Willie Mullins now has yet another odds-on at the Cheltenham Festival in Majborough with ante-post Arkle Chase favourite Sir Gino out of the meeting again due to an infection.
Racegoers and horse racing fans hoping for an epic clash between the two five-year-olds miss out on it again in consecutive seasons. A virus within Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows stable forced Sir Gino to swerve Cheltenham 12 months ago. In his absence, Majborough duly won the Triumph Hurdle.
Warning signs that all wasn’t well with Sir Gino appeared the week before his scratching. He had been due to contest the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury, but missed out due to a cut on his hind leg. That has since developed into an infection ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Unfortunately Sir Gino’s situation has deteriorated somewhat and he has been admitted to the Equine hospital. As a result of initial examinations at Donnington Grove an infection has invaded the ligaments in his near hind leg. This will require lengthy treatment that will sadly…
— Nicky Henderson (@sevenbarrows) February 10, 2025
The upshot of that is that Majborough replaces Sir Gino among odds-on Cheltenham favourites for the Arkle. There is no spring campaign at all for Henderson this time around with his young star, who bounced back from the yard virus to win a Grade 1 juvenile hurdle at Aintree.
Mullins has six wins in the Arkle, all achieved within the last decade since 2015. Majborough now bids to follow in the hoofprints of Irish Arkle winners for Closutton like Un De Sceaux, Douvan, Footpad and El Fabiolo in doubling up at the Festival.
Arkle Opposition to Majborough Looks Thin Despite Schedule Change
News from Henderson ruling Sir Gino out left Cheltenham betting sites with no option but to cut Majborough for the Arkle. Owned by JP McManus and sourced from France, he has only one defeat in five career starts.
That came on his Irish debut and bow for Mullins when third in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle following a lengthy racecourse absence. There was no such disappointment for Majborough on his second appearance at the Dublin Racing Festival, however.
He captured the Irish Arkle with a free-going display of low, but fairly accurate jumping for a nine-length victory. Few obvious Cheltenham horses pose a threat at this stage with bookmakers slashing November’s Arkle Trial winner L’Eau Du Sud into 5/1 second-favourite.
Dan Skelton’s charge now has an unbeaten record of four races over fences with Grade 1 success around Sandown and then local course Warwick under a penalty either side of a short winter break. L’Eau Du Sud boasts twice as much experience of the discipline as Majborough.
Official ratings have the Irish raider 10lb clear of that one. Mullins has other mounts prominent in the Cheltenham odds for the Arkle, however, including market mover Mistergif. That one beat some of the same horses as Majborough did in his beginners chase when last in action.
What Mistergif lacks is the graded form of the other market principals. Navan and Naas winner Ile Atlantique took a backwards step when failing to fire and only fifth behind Majborough in the Irish Arkle, meanwhile. He looks an improver over fences, landing a Grade 2 on his penultimate start.
Definite Arkle runners still look unclear at this stage, even though the Cheltenham schedule no longer contains the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase as a Grade 1 over an intermediate trip.
Elliott Duo Need Improvement
Gordon Elliott runners Firefox and Touch Me Not have both run into places behind Majborough and L’Eau Du Sud. On that earlier season form, there is definitely something for them to find. Credible contenders for Arkle are few and far between, leaving a race lacking in depth.
Firefox is particularly unlucky after stumbling when jumping the last and in contention for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. A close third in the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse this winter, he has since reversed Naas form with Ile Atlantique in the Irish Arkle.
As for British hopes, Windsor Grade 2 winner Gidleigh Park has this as his only current Cheltenham entry. This is the only route open to trainer Harry Fry with strict rules on the minimum number of runs over fences horses must have to qualify for the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.
Connections of Ballyburn, who lost to Sir Gino in the Wayward Lad around Kempton over Christmas, could now be tempted to drop back in trip. Mullins does have plenty of other Arkle options, however, and Ronnie Bartlett’s horse is favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase the following day.
Prior to his infection, Sir Gino had also won the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle when deputising for stable companion Constitution Hill at Newcastle. His absence from Cheltenham takes plenty of gloss away from the Arkle. With just the one race and win over fences under his belt, placing him next season when he returns from this setback may prove difficult.
