‘Tops the ratings’ - Champion Chase Tips

Day two of the Cheltenham Festival will provide plenty of Grade 1 action, the feature being the Queen Mother Champion Chase, a race first run in 1959 and with a rich and illustrious history.

A field of 10 go to post for the 2m showpiece, the market headed by the Willie Mullins-trained Majborough who impressed at the Dublin Racing Festival last month.

Selection: Majborough @ 5/6 with Ladbrokes

Next Best: Quilixios @ 15/2 with Ladbrokes

Majborough impossible to oppose

The Champion Chase has so far eluded leading owner JP McManus, but the famous green and gold silks look set to be carried to victory in Wednesday’s renewal by Willie Mullins’ MAJBOROUGH, who not only tops the ratings, but comes into the race off the back of a hugely impressive success in the Dublin Champion Chase at Leopardstown last month.

A winner of the 2024 Triumph Hurdle (beating Tuesday’s Arkle winner Kargesse), his jumping rather fell apart when third in last season’s Arkle, but he was beaten less than a length on that occasion, which was a fine effort in the circumstances.

There’s little doubt that jumping has been a cause for concern for much of his chasing career, but he seemed to relax well in his first-time cheekpieces at Leopardstown and was fluent throughout, pulling 19 lengths clear of reigning Champion Chaser, Marine Nationale, who misses this year’s renewal due to soreness in his neck.

You’d hope that the headgear has the same effect this time and a reproduction of anything like that performance - in which he ran to a Racing Post Rating of 179 - should see him collect.

Quixilios has strong each-way claims

Henry De Bromhead ’s Quixilios was in the process of putting in a big performance in this race last year and was still disputing the lead before coming down at the final fence.

The nine-year-old has not been seen since, but he’s got a good record when fresh and represents a stable with excellent credentials in this race - winning it with Special Tiara, Put The Kettle On and Captain Guinness since 2017.

Whilst Mullins’ Il Etait Temps is fully deserving of his official rating of 172 (just 2lb behind his stablemate Majborough), he’s not had the ideal preparation, having suffered a heavy fall when already looking in trouble at the second-last in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot last time.

That was his first defeat in six starts and he’d been particularly good when landing a pair of Grade 1 victories at Sandown last year - the Celebration Chase and Tingle Creek - beating Jonbon on both occasions.

However, he’s got a modest record at Cheltenham, his three runs at the venue wielding form figures of 553, so he has a bit to prove.