Record Novice Chase Entries

Bumper entries are revealed today for The Festival's two championship novice chases - THE IRISH INDEPENDENT ARKLE TROPHY and the ROYAL & SUNALLIANCE CHASE.

There are a record 91 entries in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, staged on Wednesday, March 15, while the 57-strong entry for the Irish Independent Arkle Chase, run on Tuesday, March 14, is one horse just short of the previous best.

The Irish Independent Arkle Chase has an unprecedented 19 entries from Ireland including Nickname, an 11-length winner at Leopardstown on January 15, the Paul Nolan-trained Accordion Etoile, winner of the Grade 2 Independent Newspaper Novices' Chase at Cheltenham in November, Justified, who scored at Newbury earlier this month, and 2005 Weatherbys Champion Bumper hero Missed That.

Champion trainer Martin Pipe is seeking his third successive Irish Independent Arkle Trophy success following Well Chief in 2004 and Contraband last year and has five entered - Tamarinbleu, Whispered Secret, Don't Be Shy, Marcel and Medison. Pipe is seeking his fifth win overall in the two-mile contest, having also triumphed with Or Royal (1997) and Champleve (1998).

Paul Nicholls, who saddled Flagship Uberalles to victory in 1999 and followed up with Azertyuiop four years later, has seven engaged, namely the promising Hoo La Baloo, Albuhera, Cerium, 2002 Smurfit Champion Hurdle hero Hors La Loi III, Le Volfoni, Cornish Sett and Turthen.

Henrietta Knight's hugely exciting Racing Demon, last seen out when capturing the Henry VII Novices' Chase at Sandown on the third day of December and the Alan King-trained Voy Por Ustedes are other members of a strong home team. An intriguing entry, also in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase is Mid Dancer, a winner on all of his nine starts for French trainer Arnaud Chaille-Chaille.

The 91 Royal & SunAlliance Chase entries include current ante-post favourite Darkness, successful in four of his five starts over fences including the Grade 1 Stan James Feltham Novices' Chase at Sandown on Boxing Day, and the only horse to have beaten him, Monet's Garden, is another entry.

Robert Alner looks to have another potential star in The Listener, a winner of his three starts over fences, most recently in the Grade 2 Unicoin Homes Dipper Novices' Chase at Cheltenham on New Year's Day. The Nicky Henderson-trained Crozan landed the Jim Brown Memorial Novices' Chase at Cheltenham in November while Basilea Star - one of eight Martin Pipe-trained entries - made an impressive successful debut for his new handler at Warwick on December 31.

The record 28 Irish-trained Royal & SunAlliance Chase entries include Ted Walsh's Southern Vic, a Grade 1 winner at Leopardstown over Christmas, Church Island, an impressive winner at Cheltenham's Open Meeting in November, the 2003 Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle victor Back In Front, a victor on his chasing debut at Limerick last month and the Willie Mullins-trained Our Ben.

Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham?s Managing Director, commented: 'It is fantastic for the long-term future of steeplechasing to see such strong entries, both in terms of numbers and quality, for The Festival's two championship novice events over fences. Both races are strong pointers to the future as demonstrated in last season's Queen Mother Champion Chase when the first three home - Moscow Flyer, Well Chief and Azertyuiop - were all past Irish Independent Arkle Chase winners.'