The Arkle Chase is the championship race for 2-mile novice chasers, known formally as the Arkle Challenge Trophy.
It's a real test for young horses who must be able to jump the 13 fences at speed.
Introduced in 1969 as a replacement for the Cotswold Chase, it pays tribute to the three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Arkle.
Many Arkle Chase winners have subsequently won the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
That includes the likes of Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop, Voy Por Ustedes, Sizing Europe, Sprinter Sacre, Altior and Put The Kettle On.
ARKLE CHASE TRENDS
The last three Supreme Novices' Hurdle winners to line up in this race the following year have won (Douvan, Altior & Shishkin).
And, just like the Supreme, the Arkle has been farmed by the Henderson and Mullins yards in recent seasons (8 of the last 11 winners between them).
Prior to Sprinter Sacre's win in 2012, there had only been one winning favourite in 19 years dating back to 1992.
However, there have been seven odds-on favourite winners since 2012.
That is, in part, due to fewer entries than before - all but one of those seven odds-on winners were in fields of just 5, 6 or 7.
This has coincided with the introduction of the Jewson (now the Turners Novices' Chase) in 2011, run over an extra four furlongs.
Five-year-old's are 0/16 since 2007 (the 5lb age allowance for five-year-old's was scrapped in 2008).
Voy Por Ustedes (2006) Well Chief (2004), Flagship Uberalles (1999) and Champleve (1998) all previously won the Arkle aged five.
LAST 5 WINNERS’ DATA
RECENT WINNERS
In 2022 Edwardstone became only the third eight-year-old to win the Arkle Chase in the last 30 years, following Sizing Europe and Moscow Flyer.
It was a third Arkle success for his trainer Alan King and a first Cheltenham Festival winner for jockey Tom Cannon:
Shishkin cruised to a 12 lengths victory in 2021, to follow up his much tighter win in the Supreme a year earlier.
The 4/9 favourite was Nicky Henderson's seventh Arkle Chase winner:
Put The Kettle On became the first mare since 1980 to win the Arkle in 2020.
Ridden by Aiden Coleman, she was in front rounding the home turn and saw off the challenge of Fakir D'Oudairies towards the line:
Duc Des Genievres relished the soft ground under Paul Townend in 2019, taking the lead before the home turn and cruising up the hill.
The French-bred grey was a fourth Arkle Chase winner in five years for Willie Mullins:
Foodpad was an equally facile winner in 2018, despite a bad mistake at one of the fences in the back straight.
The 5/6 shot swept into the lead entering the home straight under a motionless Ruby Walsh and secured victory with a big leap at the last:
Festival banker Altior finished strongly to win the Akle Chase in 2017, the second of his four successive Festival victories.
The previous year's Supreme winner was always tracking leader Charbel, who fell two from home, and the 1/4 favourite was then eased to victory by Nico de Boinville:
Another 1/4 shot, Douvan, also completed the Supreme/Arkle double without ever really coming off the bridle for Ruby Walsh in 2016.
He led home 2017 Gold Cup winner Sizing John, but unfortunately the remainder of his career was blighted by injury with much more having been expected by Willie Mullins:
Un De Sceaux, who would go on to win the Ryanair Chase two years later, led from the start and barely saw another rival in 2015.
He already had the field at full stretch coming down the hill and pulled clear after the last under Ruby Walsh:
Western Warhorse 2014
Simonsig 2013
In 2012 the future two-time Champion Chaser Spinter Sacre pummelled his rivals.
It was a 40th Cheltenham Festival winner for trainer Nicky Henderson, equalling the record of Fulke Walwyn:
A year earlier the mercurial but highly-talented Captain Chris, ridden by Richard Johnson, collared long-time leader Finian's Rainbow at the last before powering home.
That was despite him losing ground at most fences due to his tendency to jump to the right.
Looking back further, in 2004 the German bred Well Chief just held off Kicking King - winner of the following season's Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Second in the previous season's Triumph Hurdle, he also went on to finish runner-up in both the 2005 and 2009 Champion Chase's.
In 2002 Moscow Flyer was sent off as just the fourth favourite having fallen twice earlier that season, but comfortably saw off the favourite Seebald.
That gave Barry Geraghty his first ever Festival winner, before the pair went on to win two Champion Chases, and he later reflected:
While in 1999 Paul Nicholls saddled his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Flagship Uberalles, in this race.
The half-brother to Viking Flagship also went on to win the Champion Chase (2002).
Remittance Man 1991
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Watch a superb insight into the Arkle Chase from former race sponsors, the Racing Post: