Cheltenham Festival 2025: Antepost Reaction To Grade 1 Novice Chase Entries

News came at noon on Tuesday 22nd January  of the entries for the Grade One Novice Chase events at the Cheltenham Festival 2025.

The Arkle Novices’ Chase received a total of 26 entries with 16 of those Irish-trained, with the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase receiving 32 entries with 17 of those hailing from Ireland too.

The axing of the intermediate-distance novice chase this season meant the field for the Brown Advisory should in theory have attracted more runners, however the numbers are down from last year by six.

Arkle Novices Chase Reaction

The Nicky Henderson-trained Sir Gino is now a general 4-5 chance across the board to triumph on March 11th.

Henderson says his five-year-old is in “excellent” shape as he plots the same course towards the Arkle that he previously took with the mighty Altior. After Constitution Hill, many regard this Henderson runner as the second strongest banker of the forthcoming Cheltenham week.

Hot on the betting hooves of Sir Gino is Majborough (3/1), whose trainer Willie Mullins, has won six of the past ten renewals of the race.

Mullins won’t give up this trophy without a fight, and last season’s Triumph Hurdle hero produced a lovely performance in his opening race over the larger obstacles, seeing off stablemates Tullyhill and Asian Master to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase at Fairyhouse in December.

We’ll know just how good the five-year-old is after he runs in the Irish Arkle on February 1st,and should he sparkle, his current odds of 3/1 will go up in a puff of smoke.

A runner at larger odds that is showing some support after the entries were made, is the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned Mistergif (16/1).

Spotted at Auteuil in March 2023, the Zarak gelding acquitted himself well last season in Grade One hurdles at both Cheltenham and Aintree, then looked right at home when delivering in an EBF Beginners Chase this month. Understandably punters have latched on and he’s now a 16/1 poke from 33/1 in our horse racing odds market.

Brown Advisory Novices Chase Reaction

Though he was defeated at Kempton, Ballyburn (5/2) is attracting the most cash  among the 32 early potentials. Willie Mullins’ star was beaten by Sir Gino but he certainly won’t meet him again in this and the path to glory should be made a little bit clearer.

Surprisingly this race has been very kind to British trainers in recent years and they have claimed six of the last ten renewals.

That trend will be music to the ears of Ben Pauling, the trainer of The Jukebox Man (9/2), who scored an emphatic win in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and was second in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival. He certainly ticks plenty of the right boxes to be a live contender.

Just creeping onto the antepost radar at Cheltenham odds of 20/1 is the Willie Mullins-trained/Rich Ricci-owned Chapeau De Soleil.

The seven-year-old was marginally touched off in his Beginners Chase debut over the Christmas period and his imminent engagement at Gowran Park on January 23rd will tell us more about him.