Arkle Trophy Chase

The Arkle Challenge Trophy, sponsored by the Irish Independent newspaper, is a Grade 1 jumps horse race for novice chasers aged five years old and above, run over two miles on the Old Course at Cheltenham on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival in March. The 2010 was won by Sizing Europe..

Cheltenham Racecourse

Cheltenham is regarded as the home of championship jump racing in Britain, mainly because of the four-day Cheltenham Festival in March, which is seen as the pinnacle of the jumps racing season. The main jumps track has two courses, known as the Old Course and New Course, and there is also a cross-country course.

The first organised Flat horse race meeting in Cheltenham took place in 1815, on Nottingham Hill, with the racecourse being moved to Prestbury Park, the current venue, in 1831. Jump racing started at the course in 1898 and nowadays Cheltenham hosts jump racing only, with its most famous race being the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is the showpiece event of the Cheltenham Festival.

Cheltenham is part of Jockey Club Racecourses, which owns and operates 14 of Britain’s racecourses.

• Map to and Weather at Cheltenham Racecourse

Arkle Trophy Chase History

The Arkle Trophy Chase superseded the Cotswold Chase and was first staged in 1969, commemorating three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Arkle - the only horse to have a race at jump racing's biggest meeting named after him.

The race has had three sponsors: Waterford Castle (1991-1993), Guinness (1994-1999) and Irish Independent (2000-present day).

Arkle Trophy Chase Trainers and Jockeys

Martin Pipe has been the most successful trainer with four wins, all with horses owned by David Johnson (Or Royal 1997, Champleve 1998, Well Chief 2004, Contraband 2005). Peter Easterby won the race three times (Alverton 1978, Clayside 1981, Ryeman 1983), a tally matched by Nicky Henderson (Remittance Man 1991, Travado 1993, Tiutchev 2000).

The most successful jockeys have been three-time winners Jamie Osborne (Young Pokey 1992, Travado 1993, Nakir 1994) and Tony McCoy (Or Royal 1997, Champleve 1998, Well Chief 2004).

Arkle Chase Video

1995 - Klairon Davis winning the Arkle Trophy Chase

Arkle Trophy Chase Facts

• Remittance Man, Klairon Davis, Flagship Uberalles, Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop and Voy Por Ustedes all returned to Cheltenham to land the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

• Alverton is the only winner to have gone on to take the Gold Cup. The 2005 Gold Cup winner Kicking King finished second in the Arkle in 2004.

• Tidal Bay gave jockey Denis O'Regan his first Cheltenham Festival success when winning the Arkle for Graham and Andrea Wylie in 2008.

Further Reading:

• Arkle Challenge Trophy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  The Wikipedia page on the Arkle Trophy features a complete list of winners since the beginning of the race.

• Pedigree Query for the Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase

  The Thoroughbred Horse Pedigree Query features detailed information on the pedigree of the horses that have won the Arkle Trophy

• Cheltenham Racecourse

  The official site of Cheltenham Racecourse

• 2009 Cheltenham Festival Images

  About.com has an image gallery of the 2009 Cheltenham races including the Arkle Trophy

• Arkle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  The Wikipedia page on Arkle, the horse the race is named after.

• The Legend of Arkle

  A BBC article on Arkle.