The Champion Chase is the race for a two mile sprinter to win in their career, and this year's Cheltenham Festival pits previous race legends against the young contenders.
Our Champion Chase tips are below, plus get the latest odds, full runner by runner preview, full race information and the best offers.
Our tip for the Champion Chase will be posted on Tuesday, 10th March in the afternoon.
Check back then to see who our tipsters have selected and why!
Following his dominate win at the Dublin Racing Festival, Majborough heads the market at 7/4. His jumping was by far the best of his career so far and a new rating of 174 means the handicapper sees him as head and shoulders above this field.
Marine Nationale is his main competition. Nineteen lengths behind at the DRF, he always comes alive at Cheltenham where he is two wins from two starts including this same race last year. Better ground and different tactics could see him reverse the form.
The likely Mullins second string is Il Etait Temps. A faller when last seen at Ascot in the Clarence House Chase, he doesn't have the best record at Cheltenham but did put together five wins in a row over fences including a 9 length victory over Jonbon.
L'Eau du Sud was back in third during that victory. His form is inconsistent he's still unexposed over fences and seems to like Cheltenham.
Now 10 years old, Jonbon has 14 wins from his 20 starts over fences, and has still never failed to finish in the top 2 in any race in his career. His record at Cheltenham reads 2nd , 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, and while he doesn't have the turn of pace he used to, he still deserves significant respect.
Last updated 13th Feb 2026.
The latest odds from bet365 are:
Odds latest updated and correct as of 5pm, 13th February.
| Full Race Name | BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase |
| Date | Wednesday 11th March 2026 |
| Time | 3:20pm |
| Distance | 1 mile 7 furlongs 199 yards |
| Race Type | Grade 1 National hunt Chase |
| Course | Old Course |
| Number of Fences | 13 |
| Minimum Age | 5 years old |
| Weights | 11 stone 10lb (7lb mares allowance) |
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The 2025 build up focused on Jonbon, who was sent off the 5/6 favourite for Nicky Henderson, ridden by Nico de Boinville.
Disaster struck for favourite backers at the ninth fence. A bad mistake saw Jonbon lose significant distance. He was quickly pushed along but the chance of victory was done.
Two pulled clear of the rest. Marine Nationale (sent off 5/1) came round the final bend travelling by far the best, but found a willing challenger in the 40/1 Quilixios. They jumped the second last together, nothing to separate them.
The last fence has caught out many a horse at Cheltenham, and unfortunately for Quilixios it put paid to his race chances too. He lost his footing on landing and fell, thankfully up quickly and with no lasting effects.
This left Marine Nationale well clear. A quick burst of speed saw him pull 10, 12, 15 lengths clear of the rest of the field, with Jonbon running past tired horses to grab a distance second.
The victory wasn't a huge surprise for owner and trainer Barry Connell: "We were very confident coming today but understated, because I was too confident the last day and didn’t want to do that again. He travels, he jumps - he’s everything you want in a Champion Chaser."
The Champion Chase, as one of the five Championship races, always gets huge press coverage. This gives our tipsters access to extra information compared to typical day to day racing.
Stable tours, preview nights, press quotes, coverage of gallops and more is all tracked and incorporated into their research.
Given the quality of the horses running in this contest, that information is also often available for their other races through the season, allowing our team to build a clear picture of the horse's form, target races, and preference for difference conditions.
Our tipsters track and watch all jumps racing through the season. By the time we arrive at Cheltenham, they have a solid understanding of each horse's strengths, weaknesses, and preferences.
As Cheltenham gets closer, more attention is paid to two key factors - the make up of the race, and the weather. The former impacts elements such as the pace of the race, potential pressure being put on jumping, and so on. The latter is important in every race, but can be more closely tracked at Cheltenham given coverage.
