The Arkle Challenge Trophy, known officially as the My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase for novice chasers that’s run on the Old Course at Cheltenham on the Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival.
On this race card page you can discover everything there is to know about the Arkle Challenge Trophy, including the history of the race, a full list of runners and our Arkle Challenge Trophy tips for 2024.
The runners & entries for the Arkle Challenge Trophy for this year's Cheltenham Festival can all be found below.
This is a full list of entries, but there will be declarations 5 days before the race, and final declarations 48 hours before.
Here you’ll find all of our Arkle Challenge Trophy tips. Looking to place an accumulator or simply want to see which other horses we're backing? Our daily tips page has you covered.
The Arkle Challenge Trophy is the second race of the Cheltenham Festival. The race is run over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile, 7 furlongs and 199 yards, or 3,199 metres), and during its running there are 13 fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers who are at least five years old.
The Arkle Challenge Trophy is widely recognised as the leading minimum-distance chase for novices in the National Hunt calendar and it offers a purse of £175,000.
The race was first introduced to the Cheltenham Festival in 1969 and was named the ‘Arkle Challenge Trophy’ in tribute to the great horse ‘Arkle’, who won three Cheltenham Gold Cups during the 1960s.
Up until 1980, the race was run on the second day of the Festival. However, it was then rescheduled and it has since been run on the Festival’s opening day.
The race did not have a sponsor until 1981, when it became the ‘Waterford Castle Arkle’. Since then, a number of different companies have enjoyed title sponsorship, including Guinness (1994-1999), the Irish Independent (1999-2011), the Racing Post (2012-2020) and Sporting Life (2021-2023). It is now sponsored by My Pension Expert, which is why the race is officially called the My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase.
Traditionally, horses that perform well in the Arkle Challenge Trophy go on to compete in the most prestigious two-mile chase in the National Hunt calendar, the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Most recently, this was a path followed by Put The Kettle On. In 2020, she became the first mare to win the Arkle Challenge Trophy since Anaglogs Daughter in 1980. The following year, she won the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
That said, the 1978 winner of the Arkle Challenge trophy, Alverton, did go on to win the following season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.
There have been more than 50 different winners of the race since the race became known as the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 1969.
Since 1969, Nicky Henderson has been the leading trainer in the race, with seven wins:
That said, Willie Mullins has won the race five times since 2015 and was also the trainer responsible for last year’s winner, El Fabiolo.
Mullins’ recent record in the race allowed Ruby Walsh to ride four winners. This means he’s currently the joint-leading jockey in the race, alongside Barry Geraghty. The horses they steered to success included:
Ruby Walsh:
Azertyuiop (2003)
Un de Sceaux (2015)
Douvan (2016)
Footpad (2018)
Barry Geraghty:
Moscow Flyer (2002)
Forpadydeplasterer (2009)
Sprinter Sacre (2012)
Simonsig (2013)
This table below contains a complete list of all the Arkle Challenge Trophy winners from the past decade. As you may notice, it’s littered with star names, including Footpad and Put the Kettle On.
| Year | Winner | Age | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | El Fabiolo | 6 | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2022 | Edwardstone | 8 | Alan King | Tom Cannon |
| 2021 | Shishkin | 7 | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville |
| 2020 | Put The Kettle On | 6 | Henry de Bromhead | Aidan Coleman |
| 2019 | Duc des Genievres | 6 | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2018 | Footpad | 6 | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2017 | Altior | 7 | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville |
| 2016 | Douvan | 6 | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2015 | Un de Sceaux | 7 | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2014 | Western Warhorse | 6 | David Pipe | Tom Scudamore |
| 2013 | Simonsig | 7 | Nicky Henderson | Barry Geraghty |
If you’re looking for Arkle Challenge Trophy tips, then you’re in the right place. At the top of this page, you can see exactly which horses our expert tipsters are backing.
Looking for other Cheltenham Festival tips? Head over to our Day 1 Tips page where you can see every horse we’re backing on the Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival.
You can also see all the latest odds for this race on our Arkle Challenge Trophy Odds page. Here you’re able to see which bookmakers are offering the best price on each horse in the race.
