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Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy
Race Conditions
This is the Champion Chase for novices (2:35pm). It is run over two miles, and is open to horses aged five years old and upwards. The total prize fund is £170,000.
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Recent Winners
The form book is often a good guide to the race and shocks in the Arkle are few and far between. The fields for this event tend to be smaller than for most of the other races at the Festival, but that doesn’t stop it from being a real test for novices, who have to travel and jump faster than they ever have before.
After such a stern examination, it is probably not surprising that the winner of the race almost invariably goes on to take top rank amongst the countries’ leading two mile chasers. Flagship Uberalles, Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop and Voy Por Ustedes are just a few of the horses who have gone on from winning this race in recent years to win a subsequent renewal of the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
The race is also proving to be a significant stepping stone to future success in the Gold Cup. Both the 2005 (Kicking King) and 2006 (War of Attrition) Gold Cup winners had run in this race the year previously and Best Mate would have too were the meeting not abandoned due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
| Year | Horse | Age | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Tidal Bay | 7 | J Howard Johnson | 6/1 |
| 2007 | My Way de Solzen | 7 | A King | 7/2 |
| 2006 | Voy Por Ustedes | 5 | A King | 15/2 |
| 2005 | Contraband | 7 | M Pipe | 7/1 |
| 2004 | Well Chief | 5 | M Pipe | 9/1 |
| 2003 | Azertyuiop | 6 | P Nicholls | 5/4F |
| 2002 | Moscow Flyer | 8 | Mrs J Harrington | 11/2 |
| 2000 | Tiutchev | 7 | N Henderson | 8/1 |
| 1999 | Flagship Uberalles | 4 | P Nicholls | 11/1 |
| 1998 | Champleve | 5 | M Pipe | 13/2 |
| 1997 | Or Royal | 6 | M Pipe | 11/2 |
| 1996 | Ventana Canyon | 5 | E O'Grady | 7/1 |
| 1995 | Klairon Davis | 6 | A Moore | 7/2 |
| 1994 | Nakir | 6 | S Christian | 9/1 |
Key Trends
French bred horses have won 7 of the last 14 runnings from less than 25% representation.
20 of the last 21 winners had finished first or second in all completed chase starts.
1 winning favourite since 1992, but the last 18 winners started at no bigger than 11/1.
Only 1 winner aged over 7 since 1990.
Watch the 2008 Arkle Challenge Trophy:
2007 Review
Over the last few years, the two races that have thrown up the most future Cheltenham champions are the Supreme Novices Hurdle and the Arkle, and this year’s renewal of the race that is named after the legendary chaser may have seen next season’s Gold Cup and Champion Chase winners locking horns.
The winner MY WAY DE SOLZEN has looked like a future Gold Cup winner for some time. That impression was enforced in emphatic fashion here as Alan King’s charge, successful in last year’s World Hurdle, brushed aside concerns about the step back in trip to two miles. He jumps well, has the speed to win over the minimum trip and the stamina to win over three miles. It is not surprising, therefore, that his connections believe him to be a star in the making. Although it was disappointing that two of his main rivals fell at the second last, the time he recorded suggests he may still have won on merit.
The two horses to come down, Twist Magic and Don’t Push It were both going extremely well at the time and so it is not surprising that their jockeys looked such dejected figures as their horses carried on up the hill, rider less. We’ll obviously never know what would have happened if they’d both stood up
Of the two casualties, Twist Magic appeared to be the travelling best of all. He is only five and is improving all the time. Compensation surely awaits, and whilst the winner and Don’t Push It look sure to be even better when stepped up in trip, Twist Magic looks a real two mile chaser and may be the one to fill the gap left at the top of that division by the recent retirements of Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop.
Don’t Push It is a giant of a horse and would surely benefit from further and / or softer ground. He, therefore, deserves huge credit for being able to travel so strongly for so long against the best two miler novices around. He is another exciting prospect for next season.
After the melee at the second last it was left to Fair Along and Jack The Giant to chase the winner home.
Runner up Fair Along had all sorts of problems in running. He was knocked sideways at the start and was never able to adopt his preferred front running tactics after that. In the circumstances, he did remarkably well to get as close as he did to the winner. However, he is likely to find things tough next year as he isn’t the biggest and will no longer be entitled to the weight for age allowance.
Jack The Giant also ran a cracker in third, just running out of steam up the hill and losing second in the dying strides. Considering he was in the firing line all the way it was a very genuine effort from the Nicky Henderson trained five year old.
By contrast, talented though he is, Fassel showed again that he isn’t one to trust implicitly. He was doing his best work at the finish, when the race was all but over as a contest.
Best of the rest was Another Promise. Running in the same colours as the former top class chaser Strong Promise (after whom he appears to have been named), he looked beforehand like the horse open to the most physical improvement. In the race, he was always travelling nicely out the back, but just struggled for a change of gear when the leaders quickened turning for home. He has already won over two miles and three miles plus, and on ground ranging from good to firm, to soft. He has also taken on and beaten more experienced rivals in handicaps. He is surely, therefore, one to follow and, given his trainer’s excellent recent record with chasers at the Festival, he could even develop into a lively Gold Cup outsider this time next year.
2006 Review
This had been billed as one of the races of the Festival and it didn’t disappoint. Interestingly, as with the Supreme Novices Hurdle, the finish was fought out by two horses who had previously both been at their best on soft ground, suggesting that the going was more testing than first thought.
VOY POR USTEDES was an impressive winner in the end, and he and the runner-up, Monet’s Garden had the race to themselves from someway out. Given that, and the fact that there didn’t appear to be any excuses for any of the more fancied runners in behind, there is every reason to believe that this was a top class performance.
Monet’s Garden was giving the winner a five pound allowance which makes him fractionally the better horse at the weights. However, Voy Por Ustedes was seemingly well in command at the finish and his extra speed probably told in the end. He is also a very fast, fluent jumper which should stand him in good stead when he goes for the two mile crown next season.
Monet’s Garden is far less experienced over fences than his conqueror and would have been suited by softer ground, making his effort all the more meritorious. He’ll no doubt be stepped up in trip next year and the last two Gold Cup winners had both been beaten in this race in their novice season.
Foreman ran well back in third. Many of the races at the Festival seemed to fall to horses who were up with the pace from a long way out and this hold up performer was never able to get competitive with the front two. This may prove to be as good as he is.
In hindsight, Don’t Be Shy ran a good race in fourth, given the troubles his stable had at the meeting, whilst neither Racing Demon nor Missed That had enough pace to get into contention. They are both likely to be aimed at the Gold Cup as well next year.
It was a shame Accordian Etolie fell so early, but as things worked out the ground may not have been quick enough for him. He’ll have other days.
Bookmakers generally make Voy Por Ustedes an 8-1 chance for the Champion Chase next year and Monet’s Garden 25-1 for the Gold Cup.
Robert Thornton and Voy Por Ustedes on the way to winning the 2006 Arkle Trophy from Monet's Garden