The feature race on Ladies' Day at the Cheltenham Festival is the Champion Chase. The Champion Chase may be the youngest of the four Championship race at Cheltenham, having been created in 1959, but the race boasts a rich history of winners. The Champion Chase is also named in honour of the Queen Mother, who gave so much to the sport of horse racing during her lifetime.
Our guide to the Champion Chase will be published in the weeks leading up to the Cheltenham Festival.
2023 Champion Chase Runners
Willie Mullins' wait for a first Queen Mother victory ended 12 months ago, as Energumene hacked up the Cheltenham hill to claim an impressive victory. Mullins' nine-year-old returned to action with an easy win in the Hilly Way Chase and Energemene is currently odds-on to defend his crown.
Ireland's Champion Trainer accounts for four of the initial 14 Champion Chase entries. Energumene could be joined in the field by recent Leopardstown winner Blue Lord, multiple Grade One hero Chacun Pour Soi, and last season's Aintree winner Gentleman De Mee.
Sitting between Energumene and Blue Lord in the market is last season's Arkle winner Edwardstone, who kicked off this season with victory in the Tingle Creek. Three-time Grade One winner, Greaneteen could represent Paul Nicholls. Editeur Du Gite and Nube Negra, first and second in the recent Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton, also feature in the market.
Other possible runners include Henry De Bromhead's duo of Captain Guinness and Coeur Sublime, Joe Tizzard's Amarillo Sky, and last year's surprise Champion Chase runner-up, Funambule Sivola. Peter Fahey's Dunvegan and Alan King's Sceau Royal have also been handed Cheltenham Festival entries.
The Champion Chase is the newest of the four Championship race at the Cheltenham Festival. This Grade One chase takes place on day two of the Cheltenham Festival, and is run over a two-mile trip.
The race was renamed in honour of the Queen Mother during the year of her 80th birthday in 1980. The Queen Mother gave a huge amount of time to the sport of horse racing during her lifetime, and came within a whisker of owning a Champion Chaser when her horse, Game Spirit finished second to Skymas in 1976.
Skymas is one eleven two-time winners of the Champion Chase. That illustrious list includes Fortria, Hilly Way, Viking Flagship, Moscow Flyer, Masterminded, Sprinter Sacre and Altior.
Only one horse has managed to win the Champion Chase three times, and that was Michael Dickinson's Badsworth Boy, who secured a hat-trick of wins between 1983 and '85.
Legendary horses like Flyingbolt, Crisp and One Man have all won the Champion Chase. Many horses use the Arkle Challenge Trophy as a stepping stone to the Champion Chase the following year.
Three trainers have won this Championship race six times. The first being Tom Dreaper, who saddled six of the first 11 winners of this great race.
Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls both have six wins apiece. The great friends and rivals have shared nine of the last 13 runnings between them.
There was barely a dry eye in the house on Ladies' Day in 2016, when ten-year-old Sprinter Sacre rolled back the years and won his second Champion Chase, three years after his first win in 2013.
Gary Moore celebrated a famous win when Sire De Grugy became Champion chaser in 2014. Henry De Bromhead has won the race twice, first with Sizing Europe in 2011, before Special Tiara scored a surprise win in 2016.
Altior won back-to-back Champion Chases in 2018 and '19. With Nicky Henderson's star out injured, Paul Nicholls got back in on the act, as Harry Skelton guided Politologue to victory.
Willie Mullins' Chacun Pour Soi went off in the 2021 Queen Mother as the odds-on favourite, but he was beaten into third by Put The Kettle On, who claimed a surprise win.
Champion Chase Winners
Year
Winner
2023
Energumene
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
2009
Master Minded
2008
Master Minded
2007
Voy Por Ustedes
2006
Newmill
2005
Moscow Flyer
2004
Azertyuiop
2003
Moscow Flyer
2002
Flagship Uberalles
Champion Chase FAQs
When is the Champion Chase?
The 2024 Champion Chase will take place at 3:30pm on day two of the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday 13th March.
What is the Champion Chase?
The Champion Chase is the feature Championship race on day two of the Cheltenham Festival. This prestigious Grade One is for chasers and is run over a two-mile trip. The Champion Chase has been won by many of the sports greatest, and is named in honour of the Queen Mother.
Who won the Champion Chase?
Willie Mullins won his second Champion Chase in 2023 as Energumene claimed victory for the second year in a row.
Where can I watch the Champion Chase?
The 2024 Champion Chase will be shown live on ITV Racing. If you want to stream the race live on your mobile or tablet then visit our Live Streaming page for more details.
