The Champion Bumper
The Champion Bumper is the flat race highlight of the Cheltenham Festival and the most prestigious bumper in the national hunt racing calendar.
The Champion Bumper is open to four- to six-year-old horses and is run on the old course at the Cheltenham racetrack at Prestbury Park. Run over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards, the Champion Bumper sees some of the finest prospective talents in national hunt racing being ridden by top jockeys.
Punters watch the Champion Bumper with keen interest as the race has on occasion introduced future champions to the world of hunt racing – a notable example being the great Florida Pearl.
The Champion Bumper is also one of the few national hunt races that features appearances by top flat racing.
Champion Bumper Betting & Trends
Age: 5- and 6-year-olds have won this race every year dating back to 1995.
Odds: While the upper price ceiling for winners is 33/1, most winners are priced under 12/1. The favourite has one the race once in the past five years, placing in the race on two other occasions.
Jockey: No jockey trends have emerged in this race, with the race frequently going to amateur jockeys.
Trainer: Willie Mullins has a knack for finding Champion Bumper winners, and has trained 6 of these since 1996.
Champion Bumper Tip: If it’s short priced in the betting and trained by Willie Mullins it may be worth a punt. Otherwise stick to laying the favourite at Betfair.
Champion Bumper Odds
| Cheltenham - Cheltenham Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1) (Class 1) National Hunt Flat - 17:15 | |||||||||||
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sgt Reckless | 7 | 13/2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 15/2 | |||
| Regal Encore | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |||
| Union Dues | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |||
| Le Vent D'antan | 8 | 15/2 | 8 | 17/2 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | |||
| Golantilla | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | |||
| Blackmail | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 10 | |||
| Shield | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14 | |||
| Milo Man | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 16 | |||
| Sizing Tennessee | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | |||
| The Liquidator | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 16 | |||
| Briar Hill | 20 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 20 | |||
| Vieux Lion Rouge | 22 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 20 | |||
| Purple Bay | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 20 | |||
| Drumlee | 25 | 28 | 22 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 16 | 28 | |||
| Fascino Rustico | 20 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 12 | - | |||
| Doctor Harper | 25 | 33 | 28 | 33 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 33 | |||
| Caledonia | 50 | 66 | 50 | 40 | 50 | 66 | 66 | 50 | |||
| Pure Science | 50 | 50 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | |||
| The Clock Leary | 40 | 50 | 40 | 50 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | |||
| I'm Fraam Govan | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 40 | 50 | 40 | |||
| Hellorboston | 66 | 66 | 50 | 66 | 66 | 50 | 50 | 40 | |||
| Posiden Sea | 100 | 100 | 66 | 100 | 100 | 66 | 66 | 50 | |||
| Kayf Moss | 150 | 150 | 100 | 150 | 150 | 100 | 100 | 100 | |||
| Johnny Og | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |||
Champion Bumper Winners
The Champion Bumper, like many other races at the Cheltenham Festival, has been dominated by Irish horses, jockeys and trainers over the last decade.
The race has been run since 1992 and the name that stands out in the ranks of Champion Bumper winners is Irish trainer Willie Mullins, who achieved the unique feat of riding a horse he trained to victory in 1996.
Other notable Champion Bumper winners include the formidable Tony McCoy in 2003 and emerging National Hunt star Ruby Walsh has won the race twice, once as an amateur in 1998 and again as a professional in 2005.
