Arkle Challenge Trophy

The Arkle Challenge Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The event is the leading two-mile chase for novices in the National Hunt calendar. It was formerly known as the Cotswold Chase, and this was changed to the present name in 1969. Its title honours Arkle, a three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the 1960s. The race was run on the Festival's second day until 1980, but it was then switched to its current slot on the opening day of the meeting. The first sponsor of the race was Waterford Castle, which began supporting the event in 1991. It was sponsored by Guinness from 1994 to 1999, and since then it has been backed by the Irish Independent newspaper.

Winners

• Amateur jockeys indicated by "Mr".

¹  The 1947 race was abandoned due to snow and frost.
²  The 2001 running was cancelled because of a foot-and-mouth crisis.

References

• Racing Post:
  • 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
  • 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
  • 2009

• pedigreequery.com – Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase – Cheltenham.
• Ladbrokes Pocket Companion 1990/91. Aesculus Press. 1990. p. 56. ISBN 1-871093-21-X. 

See also

• Horseracing in Great Britain
• List of British National Hunt races