Cheltenham Festival novice chase entries include Iroko

Last year’s Martin Pipe winner was expected to miss out through injury.

Iroko, who had initially been ruled out for the season following a flawless novice chase debut at Warwick, has been handed surprise entries in the Arkle and the Turners Novice Chase events at the Cheltenham Festival.

Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, the six-year-old was a winner at the meeting last season in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.

He went on to be placed in Grade One company at Aintree and looked set for a big campaign, only for injury to get in the way.

The Martin Pipe has a history of throwing up top-class winners, with Sir Des Champs, Don Poli, Galopin Des Champs and Saturday’s Kempton winner Banbridge on the roll of honour.

Iroko is one of 24 in the Arkle, 17 of which are trained in Ireland, with Gaelic Warrior, who has three options, Found A Fifty and Barry Connell’s odds-on favourite Marine Nationale entered up.

“The betting suggests Marine Nationale has the Arkle at his mercy, with only Constitution Hill a hotter favourite for a Festival race right now,” said Coral’s David Stevens.

“Although perhaps the bigger surprise is that Willie Mullins doesn’t train the Arkle favourite, as he does with the other three novice chases.”

A total of 42 have been entered for the Turners over two and a half miles, with Gaelic Warrior a clear ante-post market leader here.

Corbetts Cross, Colonel Harry, Fact To File and impressive Kauto Star Novices’ Chase winner Il Est Francais are among the other contenders.

The three-mile Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase has attracted 38, a whopping 21 of which are trained in Ireland, including the fancied Mullins pair of Grangeclare West and Fact To File.

Dan Skelton’s Grey Dawning and the Paul Nicholls-trained Stay Away Fay catch the eye from the home contingent at this stage.

There are 26 in the National Hunt Chase over three and three-quarter miles for amateurs, including Flooring Porter, a dual winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle.

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