Arkle Challenge Trophy Entries: Jonbon and Appreciate It feature among 26 entries

Nicky Henderson's Jonbon is one of the star attractions in the entry list for the 2023 Arkle Challenge Trophy, which takes place on day one of the Cheltenham Festival on March 14, but the Seven Barrows inmate will face a potential plethora of top-class Willie Mullins-trained raiders with Appreciate It the potential flagbearer for that stable. We take a look at the 26 entries for the Grade 1 prize here....

Second in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle last season behind current Champion Hurdle hotpot Constitution Hill, Jonbon then went on to claim Grade 1 glory at Aintree and he's made a tremendous start to his chasing career with two wins out of two. A facile seven-length success at Warwick on chasing debut, he then stormed to an emphatic eight-length victory in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown Park and a fine victory in that contest has seen him slashed into an 11/8 for the Arkle on day one of the four-day National Hunt extravaganza.

Jonbon maybe a warm order for the Arkle, but Nicky Henderson's star is sure to face strong opposition from Willie Mullins' yard and spearheaded the Closutton team could be former Supreme winner Appreciate It, who has made an impressive start to his chasing career and he's the 4/1 second favourite, at the time of writing. Off the track for a year following his Supreme win, Appreciate It failed to land a blow in last season's Champion Hurdle, but having made a winning start over fences at Punchestown in mid-December he then sauntered to a 21-length win at Naas. Yet to show his class at the highest level, the nine-year-old is fairly old in terms of the novice chasing ranks, but he's a real class act and has to be respect.

Mullins will have an embarrassment of riches heading to Cheltenham throughout the four days, and he will have to organise where he sends his novice chase battalion with some sure to feature in the Arkle, but others will take up their places in the Turners Novices' Chase and Brown Advisory Novices' Chase. The only other two single figured priced runners in the Arkle betting are from the Mullins camp and they are El Fabiolo and Dysart Dynamo, and that pair could turn into be top notch novice chasers over two miles and add significant depth to the list of entries. In total Mullins holds eight of the 26 entries, with last year's Ballymore Novices' Hurdle champion Sir Gerhard another notable entry along with James Du Berlais, who made an impressive chasing debut at Fairyhouse on New Year's Day.

A superb winner of the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at last year's Cheltenham Festival, Joseph O'Brien's Banbridge has been given an entry for the Arkle and he could be a potential lively outsider. A winner over fences at Cheltenham earlier in the season, he failed to claim Grade 1 glory in the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse next time out when behind Mighty Potter and Gaillard Du Mesnil, but that pair don't feature in the entries here, so he is an eye-catching potential runner.

Second in last season's Triumph Hurdle, Gordon Elliott's Fil Dor has made a decent start to his chasing career this campaign, but having won on debut at Navan he failed to follow up in Grade 1 company last time out at Leopardstown on Boxing Day, so he will need to improve to land a blow here.

Other eye-catching entries include Dan Skelton's Haddex Des Obeaux, who was an impressive handicap winner at Warwick last weekend and could now look to step up to Graded company and at around 20/1 could be a springer in the betting, while the likes of Flame Bearer, and Boothill add more depth to what could be a fascinating contest on day one of the Cheltenham Festival.

Arkle Challenge Trophy Entries

• Appreciate It
• Ballybreeze
• Banbridge
• Bass Rock
• Boothill
• Datsalrightgino
• Dysart Dynamo
• Effernock Fizz
• El Fabiolo
• Fil Dor
• Final Orders
• Flame Bearer
• Ha D’Or
• Haddex des Obeaux
• Hollow Games
• James Du Berlais
• Jonbon
• Largy Debut
• Mortlach
• Saint Roi
• Saint Segal
• Sir Gerhard
• Straw Fan Jack
• Unexpected Party
• Visionarian
• West Cork