Racing Post Novice Chase Odds

The Racing Post Novice Chase is one of the most important and prestigious Arkle trials in Ireland. You can find the latest odds for the race here closer to the time.

Racing Post Novice Chase Tips

Check out our Racing Post Novice Chase tips nearer the off...

What is the Racing Post Novice Chase?

The Racing Post Novice Chase is a Grade One National Hunt race run over a trip of two miles and one furlong at Leopardstown at the end of December.

Eleven fences are jumped in what has often been a key trial for the Arkle Challenge Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival. The race itself is a prestigious affair in its own right with some brilliant two-milers clashing for the first time at one of Ireland's premier tracks. It is often a real highlight of the Christmas period and the winner often catapults themselves to Arkle favouritism.

Plenty of elite two milers have won the race, including Min, Douvan, Moscow Flyer and Ferny Hollow.

What happened in the 2023 Racing Post Novice Chase?

Saint Roi for Willie Mullins and Mark Walsh upset favourite Fil Dor in the 2023 renewal of the race, with a cool round of jumping at the back of the pack proving the perfect recipe for success. In the end JP McManus's novice picked off his rivals with ease and won the race decisively.

The history of the Racing Post Novice Chase

The race began in 1987 and has had many names. Called the Dennys Gold Medal Novice Chase throughout the 1990s, the race was rebranded the Durkhan New Homes Novice Chase until 2009, then changing to the Bord Na Mona With Nature Novice Chase for two years. Since then, it has been sponsored by the trade paper. 

The race is always run on St Stephens' Day in Ireland (Boxing Day) and is one of the feature races of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival of racing, which spans four days .

Who is the most iconic winner of the Racing Post Novice Chase?

Moscow Flyer is perhaps the place to start when choosing the most iconic Racing Post Novice Chase winner of all time, as the 2001 champion went on to achieve racing immortality with 2003 and 2005 Champion Chase crowns. He also went on in the same season he won this race to claim the 2002 Arkle. 

Nevertheless, for the sheer enormity of his potential at the time DOUVAN is the most iconic Racing Post Novice Chase winner. The Mullins/Ricci representative headed to Leopardstown unbeaten in 2015 and was sent of the 4/7 favourite, but even at those odds he outstripped all expectations. He smashed subsequent Gold Cup winner Sizing John by 18 lengths and looked to have the world at his feet.

He put in a sparkling round of jumping and exemplified all his otherworldly talents, eventually capping off an all time great novice chase season by winning the Arkle at 1/4 from the same rival. Sadly he never hit the heights in open company due to injury, but on his day as a novice chaser nothing would've got near Douvan.

Are there any trials for the Racing Post Novice Chase?

As the Racing Post Novice Chase is more of a trial for the Arkle than a race many trainers will aim their charges at as the be all and end all, there are no real trials for the race. However, there are well trodden paths that connections like to take here. Plenty make their seasonal debut successfully in this race, but Willie Mullins in particular likes to send his horses to a beginners chase before coming here.

Who is the most successful jockey in the Racing Post Novice Chase?

Paul Townend is the most successful jockey in the history of the Racing Post Novice Chase, with Willie Mullins number one rider racking up three wins. His triumphs came aboard: Blackstair Mountain (2011), Arvika Ligeonniere (2012) and Ferny Hollow (2021).

Who is the most successful trainer in the Racing Post Novice Chase?

Willie Mullins is by far and away the most successful trainer in the history of the Racing Post Novice Chase. Six of his nine winners have come in the last decade, and the full list contains: Missed That (2005), Blackstair Mountain (2011), Arvika Ligeonniere (2012), Douvan (2015), Min (2016), Footpad (2017), Franco De Port (2020), Ferny Hollow (2021) and Saint Roi (2022).