The Arkle Chase is a race where there has only been one winning favourite in the last ten years. Forpadydeplasterer won last year at 8/1. The Arkle is one of the toughest races to solve but what the stats do tell us is that we need a good jumper and seven of the last eleven winners were trained by Pipe, Nicholls or King.

Can McCoy be beaten on Captain Cee Bee

We have our starting point, but it is a certainty that Alan King will not be winning The Arkle. The market would suggest that this is going Ireland in 2010 with Captain Cee Bee and Sizing Europe heading the market. Tony McCoy will be on Captain Cee Bee who looked to be galloping all over Sizing Europe when falling at the last in a grade one in Ireland. Captain Cee Bee is the one to beat in my view.

So can the Irish be beaten in The Arkle in 2010? In short Yes. I am taking them on with Somersby who I really like, having seen him win well at Warwick and then jump so well at Sandown. I am backing Somersby Win and Place (each-way) because I cannot for the life of me see him out of the frame. Captain Cee Bee gets up the hill but in my view Somersby could be the best of them all.

Arkle Chase Betting Advise;

• Somersby, each-way.

Binocular still in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham

Solwhit had been challenging for favouritism before scoping badly on Monday and he faces a race against time to be fit for the big race. Two notable absentees are Dunguib and Quevega but both have alternative Cheltenham Festival targets with the former heading to the Spinal Research Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Quevega defending her crown in the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Binocular, has declared last year’s winner Punjabi and Zaynar. Celestial Halo, second in the race last season, is set to represent Paul Nicholls.

A strong Irish team is headed by Go Native and also includes Donnas Palm, Ebadiyan, Jumbo Rio, Kargali, Muirhead, Raise Your Heart, Royal And Regal, and Won In The Dark. Khyber Kim, Medermit and Starluck complete the declarations.

Best prices for the Champion Hurdle:

TATANIANO AND LONG RUN TAKEN OUT OF ARKLE CHASE

Tataniano and Long Run do not feature among the 17 six-day acceptors for the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham on Tuesday. The former, trained by Paul Nicholls, bypasses Tuesday’s two-mile novice championship to instead run in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase on Friday.

“He’s absolutely fine, but we just didn’t think he was good enough for the Arkle and he’s going to go for the Grand Annual instead,” said owner Andy Stewart. It was obviously disappointing when he was beaten by a horse of Emma Lavelle’s (Suntini) at Newbury last time and while he could be placed in an Arkle, he probably wouldn’t be good enough to win it. Novices have a reasonably good record in the Grand Annual and he should have a good chance of winning that, so hopefully it works out. We obviously lined Poquelin up for the Grand Annual last year but that didn’t work out, so hopefully Tataniano can do the business. I may still have a runner in the Arkle as I own Nomecheki, so we’ll see.”

Paul Nicholls is now set to rely on Woolcombe Folly while Long Run waits for the RSA Chase.

Market leaders Captain Cee Bee and Sizing Europe speadhead a strong Irish challenge which also includes the Willie Mullins-trained trio of Quiscover Fontaine, Shakervilz and Sports Line.

The home team is headed by Somersby and Riverside Theatre, the latter set to be joined in the field by stablemate Mad Max.

Kangaroo Court, Leo’s Lucky Star, Nomecheki, Shoreacres and I’m Delilah are the other British-trained acceptors while Foster’s Cross, Nicanor and Osana complete the Irish team.

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Eddie Harty admits he would not swap Captain Cee Bee for any other horse in the Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival.

Harty’s nine-year-old won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle two years ago and while he missed last year’s Festival through injury, he heads the ante-post lists for the two-mile novices’ championship.

Winner of two of his three starts over fences, Captain Cee Bee tipped up when looking sure to take a hand in the finish of a Leopardstown Grade One over Christmas, handing the advantage to Sizing Europe.

That rival is again set to reoppose at Cheltenham and while Harty is aware of the threat, he believes Captain Cee Bee is a rightful favourite.

“I think he’s probably the best one in it but it’s racing and it’s competition and that’s what it is all about,” said the trainer.

“I thought Somersby was quite impressive at Sandown, he jumped well. Riverside Theatre was impressive at Kempton at Christmas but I wouldn’t swop my horse for any of them in it.”

Despite Captain Cee Bee crashing out on his only attempt at the highest level over fences, Harty feels his jumping is well up to scratch.

“I wouldn’t be worried about his jumping. If you go back three fences from the last at Leopardstown he jumped immaculately,” he explained.

“The last fence he was going so easily I think there was just a loss of concentration and he’s just caught his stifle on it – he jumped it cleanly in front.

“If the horse hadn’t knuckled on landing you would have said he junped it well.

“They go quicker at Cheltenham and I think he will jump better, or I hope he would.”

Captain Cee Bee missed last season through injury, but Harty reports his charge to be just as good now and preparations have been going well.

“I think he is better (since his injury),” he said.

“He might not be faster, but he is as fast and whether you can call that an improvement or not, I don’t know. He’s a stronger horse now than he was two years ago.

“He’s in great form. He schooled last week which will be his last school before Cheltenham.

“He did a nice piece of work yesterday on the grass and that will be his last strong piece before Cheltenham and now it’s just fingers crossed and get there in one piece.

“He has a great cruising speed, he’s high class and hopefully everything will go according to plan in 10 days’ time.”

Officials at Cheltenham are due to commence watering on Monday, with the ground currently good to soft, good in places.

Harty feels sound conditions will suit his contender.

“I still maintain good ground will bring out the best in Captain Cee Bee but it’s more of an irrelevance now than it would have been in the past,” he told At The Races.

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Eddie Harty’s ace, winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle two years ago, has won both his completed starts over fences since returning from a long lay-off. There were 11 horses withdrawn at the latest scratching stage including Cousin Vinny, Kempes, Quwetwo, Roberto Goldback and Tchico Polos.

However, the main fancies have stood their ground for the two-mile novice chase championship including Henry de Bromhead’s Sizing Europe, Henrietta Knight’s Somersby and Riverside Theatre.

The latter’s trainer Nicky Henderson has left in Long Run but the French import is more likely to go for the RSA Chase the following day. French Opera and Mad Max complete the Seven Barrow handler’s team.

Six of the remaining 12 Irish entries are trained by Willie Mullins – Citizen Vic, Mikael d’Haguenet, Quiscover Fontaine, Shakervilz, Sports Line and Uimhiraeceathair

Latest prices: 7-2 Captain Cee Bee, 6 Somersby, 13-2 Sizing Europe, 10 Riverside Theatre, 12 Sports Line, 14 Tataniano, 20 An Cathaoir Mor, Osana, 25 Shakervilz, 33 Bergo, French Opera, Kangaroo Court, Mad Max, Quiscover Fontaine, The Nightingale, Woolcombe Folly, 40 bar

Somersby runs at Hereford on Sunday

Nicky Henderson has an awesome record at the Cheltenham Festival and he looks to have a major hand in both the Arkle Chase and the RSA Chase this year after today’s entries were revealed by Cheltenham. Paddy Power make the Lambourn handler a 20-1 chance to win both races.

NIcky Henderson

Henderson is a 6-4 shot with Paddy to win the RSA Chase and a 6-1 chance to land the Arkle.

Punchestowns, a very easy winner of a Grade 2 novices’ chase at Newbury in November, is 7-2 favourite for the RSA with Paddy Power, while Long Run, a 6-1 chance for the same event and 12-1 shot for the Arkle with Power, cruised away before the last before landing the Grade 1 Feltham Novices’ Chase at Kempton over Christmas.

Henderson said: “I don’t know where Punchestowns is going but he is ready and will run next week and the RSA is the plan along with Long Run, who has entries in the RSA and Arkle.

“I don’t know where Long Run is going to run next yet – we’re sort of in discussions.”

Henry Daly was delighted to see Mighty Man make it two out of two over fences at Huntingdon on Wednesday, when he was cut to 14-1 (from 20) by Paddy Power for the RSA, and will give his charge one more run before tackling the championship staying novices’ chase.

He said: “I just don’t know where that outing will be and I will have to go through the programme book.”

Alan King’s horses have been flying in recent weeks after a bad season by his standards, although he must have been frustrated to see Bensalem, a 20-1 shot with the galaxy’s friendliest bookie for the RSA, take a tumble when challenging three out in a Grade 2 won by Diamond Harry last weekend.

Noel Williams, King’s assistant, said: “Bensalem seems ok and he came out of the race with a sort of swollen knee. I haven’t actually seen him but I’ve not heard anything bad and Alan seems to be happy with him.

“I don’t know what the plan is now and we’ve got to wait for his knee to go down.

“If he had stood up, he would certainly have made a good race of it wouldn’t he? He was going well enough to certainly lay down a good challenge on the winner. We’re certainly not giving up on him and we know that he is a very nice horse. It was just one of those things and thank God that he’s ok.”

Paddy Power himself said: “Our market has the RSA Chase down as a Nicky Henderson benefit but it looks like being a truly competitive race after Diamond Harry threw down his credentials last weekend. Mind you, tell me a race at Cheltenham that isn’t truly competitive and I might buy a wee share in a horse being aimed at it!”

RSA Chase
Paddy Power bets: 7-2 Punchestowns, 6 Long Run, 7 Diamond Harry, 9 Mikael D’Haguenet, 10 Weapons Amnesty, 12 Pandorama, Weird Al, 14 Mighty Man, 20 Bensalem, Seven Is My Number, 25 bar

Meanwhile Hereford will be graced by the presence of unbeaten chaser Somersby, who is 7-1 with Paddy Power for the Arkle, on Sunday with the multiple champion jockey in the saddle.

Trainer Henrietta Knight said: “I think that he’s running on Sunday at Hereford. He always goes very well at home. I chose Hereford to get a run into him before Cheltenham but also to get AP McCoy because he can go there.”

Riverside Theatre and Mad Max, trained by Henderson and who have both graced Kempton with victories in the last two months, also feature towards the top of Power’s betting for the Arkle and are 12-1 and 16-1 respectively.

Henderson said: “All is going well with Riverside Theatre at home and he’s not going to run again before the Arkle. I think that he wants to be very fresh.

“Mad Max is also in the Arkle and he’ll have another run obviously but where I don’t know at the moment.”

Captain Cee Bee head’s Power’s market at 4-1, while Osana, trained by Edward O’Grady, is a 14-1 chance and the most notable absentee would appear to be Zaarito, who was a 16-1 shot.

Arkle
Paddy Power bets: 4 Captain Cee Bee, 5 Sizing Europe, 7 Somersby, 8 Tataniano, 10 Mikael D’Haguenet, 12 Long Run, Riverside Theatre, Sports Line, 14 Osana, 16 An Cathaoir Mor, Mad Max, 25 bar

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