The Arkle Chase is always one of the most exciting races at the Cheltenham Festival and it has an incredibly long and prestigious roll of honour.
The Arkle Chase: Greatest Ever Winners
Named after the great triple Gold Cup winner, it was introduced in 1969 as a replacement for the Cotswolds Chase and it has had a spot on Day 1 of the Festival since 1980. This race is for the best two-mile novice chasers and it’s the perfect test of speed, jumping and ability. Here we take a look at some of the most iconic winners of the race, including the likes of Moscow Flyer & Sprinter Sacre.
The Arkle Chase: Ruby Walsh
One of the finest jockeys to ever grace a racecourse, Ruby Walsh is the joint most successful rider in the history of the Arkle with four wins. Three of those came within a four-year spell between 2015 and 2018 and Douvan was arguably the best of them. Whilst injury prevented this horse from reaching his full potential, he looked like an absolute beast in his early days and ran out an impressive winner in 2016, with subsequent Gold Cup winner Sizing John back in second. Successful on Un De Sceaux the previous year, that horse went on to win the Clarence House Chase three times and the Ryanair Chase in 2017.
The Arkle Chase: Nicky Henderson
Nicky Henderson is one of Britain’s best-ever trainers and he has won this race a whopping seven times. Undoubtedly, the most iconic of these is the great Sprinter Sacre and he decimated a small but smart field of six back in 2012. Cue Card and Al Ferof were in behind that day and they had no answer to the devastating power of Henderson’s gelding.
Equine superstar Altior went on to win the Champion Chase twice after winning the Arkle in 2017. It won’t be remembered for the depth of its form, but Altior did go on to be an exceptional two-miler and winners of this race should be future Champion Chase types. The Master of Seven Barrows has this year’s market leader with the unbeaten Sir Gino the warm favourite to add further honours to the illustrious roll of honour.
The Arkle Chase: Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop and Well Chief
The 2004 Tingle Creek Chase is widely regarded as one of the best two-mile chases to ever take place as Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop, and Well Chief faced off against each other in an absolute classic that the former went on to win.
These three horses won consecutive renewals of this race between 2002 and 2004, which set the stage perfectly for that iconic clash. This provides some of the best evidence yet that the Arkle is a breeding ground for future champions and there are few more iconic winners than these three.
The Arkle Chase: The Willie Mullins Era
Willie Mullins has won six of the last 10 renewals of the Arkle, which highlights the wider point that he is by far the most dominant force in the sport. El Fabiolo destroyed Jonbon back in 2023 and he also claimed victory with Gaelic Warrior last year. Connections made the wise choice to drop him back in trip and he made no mistake, going on to beat two subsequent Grade 1 winners by a very comfortable margin.
By Adrian Mills
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