Arkle Novices Chase Betting Preview – Cheltenham Day 1 Tips (2025)

The Arkle Novices Chase is the second race on Day 1 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and 5 runners have been declared for one of the biggest horse racing betting heats of the season.

We’ve known the early entries for the Arkle Novices Chase for some time now but decisions have been made and all eyes will be on Prestbury Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Here, we look at some of the leading players in the Cheltenham odds for this year’s race, with an Arkle Novices Chase selection ahead of the 2025 renewal.

Willie Mullins has won the last two renewals of the Arkle and with Sir Gino sadly sidelined, he will be looking to make it three victories in a row with the well regarded MAJBOROUGH.

Victorious in last year’s Triumph Hurdle, chasing was always going to be his forte given his actual size and scope.

Mullins has always waxed lyrical about him as an exciting horse who he believes may well develop into a Gold Cup horse in a few season’s time.

The five-year-old is two from two over fences thus far, winning by six and a half lengths on chase debut at Fairyhouse before following up with a nine length lesson giver in the Irish Arkle at the DRF.

Owner JP McManus has done well down the years with these French recruits, and even veteran French jockey Johnny Charron can claim he played a small part in the Majborough success story.

The chief danger to the favourite on paper appears to be from the Dan Skelton-trained L’Eau du Sud.

The Skelton-trained grey sealed a poignant success in the silks of the late John Hales in the Kingmaker Novices’ Chase at Warwick last month.

Second in last season’s Betfair Hurdle and County Hurdle, he is now four from four over fences this campaign, and will be hoping to exploit any jumping frailties that Majborough may exhibit.

Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Jerry McGrath schooled Jango Baie earlier in the week and reckons he has every chance of providing Nicky Henderson with an eighth success in Tuesday’s Arkle.

The six-year-old, who won the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree in 2023, made a winning chase debut over an extended two-and-a-half miles at Cheltenham in December before only going down by the smallest of margins to Handstands in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown at the beginning of February.

Effectively in this race as a super-sub for the absent Sir Gino, he will probably need Majborough to majorly underperform to get a look in on the trophy.

Many pundits had the Gordon Elliott-trained Touch Me Not pencilled in as a possible Grand Annual type and it is easy to see why from his superb novice chase efforts thus far. However connections have opted for this tougher Graded test instead.

The five-year-old youngster put up a bold show in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown and his nine-length second to Majborough in the Irish Arkle at the Dublin Racing Festival is another piece of exemplary form. Perhaps the Elliott team believe they can bridge the gap this time?

Gavin Cromwell’s mare Only By Night arrives here bidding for a four-timer. Our William Hill ambassador had previously told us: “The unfortunate news of Sir Gino’s injury has definitely given us food for thought with Only By Night holding an entry in the Arkle.

“She jumps really well, but Majborough is a very good, talented horse.

“That said, we’re swaying towards running her in the Arkle instead of the Mares’ Chase now as it stands.”

It’s great to see a trainer like Cromwell taking on the best here, rather than opting for the “easier” option.

SELECTION: MAJBOROUGH