It’s a shame Majborough was not declared today, as we would have loved to see his response to Sir Ginos’ win over Ballyburn at Kempton.

Nonetheless, some of the top two-mile novice chasers are lining up with the hugely exciting Inthepocket, looking to make up for lost time and cement himself as the leading Irish hope for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival Arkle Novices’ Chase.

Key Stat: From the last nine Grade 2 Racing Post Novice Chase runnings, Willie Mullins or Henry de Bromhead have won all bar one renewal.

Get all the latest Cheltenham Festival ante-post odds here from the leading online horse racing bookmakers.

Grade 2 Racing Post Novice Chase runner by runner betting guide

Now it’s time to take an in-depth look into runners of the Grade 2 Racing Post Novice Chase and the best horse racing bookmakers to help you make a winning bet.

🏇 3 Inthepocket

• Age: 8
• Weight: 11st 4lb
• Form: 41/2-1
• Rating: –
• Jockey: Rachael Blackmore
• Trainer: Henry de Bromhead
• Odds: 6/5

After a novice hurdle campaign that brought Grade 1 success at the Aintree Festival, there were high hopes for Inthepocket going into his novice chasing career last season.

It started well with a tender handling second to the late Facile Vega, but injury put future plans on hold.

He came into this season still a novice and made up for lost time with a facile eight-length win over fellow Grade 1 winning novice hurdler Farren Glory (who has won since, as has the third place).

So much is expected from Inthepocket here, and I don’t see him leaving his connections down.

He is a hugely exciting horse that can take this on his way to tackling the Arkle Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

✅ Won at a canter on his comeback
✅ Grade 1 winning novice hurdle
✅ Fast over his fences

❌ May get taken on for the lead

Star rating: ⭐️⭐⭐⭐⭐

🐎 Bet on Inthepocket with talkSPORT BET 🐎

🏇 1 Firefox

• Age: 7
• Weight: 11st 4lb
• Form: 322-13
• Rating: –
• Jockey: Sam Ewing
• Trainer: Gordon Elliott
• Odds: 5/2

Firefox made a good start to his chasing career when going toe-to-toe with Mossy Fen Park over two miles and four furlongs at Down Royal in November, eventually winning snuggly.

Four weeks later, he was sent off a strong favourite for the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse, where a combination of over-racing off a steady pace cost him his chance of winning.

The winner, Croke Park, has since followed up that win with another Grade 1 win at Leopardstown, giving the form substance (the second Heat Wood was well beaten since in the Savills Chase).

Straight after his defeat at Fairyhouse, a drop-in trip would likely be what Firefox needed, and he gets that here.

For a horse that jumps his fences so well, I would leave him to stride on and use his jumping.

But the question is, will they want to do that with the likelihood that Inthepocket and Ile Atlantique will also want to force the pace?

If they want to get the best out of him, I see them letting him stride on, but they can slot him in behind if there is too much pace on and take a lead.

Tactically, it will be interesting to see what they do with Firefox, and I am a big fan of him, but he may find it hard to get the better of Inthepocket.

✅ Drop in trip
✅ Gains lengths at his fences

❌ Can over race

Star rating: ⭐️⭐⭐⭐

🐎 Bet on Firefox with Sky Bet 🐎

🏇 2 Ile Atlantique

• Age: 7
• Weight: 11st 4lb
• Form: 2357-1
• Rating: –
• Jockey: Paul Townend
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 5/2

Ile Atlantique put in a faultless display on his chase debut at Navan over two miles and four furlongs, but he steps back down in trip here today, which I don’t see as a positive.

He was Grade 1 placed over hurdles at two miles and four furlongs, and when tried over this trip in graded company over hurdles, Ile Atlantique was beaten 55 lengths.

He’s not a horse that looked like he was crying out for a drop in trip, and this looks to be a fact-finding mission to see how he lays up with the two miles chasers because, like many novice chasers in training, he would have been targeted at the now scrapped Grade 1 Truners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

For all that I can see him running well, he looks the one from the top three in the betting that will lack the gears here.

✅ Won well over further on chase debut

❌ Wasn’t the most consistent over hurdles
❌ Not sure he wants to be dropped in trip

Star rating: ⭐️⭐⭐

🐎 Bet on Ile Atlantique with Paddy Power 🐎

🏇 4 Kilbarry Saint

• Age: 6
• Weight: 10st 11lb
• Form: 126-34
• Rating: –
• Jockey: Darragh O’Keeffe
• Trainer: C O’Keeffe
• Odds: 66/1

Connections are simply on a black-type mission here, with Kilbarry Saint out to match her Graded place finish over hurdles.

She usually races up with the pace, but if they want to achieve her best finishing position, they should have her well off what is likely to be a strong pace here.

If they try to mix it with the pace, her race will be run before it even starts.

✅ Will be ridden for black type

❌ Has shown no form that would threaten the leading players

Star rating: ⭐️⭐

🐎 Bet on Kilbarry Saint with Midnite 🐎

🏇 5 Walk In Time

• Age: 8
• Weight: 10st 11lb
• Form: P20745
• Rating: –
• Jockey: Cian Quirke
• Trainer: David Harry Kelly
• Odds: 200/1

Nothing remotely in Walk In Time’s form gives her any chance of being close to Kilbarry Saint, let alone the top three.

A clear round is the best that connects can hope for here.

✅ No positives to note
❌ She has no chance in this field

Star rating: ⭐️

🐎 Bet on Walk In Time with Betfred 🐎

Grade 2 Racing Post Novice Chase verdict

Realistically, only three count here, and the one who looks to have just that bit more class than his rivals is INTHEPOCKET.

Having missed most of last season through injury, this Herny de Bromhead-trained gelding can make it back-to-back wins in the Racing Post Novice Chase for his Waterford-based trainer.

Current Betting: Inthepocket 6/5, Firefox 5/2, Ile Atlantique 5/2, Kilbarry Saint 66/1, Walk In Time 200/1.

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.