Champion Bumper 2025: Where are they now? The Champion Bumper is one of the Cheltenham Festival’s most intriguing races as it gives us a snapshot of the future and tells us which horses could become superstars in the coming years. Ireland has absolutely dominated the race in recent years, winning nine of the last 10 renewals. Willie Mullins has been the man to follow, rather unsurprisingly, as he has won five of the last six renewals. Bambino Fever did the business for Mullins in the 2025 renewal and we’re going to take a look at what has happened to the 17 participants since. The winner Bambino Fever came into the race off the back of a Grade 2 success at Leopardstown and made no mistake at Cheltenham, seeing her race out well to score by a length-and-a-half. She went on to follow up at Punchestown and her hurdling debut is eagerly anticipated. Horses to watch John McConnell’s Heads Up has made a solid start to his hurdling career and he won nicely at Listowel in September. A step up in trip and class was next on the agenda at Cheltenham this month, but he had no answer to the Paul Nicholls-trained winner. Speaking of, No Drama This End could only manage ninth in the Champion Bumper but he dazzled on his first start of the season. Heads Up is clearly a smart horse, but this son of Walk In The Park breezed past in the style of a good horse and he’s brimming with potential. El Cairos was fifth at Cheltenham and he has since been purchased by Gordon Elliott and the expectations are that he’s going to be a smart novice this season. Harry Fry’s Idaho Son has already won over hurdles and could have a nice prize or two in him. Kalypso’chance was disappointing in the Champion Bumper and finished 11th, but he is already a graded winner over hurdles. Staying trips are definitely going to suit him and he looks like a chaser in the making. Make sure to add him to your tracker. The Dan Skelton-trained pair Fortune de Mer and Dalston Lad finished 14th and 15th respectively. Dalston Lad was very disappointing on his first start over hurdles but don’t write him off and Fortune De Mer is already a Grade 2 winner over hurdles. The Mullins squad Sortudo finished seventh and he won a Fairyhouse bumper impressively next time. Already a winner over hurdles, he looked smart when winning easily at Cork. Copacabana finished fourth at Punchestown next time and will surely be making his hurdles debut shortly. Gameofinches looked a little outpaced on the day but that’s no surprise, as he’s clearly a staying chaser in the making. The plan for the season is to go straight over fences, as the trainer did with Fact To File, and everyone should be excited when he reappears. Aqua Force was purchased shortly before the Festival after destroying the field in a Gowran bumper for previous connections. Perhaps the occasion got to her at Cheltenham, as she underperformed badly, but she’s set to go hurdling this term and better is expected. The remaining runners Shuttle Diplomacy ran a huge race to finish third at odds of 66/1 and the same can be said for Robert Stephens’ Caballero Cliff, who was fourth at 150/1. The former has been well beaten twice and the latter could only manage sixth at Newbury earlier this month. I Started A Joke represents the Charles Byrnes yard and he finished down the field at Cheltenham and was a distant fourth in a Listowel maiden hurdle in September. We’re yet to see Jane Williams’ Lancelot Allen, who finished 16th, and a drop in grade will suit him.
