Arkle Novices' Chase 2027: Where To Bet

Arkle Novices' Chase 2027: Cheltenham Festival Betting Preview
Henderson vs Mullins Again as the Premier Two-Mile Novice Chase Comes Round

Tuesday, 16 March 2027 | Cheltenham Racecourse, Prestbury Park, Gloucestershire
Grade 1 | 2 Miles (1m 7f 199y) | Old Course | 13 Fences

The Arkle Novices' Chase is where future two-mile superstars announce themselves. Named after the legendary three-time Gold Cup winner, this Grade 1 contest over 13 fences on the Old Course is a pure test of speed, accuracy and nerve. The pace is relentless, errors are punished ruthlessly, and the roll of honour reads like a who's who of modern chasing. Moscow Flyer, Sprinter Sacre, Douvan, Altior, and Shishkin all used this race as a springboard to Champion Chase glory, and every renewal carries the chance of another name for that list.

2026 Result: Kargese Springs the Surprise
Tuesday, 10 March 2026: Kargese won at 7/1 for Willie Mullins and Danny Mullins, beating stablemate Kopek Des Bordes (11/8, Paul Townend) by two and a quarter lengths, with the 11/10 favourite Lulamba (Nicky Henderson / Nico de Boinville) a further two and a half lengths back in third. Six ran on good to soft ground. Kargese, the 2025 County Hurdle winner, became the first mare to win the Arkle since Put The Kettle On in 2020.

Twelve months earlier Jango Baie had upset the odds for Henderson and de Boinville, capitalising on a mistake-strewn round of jumping from the 1/2 favourite Majborough to score by three-quarters of a length at 5/1, an eighth Arkle for Henderson. In 2026 Henderson returned with Lulamba, the shortest-priced ante-post favourite at the entire Festival, and Mullins had the 2025 Supreme winner Kopek Des Bordes, who was trying to follow Douvan, Altior and Shishkin by winning the Supreme and Arkle in consecutive years. Neither got there, and it was Mullins' second string who came home in front.

Between them, Henderson and Mullins have won 12 of the last 15 Arkles. It remains the place to start.

Lulamba: The Favourite Who Was Beaten

Time Stamp: Saturday, February 14, 2026, 5:00 PM ET
2026 ante-post odds, shown for the record (not current prices)
Source: Bet365

Lulamba 2.25 | Kopek Des Bordes 4.00 | Kargese 7.00 | Romeo Coolio 6.00 | Mambonumberfive 13.00 | Irish Panther 13.00 | Kappa Jy Pyke 17.00 | Steel Ally 15.00

Lulamba had done everything asked of him since switching to fences. The son of Nirvana Du Berlais arrived at Seven Barrows from France with a massive reputation, and while an agonising second in the Triumph Hurdle behind the 100/1 winner Poniros was a minor setback, his novice chase campaign was faultless. He won his chasing debut at Exeter by 10 lengths, beat Be Aware by nine and a half lengths in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown, and then beat seasoned open company rivals by six and a half lengths in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on February 7th, 2026.

That Newbury run drew obvious parallels with Sprinter Sacre and Altior, both novice winners of the Game Spirit for Henderson who went on to land the Arkle. The concerns were his jumping, which was scrappy early at Newbury, and his age. Five-year-olds had gone 0 from 17 in the Arkle since 2007, when a 5lb allowance for that age group was scrapped. At Cheltenham he went off the 11/10 favourite and finished third, and the five-year-old statistic survived another year.

Kopek Des Bordes: The Supreme Route Falls Short

Going into 2026, the last three Supreme Novices' Hurdle winners to line up in the Arkle the following year had all won: Douvan in 2016, Altior in 2017 and Shishkin in 2021. Kopek Des Bordes was trying to make it four from four.

He had won the 2025 Supreme pulling clear under Paul Townend at 4/6, and his sole start over fences at Navan in November 2025 was a 13-length beginners' chase win. A minor setback over Christmas then forced him to miss a planned outing in graded company, and Mullins bypassed the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown. He arrived at Cheltenham with one run over fences all season, 116 days before the race. He went off at 11/8 and ran well, but finished second, two and a quarter lengths behind his stablemate.

Romeo Coolio: The Warrior with a Trip Question

Gordon Elliott's Romeo Coolio brought the most battle-hardened form into the 2026 picture, unbeaten in four starts over fences including three Grade 1 wins, the most recent in the Goffs Irish Arkle at Leopardstown on February 2nd. He had to fight off Kargese there by half a length, and Elliott said afterwards that he would not be shocked to see him step up in trip. He held entries in both the Arkle and the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, and in the end he was not in the Arkle line-up.

Kargese: The Mare Who Did It

Kargese deserved serious consideration at 7.00 in February. The mare had won the County Hurdle at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and had pushed Romeo Coolio to half a length in the Irish Arkle, setting the pace and still fighting on the run-in. Only one mare, Put The Kettle On in 2020, had won the Arkle since 1980, so the historical trend was against her, but the form was right there with the principals. With Danny Mullins taking over in the saddle, she returned 7/1 and won by two and a quarter lengths.

Others in the 2026 Picture

Mambonumberfive arrived at the Kingmaker Novices' Chase at Warwick on February 7th, 2026 with three wins from three over fences, but never jumped with any fluency on heavy ground and finished a distant last of three as Steel Ally won by 10 lengths. Mambonumberfive did not take his place at Cheltenham. Steel Ally, the Sam Thomas-trained Kingmaker winner, went off at 16/1 and finished fifth. Kappa Jy Pyke and Irish Panther were also in the February market but were not among the six runners.

Trends for 2027

The Arkle trends point strongly in one direction, and the 2026 result was a reminder that they are a guide rather than a rule. The race has been dominated by Henderson and Mullins, with 12 of the last 15 winners between them. Most winners are aged six or seven, have already won a Graded race that season, and won last time out. The favourite had a long record of success in the race, but Majborough in 2025 and Lulamba in 2026 were both beaten.

Kargese broke the mould in more than one way. She had been beaten in the Irish Arkle, she was not favourite, and she was a mare. Kopek Des Bordes' second place also showed the limits of a light preparation, even for Mullins. The five-year-old record remains the one to respect: no horse of that age has won the race since the allowance was removed in 2007.

For 2027, the novice chase trials through the winter will shape the market: the Henry VIII at Sandown, the Irish Arkle at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Game Spirit at Newbury and the Kingmaker at Warwick. Look first at the Henderson and Mullins novices, then at any horse who has beaten them.

2026 Arkle Novices' Chase Result
1st Kargese (7/1) - W.P. Mullins / Danny Mullins
2nd Kopek Des Bordes (11/8) - W.P. Mullins / Paul Townend
3rd Lulamba (11/10f) - N. Henderson / Nico de Boinville
6 ran | Distances: 2 1/4l, 2 1/2l | Time: 3m 52.35s

2025 Arkle Novices' Chase Result
1st Jango Baie (5/1) - N. Henderson / Nico de Boinville
2nd Majborough (1/2f) - W.P. Mullins / Paul Townend
3 ran | Distance: 3/4l | Time: 3m 57.60s

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