Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Irish Arkle Novice Chase Preview
Having first been run back in 1956, the Arkle Novice Chase has been run every year since except for 1970. The race is a chase run over two miles and one furlong at the Leopardstown racecourse during the Dublin Racing Festival which is held in early February.
The race is open to novice chases where they have to contend with eleven fences throughout the race. The race is known as the 'Irish Arkle' and some runners, for example, Footpad in 2018 went on to win the British equivalent, the Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham festival.
Irish Arkle Novice Chase Information:
- Irish Arkle Novice Chase Past Winners
- Irish Arkle Novice Chase Trainer Statistics
- Irish Arkle Novice Chase Jockey Statistics
Our dedicated Leopardstown tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Irish Arkle Novice Chase but will also have predictions for each meeting at Leopardstown throughout the season so be sure to head over there. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Races Covered during the Dublin Racing Festival section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Irish Arkle Novice Chase market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2016 when the race had an over-round of 106%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 117%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Irish Arkle Novice Chase, the over-round has been 112%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £112 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Irish Arkle Novice Chase Trends, see which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal, we also have a section that looks at the Irish Arkle Novice Chase Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Irish Arkle Novice Chase over the last 20 renewals:
- Le Richebourg (4:00.90) in 2019
- Some Plan (4:05.50) in 2017
- El Fabiolo (4:08.00) in 2023
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Irish Arkle Novice Chase next time out then you would have backed a total of 7 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +12.16. Ahead of the 2026 Irish Arkle Novice Chase why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 4:00.90 was set by Le Richebourg in 2019, which is the quickest time over that period, the runner was trained by Joseph Patrick O'Brien and ridden by Mark Walsh. The slowest winning time was set in 2009 when Golden Silver won in a time of 4:36.10, booked to ride was Paul Townend by the trainer W P Mullins.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Irish Arkle Novice Chase Past Winners
Here are the Irish Arkle Novice Chase past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Irish Arkle Novice Chase are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 4:11.50 | Majborough (FR) 5yo 11-10 8/11F | Mark Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2024 4:20.30 | Il Etait Temps (FR) 6yo 11-12 6/1 | Danny Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 4:08.00 | El Fabiolo (FR) 6yo 11-12 9/2 | Daryl Jacob W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2022 4:18.20 | Blue Lord (FR) 7yo 11-12 5/2 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2021 4:23.50 | Energumene (FR) 7yo 11-12 5/6F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2020 4:15.00 | Notebook (GER) 7yo 11-10 5/4F | Rachael Blackmore Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2019 4:00.90 | Le Richebourg (FR) 6yo 11-10 11/10F | Mark Walsh Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2018 4:13.90 | Footpad (FR) 6yo 11-10 4/9F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2017 4:05.50 | Some Plan (IRE) 9yo 11-12 100/30 | Davy Russell Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2016 4:17.90 | Douvan (FR) 6yo 11-12 1/14F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Irish Arkle Novice Chase have been based:
- IRE: 20 winners with an additional 17 placings from 112 runners
- GB: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 4 runners
Irish Arkle Novice Chase Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins who has won the race ten times with those ten winners coming from Missed That (2006), Golden Silver (2009), Un De Sceaux (2015), Douvan (2016), Footpad (2018), Energumene (2021), Blue Lord (2022), El Fabiolo (2023), Il Etait Temps (2024) and Majborough (2025). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase is Henry De Bromhead (3 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase, Gordon Elliott has sent a total of 10 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Irish Arkle Novice Chase trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 39-10-16 | -1.20 | -5.25 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 7-3-4 | +7.58 | +4.03 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 6-1-3 | -3.90 | -1.13 |
| A J Martin | 3-1-2 | +8.00 | +0.50 |
| Noel Meade | 3-1-1 | +0.50 | -0.44 |
| C Byrnes | 2-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.38 |
| W J Burke | 2-1-1 | +0.63 | +0.02 |
| Gordon Elliott | 10-0-3 | -10.00 | -4.50 |
| Paul Nolan | 3-0-2 | -3.00 | -0.63 |
| Michael Hourigan | 2-0-1 | -2.00 | +1.63 |
Irish Arkle Novice Chase Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase over the last 20 renewals is Paul Townend who has won the race four times with those four winners coming from Golden Silver (2009), Footpad (2018), Energumene (2021) and Blue Lord (2022). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase is Mark Walsh (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Irish Arkle Novice Chase jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Townend | 12-4-5 | +4.77 | -4.02 |
| Mark Walsh | 5-2-2 | -1.17 | -1.85 |
| Danny Mullins | 4-1-3 | +3.00 | +6.17 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 3-1-1 | -0.75 | -1.22 |
| Jack Kennedy | 5-0-2 | -5.00 | -2.50 |
| J J Slevin | 3-0-2 | -3.00 | +0.18 |
| Donagh Meyler | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
| Brian Hayes | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
| Danny Gilligan | 1-0-1 | -1.00 | +1.00 |
| M P Fogarty | 1-0-0 | -1.00 | -1.00 |
2026 Irish Arkle Novice Chase Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): PU, 1, F, (2, 4), 2, 1, 1, F, 5, 1, 1, UR, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (65%) - No bigger than 10/1
- 20 / 20 (67%) - Achieved a TS of 124+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (68%) - Within the first 4 of the market
- 20 / 20 (71%) - Carried 160 - 166lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Achieved a TS of 95+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Achieved an RPR of 137+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Highest Placed is not G3/Cl3
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Not on GD/FM/STD (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Ran in 2 - 7 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Achieved a TS of 110+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Achieved an RPR of 138+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Not in a G2-3 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Had 3 - 10 wins (Career)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran over 2m - 2m3½f (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - No bigger than 12/1 (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Leopardstown racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Irish Arkle Novice Chase. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Irish Arkle Novice Chase by adding a tip on the race here.
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Irish Arkle Novice Chase Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +14.56 is when runners were aged 7.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners were aged 8, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-27.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Irish Arkle Novice Chase is Leopardstown, there has been a total number of 9 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Naas, there has been a total number of 5 winners of this race who ran at Naas last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 113 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 3 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Irish Arkle Novice Chase:
- Beneficial (2 Wins)
- Denham Red (2 Wins)
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase, that stallion is Oscar who has failed to produce a winner from 6 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Benefficient in 2013, winning for A J Martin at odds of 10/1 under the guidance of B J Cooper. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 10 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find you a bet on the 2026 Irish Arkle Novice Chase.
Route to the Irish Arkle Novice Chase
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Irish Arkle Novice Chase, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Majborough Fairyhouse - 1st of 10 (1/1) | Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase |
| 2024 - Il Etait Temps Limerick - 2nd of 5 (3/1) | Guinness Faugheen Novice Chase |
| 2023 - El Fabiolo Fairyhouse - 1st of 5 (1/5) | Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase |
| 2022 - Blue Lord Naas - 1st of 3 (1/4) | Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Chase |
| 2021 - Energumene Naas - 1st of 4 (10/11) | Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Chase |
| 2020 - Notebook Leopardstown - 1st of 5 (7/1) | Racing Post Novice Chase |
| 2019 - Le Richebourg Leopardstown - 1st of 6 (3/1) | Racing Post Novice Chase |
| 2018 - Footpad Leopardstown - 1st of 5 (4/6) | Racing Post Novice Chase |
| 2017 - Some Plan Naas - 1st of 4 (7/1) | Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Novice Chase |
| 2016 - Douvan Leopardstown - 1st of 4 (4/7) | Racing Post Novice Chase |
Races Covered during the Dublin Racing Festival
Remember to head over to the Leopardstown predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters are supporting in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase and don't forget we also cover the following races at the Dublin Racing Festival.
| Races - Day 1 (Saturday) | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle | Final Demand (IRE) 6yo - 11/8 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Irish Arkle Novice Chase | Majborough (FR) 5yo - 8/11 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| Irish Gold Cup | Galopin Des Champs (FR) 9yo - 1/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Spring Juvenile Hurdle | Hello Neighbour (IRE) 4yo - 85/40 | Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue |
| Races - Day 2 (Sunday) | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin Chase | Solness (FR) 7yo - 6/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Danny Mullins |
| Irish Champion Hurdle | State Man (FR) 8yo - 5/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Ladbrokes Novice Chase | Ballyburn (IRE) 7yo - 8/13 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Leopardstown Handicap Chase | Backtonormal (IRE) 7yo - 11/4 | Gavin Cromwell Conor Stone-Walsh |
| Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle | Kopek Des Bordes (FR) 5yo - 4/5 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Timeless Sash Windows Handicap Hurdle | McLaurey (IRE) 6yo - 3/1 | Emmet Mullins Mark Walsh |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Irish Arkle Novice Chase Preview are at hand, Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for International racing.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
