Sporting Life
War Lord looks an interesting candidate in the Arkle
War Lord looks an interesting candidate in the Arkle

Cheltenham Festival 2022 tips: Sporting Life Arkle Chase preview

By Chris Day
Horse Racing
Tue March 22, 2022 · 4y ago

Our Cheltenham Festival antepost series continues with this week's guest, Chris Day, taking aim at the Sporting Life Arkle.

2022 Cheltenham Festival antepost tips

1pt e.w War Lord in the Sporting Life Arkle at 33/1 (General, NRNB, 1/5 1,2,3)

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Arkle Trophy winners tend to fit into the category of superstar (Shishkin, Altior, Douvan, Un De Sceaux and Sprinter Sacre in the last 10 years) or solid but unspectacular, as we’ve had with the winners of the race in between these greats.

For my money this year, without Ferny Hollow and with no Nicky Henderson or Paul Nicholls-trained hotshot, I’d expect the winner to fall into the latter bracket.

I couldn’t really pick between the two who fought out the finish of the Irish Arkle, Blue Lord and Rivière D’Etel, or Edwardstone, whose form is difficult to criticise having won the Grade One Henry VIII at Sandown, followed by Grade Twos at Kempton and Warwick subsequently.

The trouble is all three are under 4/1 in the betting with Alan King’s horse 2/1 and I certainly don’t expect them all to finish in the front three in March.

When looking at the race over the last decade there have been nine horses rated 150 or under to have placed, four being sent off at 33/1 and a couple at 25/1 and last year’s runner up, Eldorado Allen, was sent off at 33s.

The Colin Tizzard-trained novice, who appeared to show his forte as a stayer at Newbury last-time out, was rated just 149 going into that contest, yet, having avoided the heat of the battle, stayed on strongly to claim second spot and the stable appear to have another similar type in WAR LORD.

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He won a novice chase in the autumn round Newton Abbot, a Carlisle Graduation Chase in November, finished an admittedly distant second to Edwardstone at Sandown - where he appeared to outstay Third Time Lucki, then was a pretty comfortable winner at the recent Lingfield Millions meeting over the minimum trip on heavy ground.

There was only mention of this race or the Turner’s after that contest and he doesn’t have an entry in the latter so it appears his stable, who have been in much better nick this year than the last 18 months, have settled on this as his Festival option and not without good reason.

As a hurdler he won a good handicap round Haydock over further so we know he’ll come home strongly and I can’t really see any mistakes he’s made over fences, so I'd expect another improved effort when we see him next which would put him right in the mix in the second race of the meeting.

There’s plenty of 33/1 NRNB which seems the safest option each-way, although the only other race he could conceivably run in, the Grand Annual, was taken off the table when he wasn't amongst the entries on Wednesday.

Published at 1015 GMT on 24/02/22

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