The Weatherbys Champion Bumper is the only race at the Cheltenham Festival without obstacles. A two-mile flat race championship for National Hunt horses, the winner is often touted for big things over obstacles. GG’s team have found who they believe to be the next superstar here.
Andrew Mount’s Champion Bumper Tips
Andrew believes the good ground and setup of the Champion Bumper can suit the outsider Chicker. His debut form was solid and can be forgiven a run on softer last time out.
Matty Sutcliffe’s Champion Bumper Tips
Matty Sutcliffe is backing a British winner of the Champion Bumper a decade on from the last. Diamant Dore was very impressive on debut for Adrian Keatley and could follow up on the big stage.
Champion Bumper Runners + Odds – Day 2 @ Cheltenham Festival
All About The Champion Bumper in 2027
The field for the Champion Bumper almost always consists of horses in their first season in training. As such, there is often less evidence than there would be in other contests. Willie Mullins is the master in this race though, winning it on 14 occasions. He has the likes of Love Sign d’Aunou, The Irish Avatar and Quiryn for the 2026 renewal.
Champion Bumper Overlooked Outsiders
Outsiders can clearly run very well in this race, given there were 33/1, 66/1 and 150/1 runners just behind winner Bambino Fever in 2025. We will preview the best betting propositions among them.
Qualifications/Trends
This is the most age-limited contest at the Festival with only horses between the ages of four and six eligible to compete in the race.
In 31 runnings of the Champion Bumper, it is the five-year-olds who have come out on top comfortably more than any other age group, registering 20 successes. Of the other 11, eight have been won by six-year-olds, with four-year-olds registering just three victories, and none since Cue Card in 2010. That is despite them receiving a 10lb weight allowance.
The race has often housed a short-priced favourite in recent years, though both Appreciate It and Kilcruit were turned over. Indeed only six favourites have ever won the Champion Bumper and arguably the most successful winner of the race, Cue Card, was sent off at 40/1 when he landed the spoils.
Since Cue Card, the race has thrown up two 25/1 and 16/1 winners. So, though the likes of Gordon Elliott or Willie Mullins will likely have a supposed warm order in here, don’t ignore any second strings or outsiders, particularly in the case of the latter. Before Facile Vega, none of Mullins’ previous six winners of the Champion Bumper had been his first string.
Mullins is still the man to beat in sending out winners of this race, regardless of whether they are his most fancied. He has taken it on 14 occasions; no other trainer has won it more than twice. He is a substantial leader of this event.
Prize Money in 2026
Bambino Fever was the winner in 2025 and picked up a first prize of £45,560.00.
Champion Bumper History
Weatherbys have one of the longest-standing sponsorships at the Festival, as their name has been carried by the Champion Bumper since 1997.
The first running of the race came five years prior to that and is half of one of the great Cheltenham quiz questions (spoiler alert incoming). The winner was Montelado for trainer Pat Flynn and Richard Dunwoody, but the significance is where the race was on the card.
Upon the Champion Bumper’s introduction, it was the final race of the Festival. At the 1993 Festival, Montelado added the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle to his collection, the race which always comes first. As such, Montelado became the first and only horse so far to win back-to-back Cheltenham Festival events and with the current order of the schedule, that cannot change any time soon.
The Champion Bumper is often a starting point for future greats before they attempt obstacles. The first genuine star to win the contest was probably Dato Star, winner in 1995 for Malcolm Jefferson and who would go on to win two Fighting Fifths and a Christmas Hurdle.
Two years later though, and the winner of the 1997 renewal arguably has claims to being the best to emerge from the race as champion. Florida Pearl was luckless at Cheltenham in the Gold Cup but still won an RSA Chase, as well as three Irish Gold Cups and a King George. His last Grade 1 came almost seven years after his success in the Bumper.
Beware the superstar tag, though. Dunguib was readily talked of as the next big thing and was sent off odds-on to win the Supreme Novices’ the year after his Champion Bumper success, but was defeated and struggled to live up to his reputation.
Do not beware Willie Mullins, on the other hand. Cheltenham’s first centurion trainer brought up his 100th win at the meeting with his 14th success in this race as Jasmin De Vaux came clear of his opposition in 2024.
Winners since 2000
| Year | Horse | Jockey/Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Joe Cullen | J:Charlie Swan T:Willie Mullins | 14/1 |
| 2001 | VOID | J:N/A T:N/A | VOID |
| 2002 | Pizarro | J:Jamie Spencer T:Edward O’Grady | 14/1 |
| 2003 | Liberman | J:Tony McCoy T:Martin Pipe | 2/1F |
| 2004 | Total Enjoyment | J:Jim Culloty T:Tom Cooper | 7/1 |
| 2005 | Missed That | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 7/2F |
| 2006 | Hairy Molly | J:Paul Carberry T:Joseph Crowley | 33/1 |
| 2007 | Cork All Star | J:Barry Geraghty T:Jessica Harrington | 11/2 |
| 2008 | Cousin Vinny | J:Patrick Mullins T:Willie Mullins | 12/1 |
| 2009 | Dunguib | J:Brian O’Connell T:Philip Fenton | 9/2 |
| 2010 | Cue Card | J:Joe Tizzard T:Colin Tizzard | 40/1 |
| 2011 | Cheltenian | J:Richard Johnson T:Philip Hobbs | 14/1 |
| 2012 | Champagne Fever | J:Patrick Mullins T:Willie Mullins | 16/1 |
| 2013 | Briar Hill | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 25/1 |
| 2014 | Silver Concorde | J:Robbie McNamara T:Dermot Weld | 16/1 |
| 2015 | Moon Racer | J:Tom Scudamore T:David Pipe | 9/2F |
| 2016 | Ballyandy | J:Sam Twiston-Davies T:Nigel Twiston-Davies | 5/1 |
| 2017 | Fayonagh | J:Jamie Codd T:Gordon Elliott | 7/1 |
| 2018 | Relegate | J:Katie Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 25/1 |
| 2019 | Envoi Allen | J:Jamie Codd T:Gordon Elliott | 2/1F |
| 2020 | Ferny Hollow | J:Paul Townend T:Willie Mullins | 11/1 |
| 2021 | Sir Gerhard | J:Rachael Blackmore T:Willie Mullins | 85/40 |
| 2022 | Facile Vega | J:Patrick Mullins T:Willie Mullins | 15/8F |
| 2023 | A Dream To Share | J:John Gleeson T:John Kiely | 7/2 |
| 2024 | Jasmin De Vaux | J:Patrick Mullins T:Willie Mullins | 9/2 |
| 2025 | Bambino Fever | J:Jody Townend T:Willie Mullins | 4/1F |
| 2026 | The Mourne Rambler | J:Colin Keane T:Noel Meade | 15/2 |
Cheltenham Festival Day 2 Racing Schedule