Grade 1 race | |
Location | Cheltenham Racecourse Cheltenham, England |
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Race type | Steeplechase |
Sponsor | My Pension Expert |
Website | Cheltenham |
Race information | |
Distance | 1m 7f 199y (3,499 metres) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Left-handed |
Qualification | Five-years-old and up |
Weight | 11 st 7 lb Allowances 7 lb for mares |
Purse | £175,000 (2024) 1st: £98,473 |
2024 | ||
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Gaelic Warrior | Found A Fifty | Il Etait Temps |
Previous years | ||
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2023 | ||
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El Fabiolo | Jonbon | Saint Roi |
2022 | ||
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Edwardstone | Gabynako | Blue Lord |
2021 | ||
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Shishkin | Eldorado Allen | Captain Guinness |
1990-1988 | ||
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1990 | ||
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Comandante | Kiichi | Young Snugfit |
1989 | ||
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Waterloo Boy | Southern Minstrel | Sabin Du Loir |
1988 | ||
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Danish Flight | Abbey Glen | Barnbrook Again |
The Arkle Challenge Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham, England, over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile, 7 furlongs and 199 yards, or 3,199 metres), and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and takes place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
It is the leading minimum-distance chase for novices in the National Hunt calendar. It is the second race on the opening day of the festival.
The Arkle Challenge Trophy was introduced as a replacement for the Cotswold Chase, a previous event at the Cheltenham Festival, in 1969. Its title pays tribute to Arkle, a three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the mid-1960s. [1] The race was formerly scheduled to be run on the second day of the Festival, but it was switched to its slot on the opening day in 1980.
The first sponsor of the "Arkle" was Waterford Castle, which began supporting the event in 1991. It was backed by Guinness from 1994 to 1999, and from 2000 to 2011 it was sponsored by the Irish Independent newspaper. The Racing Post newspaper sponsored the race from 2012 to 2020. From 2021 to 2023 the race was sponsored by Sporting Life. [2]
Several winners of the race have subsequently achieved victory in the most prestigious two-mile chase in the National Hunt calendar, the Queen Mother Champion Chase. The most recent was Put The Kettle On, the winner of the latter event in 2021. The 1978 winner, Alverton, went on to win the following season's Cheltenham Gold Cup.
In 2020, Put the Kettle On become the first Mare to win the race since Anaglogs Daughter in 1980.
Leading jockey since 1946 (4 wins):
Leading trainer since 1946 (7 wins):
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs, and during its running there are 22 fences to be jumped. The race takes place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Barry Geraghty is a retired Irish jockey. He is the second most successful jockey of all time at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Brown Advisory Novices' Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and half a furlong, and during its running there are twenty fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online betting company Betway, the race is now known as the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
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Nicholas John Henderson is a British racehorse trainer. He has been British jump racing Champion Trainer six times.
The November Novices' Chase, currently known as the Paddy Power Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices' Chase, is a Grade 2 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in November.
Michael Fitzgerald is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey and current television racing pundit. Fitzgerald rode for the majority of his career in Great Britain and less often Ireland.
Richard Johnson is a retired English National Hunt jockey. Johnson is the second most prolific winner in the history of National Hunt Racing behind Sir Anthony McCoy, a long-time rival of Johnson's, with over 3500 winners. Richard Dunwoody previously held the record with 1874.
The Barberstown Castle Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt Steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are eleven fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.
The Arkle Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong, and during its running there are eleven fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late January.
Aidan Coleman is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. During a seventeen-year career based in Great Britain, he rode four winners at the Cheltenham Festival and a total of 13 Grade 1 winners. In June 2023 he sustained a serious leg injury in a fall at Worcester and was unable to return to race-riding. He announced his retirement on medical advice in April 2024.
Sprinter Sacre, is a French-bred, British-trained Selle Français racehorse. He currently has the third highest ever Timeform steeplechase rating of 192p, behind only Arkle on 212 and Flyingbolt on 210 as their highest in the modern era.
Finian's Rainbow was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He won ten of his fifteen starts, including the Maghull Novices' Chase, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and Melling Chase. He was owned by Michael Buckley, trained by Nicky Henderson, and was ridden by Barry Geraghty in all but one of his races.
Sizing Europe is an Irish National Hunt horse, best known for winning the 2011 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham. He won the Irish Champion Hurdle in 2008 before switching to chasing, where he has won six Grade 1s over fences.
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Dodging Bullets is a British Thoroughbred racehorse, best known for his performances in National Hunt races. Bred by the leading jockey Frankie Dettori he had a flat racing career of limited importance, winning two minor races from nine starts as a three-year-old in 2011. He showed better form when switched to hurdles, winning the Sharp Novices' Hurdle in 2012. He proved even better when he began to compete in steeplechases, winning the November Novices' Chase and the Wayward Lad Novices' Chase in 2013. In the 2014/2015 National Hunt season he emerged as one of the best chasers in Britain, recording three consecutive Grade 1 wins in the Tingle Creek Chase, Clarence House Chase and Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Nicolai "Nico" W. Chastel de Boinville is an English horse racing jockey who competes in National Hunt racing. De Boinville has ridden more Grade One winners than any British jumps jockey currently active.
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Put The Kettle On is an Irish racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. She won two minor races over hurdles but made dramatic improvement when campaigned in steeplechases. In the 2019/2020 National Hunt season she won six races including the November Novices' Chase and the Arkle Challenge Trophy. In the following season she won the Shloer Chase and the Champion Chase.