Arkle Chase - Winner

We now have the early entries for the four novice chases at Cheltenham 2024 - the Arkle Novices' Chase, Turners Novices' Chase, Brown Advisory Novices' Chase and the National Hunt Chase.

Cheltenham Festival 2024 Entries

24 feature in the early entries for the Arkle Chase, with 26 in the National Hunt Chase, 38 in the Brown Advisory and an even bigger 42 in the Turners Novices' Chase. 

As expected, Marine Nationale heads the Arkle entries (4/6 best price) having stormed to victory in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle from Facile Vega at last year's Festival.

Facile Vega has been handed three entries today - he is a best price 10/1 for the Arkle, 10/1 for the Turners and 40/1 for the Brown Advisory.

Grangeclare West (4/1), Fact To File (5/1) and Stay Away Fay (11/2) look set to contest favouritism for the Brown Advisory on the second day of the Festival.

Gaelic Warrior is evens with several bookmakers for the Turners (best price 5/4 on Betfred) after pushing Impaire Et Passe close in the 2023 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, before winning scoring at Punchestown (twice) and Limerick by big winning margins.

The National Hunt Chase, meanwhile, is a more open betting race with up to 10 horses at 10/1 or shorter based on shortest prices. Market leader Embassy Gardens is 8/1 on BetMGM (shortest 4/1) having impressed at Punchestown in December.

Arkle Chase 2024 Odds 

Arkle Chase Winner Best Odds Worst Odds
Marine Nationale 4/6 8/15
Facile Vega 9/1 6/1
Found A Fifty 10/1 6/1
Gaelic Warrior 10/1 5/2
Il Etait Temps 14/1 8/1

 

For the latest Arkle Chase betting odds, click here.

This Week's Road to Cheltenham Preview

It is a key week for British Jumps racing as punters are welcomed to action at Haydock, Ascot and Lingfield Park. 

Of all the Festival clues on offer, the Clarence House Chase at Ascot promises the most pertinent information to our bet slips. Ascot may be showing a Queen Mother Champion Chase dress rehearsal as the Arkle 1-2, El Fabiolo and Jonbon, go head to head. 

Henderson and Mullins aren’t afraid to clash; the 2022 renewal provided an eyewatering clash between Shishkin and Energumene in which Shishkin got the better of the former up the Ascot hill. 

Haydock offers up the Peter Marsh handicap chase in which Betfair Chase winner Royal Pagaille bids for a hat trick in the race after last year’s renewal was cancelled. Venetia Williams’ stable star was ruled out of the King George with a sore foot but is expected to be fit enough to line up. 

Lingfield’s new Winter Million Festival runs from Friday to Sunday with Friday featuring the Lightning Novice Chase, an Arkle trial, with Sunday featuring the Fleur De Lys Chase, a Ryanair trial. Aside from those, You Wear It Well is expected to line up feature in the £100,000 2m 4f hurdle with victory there potentially catapulting her to the top of Mares’ Hurdle market. 

Which Cheltenham Festival entries will we get this week? 

Tuesday treats us to Festival entries for the four novice chases; the Arkle, Turners, Brown Advisory and National Hunt Chase.

Whilst Marine Nationale has stamped authority upon the Arkle market, defeats for all of Willie Mullins’ hopefuls, Facile Vega, Mister Policeman and Blood Destiny, has seen him shorten up even more. It will be interesting to see if all retain their entries in the race. 

However, the most interesting novice from Closutton is arguably Gaelic Warrior who could realistically take his chance in any three of the races. A Grade 1 winner over 3 miles at Punchestown last year, he stepped down in trip to win the Grade 1 Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick over Christmas before Willie mentioning that a step down to 2 miles could be an option after the speed he showed. 

In classic Willie Mullins style, one would think he would be granted an entry in all three races with a decision left to the last minute. Mullins may have the favourite in the Brown Advisory as well with Grangeclare West expected to be given an entry on Tuesday. 

Cheltenham Festival 2024 Tips 

Marine Nationale will undoubtedly be an odds on favourite to win the Arkle, as he should be. After beating three subsequent Grade 1 winners in the Royal Bond, Irish Point, Ashroe Diamond and Champ Kiely, he stormed up the hill under Michael O’Sullivan to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle so authoritatively. 

Meanwhile, any doubts about transferring his ability to fences were silenced when putting up an exhibition round of jumping on chasing debut over Christmas at Leopardstown. The aforementioned defeats of Willie’s horses have only strengthened his position and he should be winning the race. 

However, the defeats of the Mullins trio, Mister Policeman, Facile Vega and Blood Destiny, have also opened up the each-way market and one horse who I have been particularly impressed with is QUILIXIOS.

His 2021 Triumph Hurdle win arguably offers up a serious piece of form with Champion Hurdle placed Zanahiyr, Greatwood Hurdle 2nd Adagio, and Grand Sefton 4th Haut En Couleurs all in behind. It’s been a long way back for de Bromhead’s star with him starting his Novice Chasing campaign over 2 ½ years later, but I have been impressed with what I’ve seen. 

He jumped superbly around Naas when accounting for Sa Fureur and Mister Policeman. The ability to jump at such a speed are the number one in anyone’s wish list for an Arkle contender. 

Henry de Bromhead has shown time and again his ability to train, and arguably over achieve with two-mile chasers as well. Captain Guinness, Put the Kettle On, Special Tiara and Sizing Europe are all recent reminders of his skill to train horses over the minimum distance and Quilixios can follow the path of Triumph Hurdle placed Footpad in winning an Arkle years later. 

This is the third of 10 Road to Cheltenham round-ups running each Monday from 1st January until 4th March, featuring ante-post tips every week! For Week 1 tips, click here, while Week 2 selections can be found here.

This Week’s Cheltenham Ante-Post Tips 

  • Quilixios @ 25/1 (0.5pt Each-Way) – Arkle Chase