Arkle Challenge Chase (Cotswold Chase)

 The Arkle Challenge Trophy is a Grade 1 race open to 5-year-olds and above and is run on the Old Course over 2 miles and 13 fences. The race, named in honour of the Gold Cup winner Arkle, is for novices and is traditionally run as the second race on the opening day of the Festival, but was first introduced into the Festival programme in 1969 as a replacement for the Cotswold Chase, a race which was first run at the Festival in 1923 and still exists today, but is no longer part of the Festival programme.
Early history:-The inaugural running of the Arkle Challenge Chase took place on Wednesday 19th March 1969 and was won by Chatham (10/1) trained by Fred Rimell and ridden by Terry Biddlecombe, beating Straight Fort (5/1) and King Dolphin (20/1) by 2 lengths and 8 lengths.

Over the entire history of the race 28% of favourites have been successful, placing the race 12th of the 28 current races.
Over the entire history of the race a level stake bet of £10 on every favourite would have resulted in a £270 loss, placing the race 26th of the current 28 races.
Over the entire history of the race the Irish have been successful 17% of occasions, placing the race 22nd of the 28 current races.
Arkle Challenge Chase 1989 Grade 1 2 miles
Pos. Horse Jockey Trainer Owner
1 WATERLOO BOY Richard Dunwoody David Nicholson M R Deeley 20/1
2 SOUTHERN MINSTREL Chris Grant W A Stephenson Hathaway Roofing 9/1
3 SABIN DU LOIR Peter Scudamore Martin Pipe B A Kilpatrick 5/4 fav
4 BROOKMOUNT Peter Hobbs Josh Gifford H T Pelham 20/1
5 NOHALMDUN R Marley M H Easterby Ulceby Farms 16/1
6 FERODA Tom Taaffe Arthur Moore Ire N McCarthy 20/1
7 IMPERTAIN Liam Cusack T W Cunningham Ire Developmore ltd 500/1
8 YALE Conor O'Dwyer Geoff Hubbard Geoff Hubbard 100/1
9 JUVEN LIGHT Steve Smith-Eccles Reg Akehurst Robert Dilley 8/1
10 GREY TORNADO Brendan Powell snr Chris Popham D R Short 500/1
11 HILL'S PAGEANT Kevin Mooney Fulke Walwyn L B Thwaites 50/1
F NOS NA GAOITHE Lorcan Wyer M H Easterby Paul Green 8/1
PU PHOENIX GOLD Mark Dwyer Jimmy Fitzgerald Phoenix Waterproofing 5/1
PU THE DRAGON MASTER G Mernagh Robert Waley-Cohen Robert Waley-Cohen 66/1
  Over round 119%
This race was staged on Tuesday 14th March 1989 when Waterloo Boy beat Southern Minstrel and Sabin Du Loir by 1/2 length and a length