There is nothing quite like the breathless and exhilarating sight of watching top-class chasers tackling Cheltenham’s formidable fences at ferocious speeds.
Cue the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Usually run at an unrelenting gallop, day two’s marquee event has a rich history and reputation for providing high drama and it will be fascinating to see if the best two-miler around, Jonbon, can finally gain the Festival success his abilities merit.
Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old will never have a better chance to land this event with several of his chief rivals rerouted to other engagements or sidelined. Previous Festival scorer Marine Nationale should enjoy the rigours of this event and could prove the chief danger, but he must improve again to trouble the hot favourite on betting sites, even if the drying spring ground should play to his strengths.
Champion Chase 2025 Odds
Champion Chase 2025 Betting Preview – The Main Contenders
Jonbon – The Favourite to Beat?
It is easy to comprehend why Jonbon heads the Cheltenham odds for the Champion Chase. He arrives at Cheltenham looking for a six-timer and, in some ways, he mirrors Arne Slot’s Liverpool in that he can be flashy in success or can win ugly.
The only slight concern would be that Jonbon’s best six career performances have all been recorded away from Cheltenham and he has been beaten there three times in his career. In fairness, one of those defeats came at the hands of Constitution Hill and another when he made a horrendous error, and his stable were in poor form.
If he can reproduce the level which has seen him win the Clarence House and Tingle Creek Chases, he is going to be impossible to beat.
Key Challengers – Can Anyone Upset the Favourite?
While Jonbon looks extremely difficult to beat here with conditions to suit, the likes of Marine Nationale are capable of troubling the hot favourite with his form improving with each start over fences.
Fourteen of the past 24 winners of this race had won at the Festival previously so the 2023 Supreme Novices Hurdle winner fits that criteria and he posted a career-best over fences behind Solness at the Dublin Racing Festival last time out. The drying ground could also be in his favour so he could be a good each-way play on horse racing betting sites against the favourite.
The front-running Solness could also be a threat if he mirrors the level of performance that he managed at Leopardstown where his precise fencing technique enabled him to build an unimpeachable advantage over his rivals.
Champion Chase betting trends
Using trends can be a shrewd way of picking the winner of the Champion Chase on betting apps. Below are a few of the more reliable trends and statistics:
- Six odds-on favourites beaten in the last nine years.
- 30 of the past 38 winners were aged seven to nine years of age.
- Only five of the past 38 winners were aged 10 or older.
- 18 of the past 20 winners had run just 2-3 times earlier that season.
Queen Mother Champion Chase winners (2015-2024)
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Energumene | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2023 | Energumene | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2022 | Energumene | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2021 | Put The Kettle On | Henry de Bromhead | Aidan Coleman |
| 2020 | Politologue | Paul Nicholls | Harry Skelton |
| 2019 | Altior | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville |
| 2018 | Altior | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville |
| 2017 | Special Tiara | Henry de Bromhead | Noel Fehily |
| 2016 | Sprinter Sacre | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville |
| 2015 | Dodging Bullets | Paul Nicholls | Sam Twiston-Davies |
Responsible Gambling
Bettors should always gamble responsibly online. Always remain within a budget and never exceed it. Never chase your losses.
Anyone can lose a bet even if they know a lot about horse racing. It is easy to get carried away with Cheltenham when free bets and other promotions are available in abundance, so remember to remain in control of your time and betting.
Bettors can use responsible gambling tools provided by betting sites such as deposit limits, loss limits and self-exclusion among others.
Should you wish to seek help for gambling-related issues, there are several charities, organisations and healthcare providers who offer support and information:
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