2026 Champion Chase preview, tip and ratings

The outcome of the Queen Mother Champion Chase looks likely to hinge on the jumping of Majborough (190) who boasts much the best form but hasn’t always been foot-perfect over fences. That was certainly the case when he was odds-on for the Arkle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival in which he did well to finish third in the end after all but falling two out. While he made amends at Punchestown next time, there remained question marks over his jumping until his latest start when he was much more fluent in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown.

Fitted with cheekpieces for the first time, he was soon going enthusiastically in the lead and recorded a career-best effort, drawing clear on the run-in to beat last year’s Champion Chase winner Marine Nationale by 19 lengths. If the headgear works as effectively again and he copes with the Cheltenham fences, he’ll be extremely hard to beat.

Willie Mullins’ other runner Il Etait Temps (183) is next in the ratings, though the fences got in his way last time as he took a heavy fall in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot when looking beaten behind Jonbon. However, he had won five races in a row after finishing third in the 2024 Arkle, including when beating Jonbon at Sandown in the Celebration Chase last April and again in the Tingle Creek in December. He goes without his usual hood here.

L’Eau du Sud (176) underperformed when third in the Tingle Creek, but Dan Skelton has kept him fresh for this, having run well after a break before, including when winning the Shloer Chase, his second win over fences at Cheltenham, on his reappearance in November by 15 lengths from a below-par Jonbon. A strong traveller, L’Eau du Sud, who wasn’t far behind Majborough in last year’s Arkle, is also a fine jumper and a solid place option.

Quilixios (175) is another who goes well fresh, though it’s a whole year since he last ran, likely to have finished second to Marine Nationale in this race but for falling at the last; he won the Poplar Square Chase at Naas last season before finishing second to Jonbon in the Tingle Creek.

Found A Fifty (174) was the last of the five finishers in last year’s Champion Chase but was in better form earlier this season, winning the Fortria Chase at Navan and beating Majborough with a better round of jumping than that rival (and receiving weight from him) in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork. However, he was a well-beaten third in the Dublin Chase and had excuses for his last start at Navan when racing too close to a strong pace over a longer trip.

The rest have plenty to find on form, with Saint Segal (166) and Libberty Hunter (162) finishing placed behind novice Lulamba in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury last time. The front-running Saint Segal is consistent in the right grade, while Libberty Hunter’s jumping can let him down, as it did when he fell three out when still not done with in this race last year.

Novice Irish Panther (165+) has more on his plate after just the two runs over fences, though he has left his hurdles form behind this season, jumping well to win on his chasing debut at Naas and then running stronger stayer Romeo Coolio (runs in Brown Advisory earlier on the card) to half a length in the Racing Post Novices’ Chase at Leopardstown.

Senior runner Captain Guinness (?) won this in 2024 and has been placed in the two renewals either side, though he has yet to fire this season and needs the combination of first-time cheekpieces and the return to Cheltenham to spark a revival. This also looks a stiff task for Brookie (160) who hasn’t been seen since pulling up in a handicap at Ascot in November.

Timeform weight-adjusted ratings

190 Majborough

183 Il Etait Temps

176 L’Eau du Sud

175 Quilixios

174 Found A Fifty

166 Saint Segal

165+ Irish Panther

162 Libberty Hunter

160 Brookie

? Captain Guinness

Timeform analyst’s verdict

If MAJBOROUGH can avoid mistakes again and is in anything like the same form as when routing a couple of these at the Dublin Racing Festival, he'll be extremely hard to beat. Assuming Il Etait Temps has suffered no ill effects from his fall in the Clarence House he's clear-second best as his two defeats of Jonbon at Sandown last year represent top-class form. Shloer winner L'Eau du Sud, who has been freshened up since the Tingle Creek, can take third.