Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Type: Grade 1 National Hunt Steeplechase
Distance: 1 Mile 7 Furlongs
Age Of The Horses: 5 Years and Older
Prize: £400,000
The Queen Mother Champion Chase takes place on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival each year, with the Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase being open to horses aged five years and older. Run on the Old Course at the famous Cheltenham Racecourse, runners and riders battle it out over a distance of two miles and 7 furlongs, with 12 fences to be jumped.
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 race over two miles and is the feature race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival. This is one of the most prestigious prize in National Hunt racing and attracts the best two mile chasers from Great Britain and Ireland.
Badsworth Boy (1983 – 1985) is the only horse in history to win the race three times. He was trained by Michael Dickinson for his first two victories with his mother Monica saddling him for his record-breaking hat-trick success. Dual winners include Pearlyman (1987, 1988), Viking Flagship (1994, 1995), Master Minded (2008, 2009) and Sprinter Sacre (2013, 2016). Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson currently share the leading trainer standings with Tom Dreaper on six winners apiece.
Sprinter Sacre was a brilliant 19 lengths winner of the 2013 Queen Mother Champion Chase. He later extended his unbeaten run over fences to ten with victories at Aintree and Punchestown. The following season he was pulled up in the Desert Orchid Chase with tests revealing an irregular heartbeat. It was a remarkable achievement to regain his crown in 2016 with connections eventually calling time on his career due to a tendon injury in 2016.
Since training Sprinter Sacre to overcome health issues, Henderson has won the Champion Chase twice with Altior (2018 and 2019). He was widely expected to strike again with Shishkin in 2021 and racing fans will be hoping that horse can recapture his brilliant best in similar fashion. Willie Mullins had previously suffered disappointment in the race but added it to his impressive CV when Energumene captured the prize in 2022.
We may still be in the early stages of the UK and Irish National Hunt horse racing season with some massive fixtures on the horizon, but bookmakers are already looking forward to the Cheltenham Festival 2023. They just can’t help themselves and punters aren’t in a rush to argue as they too allow their eyes to be drawn towards the springtime racing spectacle. That’s why Coral Cheltenham offers and the likes by other brands are already set and worth noting without any doubt.
A lot can happen between now and the first race at the Prestbury Park showpiece event but that doesn’t stop backers aiming to get in early and secure a better price about their selection. The Cheltenham Festival opens on Tuesday 16 March and guides followers through four fantastic days of world-famous horse racing, before pulling the shutters down for another year on Friday 17 March.
Our team of horse racing experts turn the spotlight on the Queen Mother Champion Chase 2023 which is schedule to be run on Wednesday 15 March. The current field listed in the antepost betting won’t all make the final cut, but the rewards of betting early outweigh the risks. The current betting on champion chase is fierce, to say the least.
Traders at all major bookmakers have priced up their antepost book for the Champion Chase 2023 and it makes for very interesting reading indeed. What clues can punters take from the current list? Who do bookies expect to come out on top next year? Where does the betting value come from? Knowing the answers to these questions will be the difference between watching the race as an interested bystander and cheering home a winner at a nice price and celebrating a Cheltenham Festival profit from one of the biggest and best-loved races of the week.
The Champion Chase 2023 promises to be one of the most competitive renewals in recent years. It may seem too early to make such a claim but the current line up tells us to prepare for a cracker and, although all of the current field won’t make the line on race day, the pool is an exciting one and we have high hopes for the renewal of this Grade 1 event that has a history that can be traced all the way back to 1959. Let’s take a closer look at how the antepost market is shaping up.
Although Energumene was an outstanding novice, he still had plenty to prove at the start of last season. He was still below stable companion Chacun Pour Soi in the pecking order for the top two-mile chases until his bold run in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot. In forcing Shishkin to pull out all the stops, he stated his claim for the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Obviously we did not see the real Shishkin at Cheltenham but the vibes are good from the Nicky Henderson stable for 2022-23. The horse is now back in training with no signs of the rare bone condition which explained his poor Cheltenham run. His return to action will be eagerly anticipated in the hope that we can see two great champions clash in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase 2023.
The two horses most likely to emerge from the novice ranks this season are Edwardstone and Gentleman De Mee. Alan King trains Edwardstone who hardly put a foot wrong last season, winning five races, culminating in the Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival. He then went to Aintree where he was beaten four and a half lengths by Gentleman De Mee. The combination of the tiring ground and a long season may have caught up with Edwardstone that day and he could be good value at 16-1.
Queen Mother Champion Chase 2023 betting (best advertised prices 14th September 2022)
The closer we get to the first race of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival the more promotions, special offers and enhancements you can expect to find. These change year on year to ensure they are eye-catching, fresh and appealing to backers.
We can get an idea of what to expect by looking back at some of the most popular Queen Mother champion chase offers, however. These include money back if your pick falls, enhanced each-way terms in one or more races every day, free bets and even enhanced odds on the SP favourite.
If you intend to bet on any race at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, whether that be antepost or on the day, you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to options. The earlier you bet the better the price available to you should be. The longer you leave it, the more markets available and the more security given to your stake money offered by the Cheltenham non runner no bet promotion.
The antepost market is available now and you’ll find Queen Mother Champion Chase odds at most major bookmakers. The prices are attractive as you must factor in the chance of your pick not running in the race and you losing your stake without a run. This could be down to your selection running in another race or even injury between now and the off.
There are many things you can do to maximise your chase of bagging a winner at the Cheltenham Festival. These include:
Reading expert reviews of the top races from industry insiders, trainers, jockeys and commentators. The more you read on a race the better educated you will become and the more of an understanding you will have of the runners to keep on the right side of. Read interviews, check the form, run through the gossip columns, anything you can get your hands on you believe could prove useful when it comes to backing a winner.
Almost important as backing a winner is doing it at the right price. Landing a 6/1 winner on a major horse race is all well and good but it doesn’t quite compare to bagging a 12/1 on the same runner, simply by doing your homework. Once you have decided on the runner for you in the big race, check any respected price comparison website. This will tell you which firms are offering market best price. The most generous traders are the ones you should be betting with to maximise your profit.
Check out the promotions available. Modern betting is filled with promotions on the biggest and best horse racing. These include each-way, money back, enhanced odds and price boosts. Check the promos page of your chosen bookie on race day to find out what they are offering and how you could use it to your advantage.
Live streaming has become common with the main online betting firms and it’s something you should insist on. This allows you to bet on a horse and watch the race through an HD quality live streaming service at no extra cost. You can do this through your mobile or tablet device, either at home or on the move. It’s the modern way to watch horse racing and there’s now no need to check a results service.
Followers of the stats betting on this race take their guidance from recent results, looking out for any hints or clues thrown up in the last 10 years. Altior has won each of the last two runnings of the Queen Mother Champion Chase and will be aiming to join Badsworth Boy who scooped three titles between 1983 and 1985 as is the most famous of champion chase winners.
2022 Energumene
2021 Put The Kettle On
2020 Politologue
2019 Altior
2018 Altior
2017 Special Tiara
2016 Sprinter Sacre
2015 Dodging Bullets
2014 Sire de Grugy
2013 Sprinter Sacre
2012 Finian’s Rainbow
2011 Sizing Europe
2010 Big Zeb
The 2022 Queen Mother Champion Chase had been billed as a repeat of the epic Clarence House Chase duel between Shishkin and Energumene. On that occasion it had been Nicky Henderson’s stable star Shishkin who wore down the front-running Irish raider to win by a length. The pair drew 18 lengths clear of the third in soft ground and set up the tantalising prospect of a re-match.
The general consensus was that the uphill finish at Cheltenham would play to Shishkin’s strengths and he was duly sent off the odds-on favourite. Unfortunately it was clear very early on that all was not well with the favourite as he laboured towards the rear. Jockey Nico de Boinville pulled him up after the eighth fence and subsequent tests revealed a rare bone condition.
That inevitably detracted from the smooth victory of Energumene who was held up before easing to the front with two to jump. 40-1 outsider Funambule Sivola stayed on for second with Envoi Allen back in third.
Queen Mother Champion Chase 2022
7 ran. Winner owned by Tony Bloom, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend.
Paul Nicholls did not even have a runner entered on the opening day of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, but trained a one-two in the feature contest on Ladies Day – the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Politlogue went a place better than 12 months ago in a race where the fancied runners didn’t take their chance due to lameness and red-hot odds-on favourite Defi Du Seuil didn’t turn up.
Altior was found to have a problem with a splint in the days leading up to the defence of his Queen Mother Champion Chase crown after scoring in each of the two previous seasons. Irish raider Chacun Pour Soi, meanwhile, had an abscess on the day of the race forcing Willie Mullins to withdraw him.
That seemingly left the way clear for Defi Du Seuil to land odds of 2/5, but he simply didn’t run his race despite two previous Cheltenham Festival successes. Politologue instead made virtually all and jumped well under new jockey Harry Skelton to win unchallenged at 8/1 and score by 9 1/2 lengths in easy fashion from stable companion Dynamite Dollars, who was returned at 7/1.
This Queen Mother Champion Chase renewal clearly cut up and a paltry field of five went to post to contest it. Bun Doran, winner of a handicap over course and distance, was back in third at big odds of 33/1 with Defi Du Seuil a disappointing form. Looking at this form going forward, it would be wise not to take it too literally.
A decimated field and the fact that Politologue, who had failed to win at the Cheltenham Festival in four previous attempts, was given far too much rope mean it truth this race will do little to inform the future.
The 2019 Champion Chase was won by Altior and that’s the reason he has been popular in the early exchanges of the betting. Is he good enough to win three races on the bounce? The champion performed brilliantly last year, beating off the attentions of Politologue in second and the third finisher which was Sceau Royal.
Those who had their cash down that day will be only too pleased to stick with Altior if he makes the final field of the 2022 Queen Mother Champion Chase. The stats prove winning again won’t be easy however as winning this title for a third time is an achievement that has eluded many horses more famous than Altior. That isn’t to say he can’t do it, however.
Between now and the start of the Cheltenham Festival, we will see a number of race trials take place around the country. These are invaluable for punters following the form. Keep your eye out for upcoming race trials and have your notepad at the ready. Jot down the winner, ground conditions, times and anything else you think will be important.
Upcoming:
Harvey Mayson has worked as a horseracing writer, blogger and tipster for several of the UK’s leading bookmakers and numerous other specialist racing sites. Harvey has great knowledge of horse racing history and was the author of the Paddy Power Cheltenham Festival and Aintree Grand National blog for three years. Harvey’s blog at the Cheltenham Festival in 2014 included a 100,000-1 ante-post four-timer while he correctly forecast the first four winners on Grand National day in 2015. He also tipped three Grand National winners in a row and eleven consecutive winning nap selections.