Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase (Grade 1)

THE 2026 Goffs Irish Arkle was not for kids. At the end of no-holds-barred, no-inch-given brawl over two miles and a furlong, it was Romeo Coolio whose arm was raised in victory, conquering the gallant Kargese - though not without some jeopardy in the closing stages.

A see-saw of a race where three went to post and two counted was an enthralling watch, as Kargese put pressure on the winner’s ability to jump at this pace. By and large, he stood up to the challenge manfully, but he did look in a spot of bother before the turn in and had to dig deep to get back on terms at the final fence.

At that point, Jack Kennedy looked set to run out a cosy winner, but the mare was having none of it and rallied gamely for Paul Townend’s urgings to get within a neck at the line. The 4/9 favourite made heavy weather of it over his 2/1 rival, but it was a victory that winning trainer Gordon Elliott appeared to learn plenty from with a view to the Cheltenham Festival.

Layers responded by pushing Romeo Coolio out to 4/1 (from 3/1) - Ladbrokes even making him as big as 8/1 - for the Arkle, while Kargese was trimmed to 5/1 (from 6/1). Most interestingly, however, was a move for the winner in the Brown Advisory market. He entered the day as big as 14/1 and was cut to 5/1 after showing his stamina over this much shorter trip.

Even though Elliott has said before that he believes two and a half miles would be his trip around Cheltenham - and there is no novice race for him at that distance - owners KTDA Racing are extremely keen to see him running at the Festival.

“They went a good gallop, the pedal never came off - they went very fast,” said the current trainers’ championship leader, who was winning this race for the first time.

“Our lad needs every bit of the trip, he was flat out. The mare had us at it. He was very gutsy and he digs deep. Jack said he jumped brilliant early and he got in close to the ditch, missed one or two, but might just have been going as fast as he could. He said he wasn’t in love with that ground. He went from thinking he was beaten at the second last to getting there too soon.

“Then he didn’t want to give him too hard a race after going so fast, and that he pulled up in front. He picked up again when he heard the mare coming. They’re two good horses and it was a proper race. He’s a good horse and we’re lucky to have him.

“You’d probably have to see how the ground is going to be at Cheltenham come the weekend before. If we’re looking at soft ground, maybe he’ll go for the Arkle but imagine him in a Brown Advisory? He’d be doing a half-speed cantering around. I think ground will be a big thing. If the ground is on the good side, he could be taken off his feet at two miles. That’s my opinion, but we’ll let the dust settle on this weekend and have a conversation.

“It obviously wouldn’t be ideal stepping up to the Brown Advisory trip for the first time at Cheltenham. I never say never to anything, but it wouldn’t be in my style to run a novice in the Ryanair. I’ll see what the owners say, but I’d be leaning between the novice races.”

Kennedy added: “My lad's jumping was unbelievable until the ditch down the back and just made two little mistakes then. I was on the back foot really the whole way from there. I suppose his stamina kicked in down to the last and he probably got a bit lonely in front. To be fair to the mare, she was good and hardy to get back at him”