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There are few people that would dispute the claim that the greatest National Hunt horse of all-time is the legendary Arkle. What Arkle managed to do in National Hunt racing is never likely to be bettered and it’s no surprise that Himself has been immortalised in the form of not only in the traditional forms such as video tributes, paintings and statues, but also by the fact that one of the top novice chases at the Cheltenham Festival bears his name – the Arkle Challenge Trophy, or simply the Arkle for short.

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The first day of the Cheltenham Festival, the first race and the first time you hear the Cheltenham roar is when the runners start on their way round the 2 mile 110 yards Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. It is the traditional curtain-raiser for the Cheltenham Festival and it is always a great way to get the Cheltenham Festival underway. Nothing gets the hairs standing on end like the noise of several thousand people cheering as the horses set off, and then it gets even better if and when the favourite puts its nose into the lead. Should the favourite, or one of the heavily backed runners win, the noise as they cross the line will be deafening – it is 12 months of anticipation let out over the course of a couple of minutes. There is nothing like it at the Cheltenham Festival, which is why the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle holds such a special place in the hearts of National Hunt lovers the world over.

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The British horse racing flat season has five Classics – two of them are open to fillies only. All of them are open to three year-old horses only. The first of these classics is the 2,000 Guineas – the real start of the British flat racing season at end of April or the beginning of May. It is the first leg in British horse racing’s Triple Crown – followed by the Epsom Derby and the St Leger. It is also the first Group One race in the British horse racing calendar.

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