Arkle Trophy Runners 2012 - Peddlers Cross an early favourite
The 2012 Arkle Challenge Trophy has all the ingredients to be a classic renewal as some of the leading hurdlers from last season have made the transition to fences with aplomb and if they can all make it to the Cheltenham Festival in fine fettle, should give us a magnificent spectacle on the opening day of the four day extravaganza.
Last season's Champion Hurdle runner-up Peddlers Cross was always going to be an interesting recruit and Donald McCain's stable star has relished the switch to fences and is the current favourite in the Arkle 2012 Betting.
However, there are a plethora of emerging novice chasers who are bound to give the 2010 Neptune winner a race with Paul Nicholls' Al Ferof another sitting in the higher echelons of the ante-post betting. The 2011 Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner made a great debut at Cheltenham's Open meeting and enhanced his reputation with a battling win in the Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown, whilst Sprinter Sacre is another exciting prospect.
Away from the front two in the market, we have the likes of Menorah, who was another to contest the Champion Hurdle last year as well as the emphatic 2010 Champion Bumper winner Cue Card and a plethora of top class handicappers.
In this section we will take a look at some of the Arkle runners who will be doing battle on March 13, in what looks arguably the best race of the whole Cheltenham Festival.
