The Arkle Challenge Trophy
The Arkle Challenge Trophy is the second race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. The race is a Grade 1 contest held over two miles with twelve fences along the course. Novice chase horses of five-years-old or older may enter the race.
The race is one of the most important and exciting on the opening day with a prize fund of well over £150,000. The race is run anti-clockwise on the Cheltenham course swinging round past the crowds in the main stand and Betting area.
There is an 11 stone and 7 pounds weight restriction for all horses that enter the race. The Arkle Challenge Trophy is currently the leading short distance noviceís hurdle race in the world.
The race is not traditionally viewed as the most important race on the opening day but it is one of the few races where upsets are likely. The higher number of fences to be jumped over a shorter distance has produced mistakes from heavy favourites in recent years, allowing the dark horses to take a bit of glory from one of the biggest racing festivals in the world.
History of the Arkle Challenge Trophy
A version of this race has been run every year since 1946 with the exception of 1947 and 2001. The history of the Arkle Challenge Trophy started to expand and grow in 1969 when the race replaced the Cotswold Chase, which had been a regular and famous race at the Cheltenham Festival.
The race was not held in 1947 because conditions were too great a risk to the horses with badly frozen ground. The 2001 race was called off because of the foot and mouth crisis where owners didnít want their valuable assets being subject to a possible life threatening disease.
The Arkle had always been planned to take place on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival but became the second race on the opening day in 1980. The race has had various sponsors ever since it was included as a Cheltenham Festival race. The current sponsor of the race is the Irish Independent Newspaper.
A horse called Bright Penny started the History of the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 1946 when the six-year-old won under Glen Kelly, the first jockey to win the race. The winning trainer Bobby Norris went on to have winners in 1948 and 1949 to go with the 1946 title.
Arkle Challenge Trophy Records
The Arkle Challenge Trophy is responsible for some of the most famous records in Cheltenham Festival history. There is a growing list of jockeys that have all ridden three winners in the race; Glen Kelly, Pat Taaffe, Richard Dunwoody, Jamie Osborne and Tony McCoy.
Tom Dreaper currently holds the Arkle Challenge Trophy Record for best trainer with five separate winners; Fortria, Mountcashel King, Ben Stack, Flyingbolt and Alpheus.
Grand Refrain, Glen Kellyís third winner, became the first five-year-old to win the race in 1949 and Sir Ken and Danish Flight are the only two nine-year-old horses to have ever won the race.