Key Points
- My pick for the Arkle has superstar potential in the two mile division
- In a small field, I think he’ll be able to dominate this race from the front
- His main rival is fantastic but needs further than a straight two miles
The wait is over, the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is here! We now get to enjoy the greatest four days of racing that the sport has to offer us. Right now, I have a betting tip for the second race on Day 1, the Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase. I think there is a potential superstar in the making for the two mile division and barring mishaps, I cannot see him getting beaten here!
If you’re just discovering my content for the first time, I’m RacingGav and I’m the resident horse racing expert here at Betting.co.uk. I post several articles every week which are a mix of
free horse racing tips, big race trends, educational guides. During Cheltenham Festival week, I’ll be posting three tips every day, a Lucky 15 for each day’s action, plus two individual betting tips like this one.
My Lucky 15 for the Day 1 action will be published shortly, so keep your eyes peeled for that one! Meanwhile, my articles for the
Champion Hurdle, the
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
and the
National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase
are already live, together with
a Lucky 15 covering all four days
of the Cheltenham Festival.
Betting advice
- 14:00 Cheltenham - The Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase -
Kopek Des Bordes
@ 6/4 -
2pt Win
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The whole Closutton camp are excited by Kopek Des Bordes in the Arkle!
With a horse or two every Cheltenham Festival, there are just overwhelming vibes from Ireland that simply cannot be ignored. They were there for El Fabiolo when he won the Arkle (defeating Jonbon!), they were there when Gaelic Warrior won the Arkle the following year and they were there for Kopek Des Bordes in the Supreme. These horses just have an invincibility aura around them when they come across the Irish Sea to Cheltenham and it’s not often wrong. Kopek Des Bordes has that vibe this season and the market has been speaking loudly in his favour to match it over the last week or so.
Kopek Des Bordes is the one horse that possesses superstar potential in the two mile division
For me, this field is split into three categories. We have a pair of potential superstars - Kopek Des Bordes and Lulamba. We have a pair of very talented horses - Kargese and Steel Ally. We then have a pair of nice horses who without intentionally disrespecting, are making up the numbers in the context of this Grade 1.
But while there are two potential superstars lining up, I believe that only one of them can dominate the two mile division for years to come, and that is Kopek Des Bordes. Sired by No Risk At All, he’s bred for speed and he has certainly inherited those genes! He was a cut above in last year’s Supreme, beating multiple Grade 1 winner Romeo Coolio. Despite his ability over Hurdles, you always got the feeling that anything he did in that division was a bonus, and his real future was over fences.
We have only seen him over the bigger obstacles once, which was in a Beginners’ Chase at Navan. A race that has been frequented by some useful horses in the past, including Footpad, Us And Them, and Fakir d’Oudaries. Kopek Des Bordes did plenty wrong that day, but he showed a love for attacking his fences and he also proved that there is a serious engine under his bonnet. He pulled away to win by 13 lengths that day, with minimal questions asked by Paul Townend and the runner up is now rated 145, which speaks volumes.
In a small field, I think Kopek Des Bordes will be able to dominate this race from the front throughout
In this year’s Arkle we only have a field of six runners. I think most if not all of these will be happy to take a lead and if Paul Townend is happy for him to do so, I could see Kopek Des Bordes going off from the front and putting the other five to the sword early on. With the pace he is able to travel and the way he attacks his fences, I think he could have them all in trouble from the outset. If he gets into a rhythm, I think he could lead them a merry dance from flag fall to the finish line and one by one break their souls in behind.
The alternative is that Paul wants to get Kopek Des Bordes settled in behind horses which may be wise given he’s not been in a real race scenario since November and there is a chance he could be very fresh and keen. That could also make sense with the hood being applied, to keep a lid on him. Of those in the line up, it could be his stablemate - Kargese who looks to go forward. Tactically this would make sense as the one Willie Mullins runner could set it up for the other but at the same time, they are different owners and Danny Mullins isn’t known for his ability to play team tactics.
It would also be interesting to see if Nico De Boinville might try to go forward on Lulamba in order to try and make it a stamina test as that would suit him. However, I’m not sure he would have the speed to lead the field. If either of them try to go from the front, I think Kopek Des Bordes has the tactical speed to travel in behind them comfortably and then it would very much be a push button job for Paul Townend and he could go by those in front of him whenever he pleases.
Main market rival Lulamba has superstar potential but over further than two miles
The key to the phrasing of my early statement:
“Kopek Des Bordes is the one horse that possesses superstar potential in the
two mile division”
is the final three words. I am a huge Lulamba fan and I think he has every chance of becoming a superstar himself. However, I just don’t see it happening within the two mile division. Whilst he is fancied for this race, I can only see him winning it through a mishap for Kopek Des Bordes or him showing his inexperience after just one run. As for raw ability and speed, I think Kopek Des Bordes will be far too strong for him over this trip.
Either later in this season or into next season when Nicky Henderson steps Lulamba up in trip, I think he could be a real weapon. For those that like a long term antepost bet, he would certainly be one on my radar for a race like the 2026 King George VI Chase and if he was to put up a big performance in that race, he could well be a horse for the 2027 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Given he is only five, it may well be that Nicky Henderson progresses him more slowly that those two races next season but either way, I certainly think he has the potential to be contesting in them in the future. We have seen as recently as last year that Jango Baie followed this same path.
However, he is quite a quirky example, as he was only in the Arkle because Sir Gino was unable to be there and he likely only won because Majborough made mistakes. Jango Baie ran a huge race in the King George VI Chase to finish fourth in a four way finish after the last and is among the market principals for the Cheltenham Gold Cup later this week. For what it’s worth, I think Lulamba is further ahead than he was at this stage of his career and Lulamba could surpass his achievements.
Is this simply Kopek Des Bordes' race to lose?
In a nutshell, yes. I think Kopek Des Bordes and Lulamba are the real Grade 1 horses in this year’s Arkle, but Kopek Des Bordes is the only true two miler out of the pair. Kopek Des Bordes looks like a potential superstar in the making in my eyes and I could see him competing in the 2027 Champion Chase. I think regardless of how the race is run, he has the ability to win it. I’d love to see him attack his fences from the front but if he drops in and picks them off late, I’d have no complaints - I’ll leave that up to Paul Townend!
In terms of the negatives, he has only had one run over fences to date. That inexperience is a concern and I’d be lying if I said otherwise. This lack of experience is as a result of him having a small setback which saw him miss a run at Christmas. He was then due to take part at the Dublin Racing Festival but the combination of the testing ground and the fear he could be too keen, Willie Mullins decided to bypass that race.
Whilst I’d have loved for him to have more experience, I also value Willie’s opinion on it and arguably the fact he is so focused on having him at his best at Cheltenham has to be a positive. It is also worth noting that he has racecourse gallops where they have effectively recreated race scenarios with him using their own horses and the vibes coming out of those was that he worked like a monster against some very smart horses from Closutton.
All in all, this is his race to lose and the only thing that could cost him it are a mishap and/or his inexperience. However, with the vibes coming from those across the Irish Sea and the sustained market support, I don’t think connections are overly concerned about the lack of experience. If he had more experience, this would likely be my bet of the Cheltenham Festival and a very sizeable stake but at the same time, he’d likely be odds on if that was the case, which would be less appealing. With the question mark hanging over him, we’re able to get 6/4 and I feel that is well worth a strong 2pt Win bet.
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