Limited Time Offer For The Festival
--
Days
--
Hours
--
Mins
--
Secs
Arkle Novices' Chase
Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets
New customer offer at Bet365 - paid as Bet Credits
Claim £30 in Free Bets Now
→
Use This Bonus Code
THEKING
Copy
Day
Tuesday
Time
14:00
Grade
Grade 1
Distance
2m
Open Account Offer. Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. 18+. The bonus code THEKING can be used during registration, but does not change the offer amount in any way. Please gamble responsibly.
Arkle Novices' Chase 2026: Where To Bet
Race Details:
Date: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Grade: 1
Open To: Novice Chasers
Track: Turf
Length: 3,420 Metres
Location: United Kingdom
Arkle Novices' Chase 2026: Cheltenham Festival Betting Preview
Henderson vs Mullins Again as the Premier Two-Mile Novice Chase Takes Shape
Tuesday, 10 March 2026 | 2:00 PM | Cheltenham Racecourse, Prestbury Park, Gloucestershire
Grade 1 | 2 Miles (1m 7f 199y) | Old Course | 13 Fences | £200,000
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 the 2026 renewal looks capable of producing another name for that list.
Jango Baie upset the odds twelve months ago for Nicky Henderson and Nico 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. It was an eighth Arkle victory for Henderson, cementing his status as the most successful trainer in the history of the race. This time around, Henderson returns with Lulamba, a five-year-old who has looked exceptional in three starts over fences and is now the shortest-priced ante-post favourite at the entire Festival. Standing in his way is last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle hero Kopek Des Bordes, trained by Willie Mullins, who is attempting to follow the path trodden by Douvan, Altior and Shishkin by winning the Supreme and Arkle in consecutive years.
Between them, Henderson and Mullins have won 11 of the last 14 Arkles. One of them is almost certainly winning this.
Lulamba: The Market Leader
Time Stamp: Saturday, February 14, 2026, 5:00 PM ET
Odds Subject to Change
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 has done everything asked of him since switching to fences. The five-year-old 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 shock 100/1 winner Poniros provided a minor setback, his novice chase campaign has been faultless. He won his chasing debut at Exeter by 10 lengths, hammered Be Aware by nine and a half lengths in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown, and then stepped up to beat seasoned open company rivals by six and a half lengths in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on February 7th.
That Newbury run was the most revealing of the three. Henderson deliberately chose to pitch Lulamba against older, experienced chasers rather than take a soft novice option, and the decision looked shrewd. Lulamba took time to warm up early on, jumping big and losing his position as Master Chewy and Mirabad set a strong pace. He was being pushed along turning in. Then something clicked. From two out, he engaged a different gear entirely, put in two of his best jumps, and drew clear without de Boinville having to get serious. Henderson has now won the Game Spirit six times, and two of his previous novice winners of the race, Sprinter Sacre and Altior, both went on to land the Arkle. The parallels are obvious and the trainer himself is leaning into them.
The concerns are fair ones. Lulamba was scrappy over his fences early at Newbury, corkscrewing over one down the back straight when hitting it on a long stride. That kind of inefficiency could prove costly on the tight, quick Old Course at Cheltenham where the fences come thick and fast. Henderson acknowledged the horse still has some finessing to do in his jumping, saying he believed there was time for improvement before the second Tuesday in March. The five-year-old age profile is another question mark. Five-year-olds are 0 from 17 in the Arkle since 2007, when a 5lb allowance for that age group was scrapped. That is a significant trend to buck, although Lulamba's raw talent may simply be good enough to override the statistic.
De Boinville, who has ridden three Arkle winners for Henderson, described the turn of foot as devastating. The gears are clearly there. If Lulamba settles better at Cheltenham than he did at Newbury and puts in a clean round of jumping, he will take some beating.
Kopek Des Bordes: The Supreme Route into History
The last three Supreme Novices' Hurdle winners to line up in the Arkle the following year have all won. Douvan did it in 2016. Altior did it in 2017. Shishkin did it in 2021. Kopek Des Bordes is trying to make it four from four, and the pedigree of that trend alone demands serious respect for Willie Mullins' six-year-old.
Kopek Des Bordes won the 2025 Supreme in the style of a horse destined for bigger things, pulling clear under Paul Townend at odds of 4/6 to beat William Munny by a length and three-quarters, with Romeo Coolio a further five and a half lengths back in third. He was always going to go novice chasing this season, and his sole start over fences at Navan in November confirmed the plan was on track. He won that beginners' chase by 13 lengths, attacking his fences with the kind of confidence that suggested fences were always going to be his game.
Then things got complicated. A minor setback over Christmas forced him to miss a planned outing in graded company, and when the Dublin Racing Festival came around in early February, Mullins opted to bypass the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown entirely. Owner Charles McCarthy confirmed the Arkle at Cheltenham remained the target, but acknowledged the trainer was not happy to take on his rivals at that point. The horse has been working well at home and schooling at the Curragh, but the fact remains that Kopek Des Bordes will arrive at Cheltenham having had just one run over fences all season, and that was 116 days before the race.
Mullins has pulled off this kind of thing before. He is the master of getting horses ready without an extensive campaign, and his record of six Arkle wins from the last 11 renewals speaks for itself. But 4.00 in the betting with that preparation profile asks punters to take a leap of faith. The ability is clearly there. The question is whether one chase run and a setback-interrupted season leave him sharp enough to deal with the pace of a championship Arkle and the particular demands of the Cheltenham Old Course fences.
Romeo Coolio: The Warrior with a Trip Question
Gordon Elliott's Romeo Coolio brings the most battle-hardened form in the field. The seven-year-old is unbeaten in four starts over fences this season, including three Grade 1 victories, the most recent of which came in the Goffs Irish Arkle at Leopardstown on February 2nd. That performance told you everything about what Romeo Coolio is and is not.
He is tough. He is gutsy. He digs deep when the pressure comes. In the Irish Arkle, he had to fight off Kargese in what became a genuine two-horse race from the second fence. Kargese led for much of the contest and pushed Romeo Coolio hard throughout, but Jack Kennedy's mount found reserves after the last to prevail by half a length. Three Grade 1 wins this season, in a field where others have had setbacks and interruptions, is not something to dismiss lightly.
What the Irish Arkle also showed is that Romeo Coolio needs every yard of two miles. Kennedy was hard at work turning in, and the horse was flat out for the final half mile. Elliott himself said afterwards that he would not be shocked to see him stepping up in trip, and the horse holds entries in both the Arkle and the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase over three miles. Connections are from the UK and keen for a Cheltenham runner, but the decision on which race will be made closer to the time. If he does turn up in the Arkle, his stamina-fuelled running style could either drag the pace out of others or leave him vulnerable to a sharper finisher like Lulamba. At 6.00, the each-way angle is there, but the trip concern is real.
Kargese: The Mare Who Ran Them All Close
Willie Mullins may have his main runner in Kopek Des Bordes, but Kargese deserves serious consideration at 7.00. This mare won the County Hurdle at last year's Cheltenham Festival and has proven she belongs at the highest level over fences with her performance in the Irish Arkle, where she pushed Romeo Coolio to within half a length.
Kargese set the pace at Leopardstown and was still fighting on the run-in when the post came just in time for Romeo Coolio. Under Townend, she jumped accurately throughout and showed the kind of resolution that Cheltenham rewards. Only one mare, Put The Kettle On in 2020, has won the Arkle since 1980, so the historical trend is against her, but the form is right there with the principals in this race. If the pace is hot and Lulamba is slow to settle as he has been in his races, Kargese could find herself in the firing line approaching the last. At double-figure decimal odds, she could represent significant each-way value.
Others to Consider
Mambonumberfive arrived at the Kingmaker Novices' Chase at Warwick on February 7th with three wins from three over fences and a growing reputation, but the wheels came off. He never jumped with any fluency on the heavy ground, lost ground at several fences, and finished a distant last of three as Steel Ally cantered home 10 lengths clear. The five-year-old age issue applies here as well, and the Kingmaker performance raised serious questions about whether he handles testing ground. Ben Pauling's charge is talented on his day, but the Arkle looks a significant ask after that outing.
Steel Ally won the Kingmaker impressively and is three from three over fences, but bookmakers were not blown away, only trimming him to around 14/1 for the Arkle. The eight-year-old Sam Thomas trainee handles soft ground well and could run into a place if everything falls right, but he looks to be operating at a level or two below the top three in the market.
Kappa Jy Pyke is an interesting Mullins runner at bigger odds. Unbeaten in two starts over fences, he showed a sharp turn of foot at Punchestown and could outrun his price if supplemented. Irish Panther, trained by Eddie and Patrick Harty, adds depth from the Irish contingent.
Trends and Betting Outlook
Time Stamp: Saturday, February 14, 2026, 5:00 PM ET
Odds Subject to Change
Source: Bet365
The Arkle trends are fairly clear and point strongly in one direction. Nine of the last 10 winners were aged six or seven. Eight of the last 10 had already won a Graded race that season. Eight of the last 10 won last time out. Seven of the last 10 were sent off favourite, and the favourite has won 10 of the last 14 renewals, including seven odds-on shots. The race has been dominated by Henderson and Mullins, with 11 of the last 14 winners between them.
Lulamba fits most of the key trends cleanly. He has won a Graded race this season, he won last time out, and he is trained by Henderson. The only trend that works against him is the five-year-old question, which is a 0 from 17 record since 2007. That is the one piece of data his backers have to dismiss.
Kopek Des Bordes also fits well. He is six years old, trained by Mullins, and has won his only chase start this season. But the lack of a run since November and the missed prep are genuine concerns. The Supreme-to-Arkle trend is powerful in his favour, though, and that pathway has produced three winners in the last decade.
From a betting perspective, this looks like a race where the market has it broadly right. Lulamba is the class act on the evidence we have seen on a racecourse this season. He has the sharpest form, the most experience over fences, and the trainer-jockey combination that owns this race. The danger is Kopek Des Bordes if Mullins can work his magic off a quiet preparation, and the each-way value could sit with Kargese, who ran to a high level at Leopardstown and would not be out of place in a finish at Cheltenham. Romeo Coolio adds intrigue if he stays at two miles, though connections may ultimately decide the Brown Advisory is the smarter play.
Quick Reference: Key Odds
Time Stamp: Saturday, February 14, 2026, 5:00 PM ET
Odds Subject to Change
Source: Bet365
Lulamba 2.25 | Trainer: Nicky Henderson | Jockey: Nico de Boinville
Kopek Des Bordes 4.00 | Trainer: W.P. Mullins | Jockey: Paul Townend
Romeo Coolio 6.00 | Trainer: Gordon Elliott | Jockey: Jack Kennedy
Kargese 7.00 | Trainer: W.P. Mullins | Jockey: TBC
Mambonumberfive 13.00 | Trainer: Ben Pauling | Jockey: Ben Jones
Irish Panther 13.00 | Trainer: Eddie & Patrick Harty | Jockey: TBC
Steel Ally 15.00 | Trainer: Sam Thomas | Jockey: Dylan Johnston
Kappa Jy Pyke 17.00 | Trainer: W.P. Mullins | Jockey: TBC
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
Please gamble responsibly.
Betting should be enjoyable and never seen as a way to make money. Only bet what you can afford to lose. If you feel that gambling is becoming a problem, help is available. Visit www.gambleaware.org or call the National Gambling Helpline at 0808 8020 133. You must be 18+ to place a bet. Terms and conditions apply.
--
View more Horse Races
