Genievres claiming the prize.

This year looks more similar to the race of 2019 than 2015-2018. Notebook heads the market at 5-2 and like 2019, is trained by Gordon Elliot and owned by Gigginstown Stud. This is a race where I’d be looking to take the favourite on.

 

Notebook

Notebook really hasn’t done much wrong in his prep races and has beaten both Cash Back and Fakir D´oudairies in his last 2 outings. You can see why he heads the betting based on that form. However I would question his temperament. At Leopardstown last time out he looked very revved up and ran the wrong way to the start. Rachael Blackmore had to calm him down and bring him back. Will the buzz at Cheltenham be too much for him and result in him not running his race? It was also a very hard run race in Leopardstown, with Notebook just edging an enthralling encounter. You just wonder how much it took out of both horses, maybe more for Cashback who was ridden the harder of the two. He finished 12th at The Festival last year, a massive 54 lengths behind City Island, albeit priced at 50-1. He has won his race before Cheltenham, has also had 4 runs over hurdles and will most likely be favourite for the race

  • ERSG Arkle Novice Chase - 1st Feb Watch  
  • Racing Post Novice Chase - 26th Dec Watch  
  • Elliott Group Craddockstown Novice Chase -16th Nov Watch  

 

Fakir D´oudairies

Fakir D’oudairies was withdrawn from the ERSG Arkle Novice Chase on 1st February because of the drying ground. He’s already been beaten by Notebook on 26th December in the Racing Post Novice Chase, albeit by just 1 ½ lengths. The Arkle Novice chase was a chance to see if he could reverse that form and had he done so, the current odds of 5-1 wouldn’t be available. However I have to wonder if dodging the Arkle doesn’t represent a bit of good fortune. Notebook and Cash Back really went for it down the home straight and you never know how much that will have taken out of the other 2 market principles. Alternatively it may have shown us just how close or far off he is compared to the these two and so now we are punching in the dark a little bit with regards to how good he actually is.

There’s another bit of form that’s worth looking at with regards to Fakir D’oudairies. In the baroneracing.com Drinmore Novice Chase, Samcro looked to have the beating of him on the lead up to the 2nd last, before Samcro blundered badly and fell, virtually gifting the race to Fakir. Samcro was subsequently beaten by Faugheen by 10L. Of course it’s hard to know how much that fall took out of Samcro and the Drinmore was over 2miles 4f and The Arkle is over 2 miles, but I’m just not convinced he’ll be good enough to win this.

 

  • Racing Post Novice Chase - 26th Dec Watch  
  • baroneracing.com Drinmore Novice Chase - 1st Dec Watch  
  • Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase - 10th Nov Watch  

 

Cash Back

Cash Back’s prep for Cheltenham has been pretty straightforward bar the hard fought 2nd to Notebook in the ERSG Arkle Novice Chase on 1st Feb by ¾ length. He’s nearly treble the price of Notebook and I wouldn’t bet against him to reverse that form in the Arkle at Cheltenham. Cash Back is a front runner and likes to make all and there isn’t much to suggest that he can’t do that in this race.

My main concern is that the ERSG Arkle Novice Chase was a pretty frantic affair and I’d just wonder how much it took out of him. But at 6-1 I’d say he’s worth sticking with, probably with an Each Way Bet.

  • ERSG Arkle Novice Chase - 1st Feb Watch  
  • Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Chase - 5th Jan Watch  
  • Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase - 24th Nov Watch  

 

Esprit Du Large

Esprit Du Large has an entry here and The Marsh Novices Chase and I’ll be backing him Each Way whichever race he decides to go to. He’s a big price at 20-1, but is one that has improved with every run so far, most notably on his last run at Sandown on 7th December. He likes to sit in behind a front runner, stalking them on the turn for home, then always seems to find enough to get the job done. I think he’s a massive price for an EW bet and represents great value.

  • Read Road To Cheltenham At racingtv.com Henry VIII Novices´ Chase - 7th Dec Watch  
  • RGB Building Supplies Beginners´ Chase - 13th Nov Watch  
  • Racing TV Chase (Novices´ Limited Handicap) Watch  

 

Maire Banrigh

She’s won her last 6 races and will be getting the 7lb mares allowance. She beat Thomas Darby, although you’d say it was the greater experience that saw her win that race. She’s entered into the Arkle and The Marsh, but at 20-1 for this, she’s another with an EW chance

  • Pertemps Lady Protectress Mares´ Chase (Listed) (NHMOPS Bonus Race) - 24th Jan Watch  
  • British EBF ´National Hunt´ Novices´ Hurdle - 29th Dec Watch  
  • Use The racingtv.com Tracker Novices´ Chase - 8th Nov Watch  
  1. All of the last 29 winners finished 1st or 2nd in their last race before The Cheltenham Festival
  2. 12 out of the last 15 winners had either won or been placed at the Cheltenham Festival before
  3. 15 from the last 18 winners had a rating of 142 and above. 5 of these were the highest rated chaser in the race.
  4. 8 of the last 9 winners were priced 9-1 or less
  5. 13/13 winners had at least 4 runs over hurdles 
  6. 5/7 of the last winners were favourites
  7. 2/12 winners ran in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on their last run, 2 of the 2 won
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