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There were a couple of surprising names featured in the entries for the Cheltenham Festival novice chases.

Despite assertions from co-trainers Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm that impressive Kauto Star winner Il Est Francais would stay in France for the foreseeable, the exciting French chaser heads a field of forty-two for the Grade 1 Turners Novices' Chase on Thursday of the Festival. If plans were to change, Il Est Francais would likely face a warm favourite in Willie Mullins' Gaelic Warrior, who is likely to head to the two-mile and three-furlong contest, although he has been given alternative entries in the Arkle (over two miles) and the Brown Advisory (three miles).

Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero's Iroko, who was ruled out for the season after an impressive chasing debut at Warwick before Christmas, has been entered in both the Arkle and the Turners Novices Chase. Should last year's Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle winner make a surprise appearance in the Arkle, he is likely to come against the exciting Barry Connell-trained Marine Nationale, who currently heads the ante-post market. Successful in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Festival in 2023, Marine Nationale produced a clean round of jumping on chase debut at Leopardstown over Christmas.

There are fifteen Irish-trained representatives entered in the National Hunt Novices' Chase on Tuesday of the Festival, including Stayers' Hurdle hero Flooring Porter. Although his novice chasing career has been mixed so far, Gavin Cromwell's star won at the track in October and tends to produce some of his best form at the Festival. The staying test could be dominated by British horses with Paul Nicholls' exciting Stay Away Fay and Lucinda Russell's Apple Away featuring, although both hold alternative entries.