Champion Bumper Predictions, Betting Tips, Odds & Trends (Cheltenham 2023 - DAY 2)

The Champion Bumper is a National Hunt flat race run over two miles and 87 yards, open to four to six-year-old horses and run on the old course at the Cheltenham racetrack at Prestbury Park. Willie Mullins won last year's Champion Bumper as Facile Vega got the better of Gordon Elliott's American Mike at odds of 15/8. This post contains our Champion Bumper race preview with free predictions, tips, betting trends, best odds, free bets and no deposit bonuses on the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.

CHAMPION BUMPER BETTING PREVIEW 

The Weatherbys Champion Bumper concludes the second day of racing at the Cheltenham Festival. It's a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race run over two miles and half a furlong, for horses aged four to six. Because this is a flat race, also know as a 'bumper', it rather obviously doesn’t feature any jumps. A great contest to watch for future reference, with unexposed horses from UK and Ireland clashing for the first time for this prestigious prize.

This race always produces a crop of exciting hurdlers for next season and has been dominated by the Irish trainers, and particularly Willie Mullins, down the years. With big prices available for a lot of horses because with so little form on offer, online bookmakers and punters often find it hard to pick out a favourite.

And now we take a closer look at this year's Weatherbys Champion Bumper and try to determine which horse is likely to prevail.

Who will win the Champion Bumper 2023?

A DREAM TO SHARE os the current favorite in the betting. He sparkled in a Grade Two bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival when last seen and remains undefeated after three starts.

Willie Mullins' IT’S FOR ME eased to victory at Navan (by 10 lengths) in January and looks to have a strong chance of continuing his trainers excellent record in the race. Prior to that, he won a point-to-point at Loughanmore back in April by a wide margin before moving to Mullins yard later that year. Patrick Mullins is expected to partner this horse.

CHAPEAU DE SOLEIL looked a bit awkward at Fairyhouse two months ago when BETTER DAYS AHEAD beat him by three and a quarter lengths.

FUN FUN FUN comfortably won on rules debut at Sligo against inferior opposition before returning off a near five-month layoff to retain her unbeaten record with another impressive victory at Leopardstown. She will get the mares allowance if she lines up.

Willie Mullins' WESTERN DIEGO ran a cracker at Naas in recent times. Ridden by Paddy Mullins, he was too strong for all the other rivals, coming home clear by half-a-dozen lengths.

Oliver Sherwood’s QUEEN'S GAMBLE has already won two NHF races here at Cheltenham, including an impressive Listed win in November. She may have been beaten at Market Rasen, but she was carrying a penalty that day and didn't get the run of the race.

FACT TO FILE won a two and a half mile bumper at Leopardstown in December. Then, he couldn't match A Dream To Share's flat speed at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Along with Queen's Gamble, ENCANTO BRUNO is one of only two course and distance winners in the Champion Bumper field. His debut under Rules at Cork saw him scoring in a 17-runner contest. On his only appearance in a point-to-point, this horse showed his stamina to score over 3m at Ballynoe. He has been kept fresh since his victory at Cheltenham last October.


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Dark horses?

KING OF KINGSFIELD should not be ruled out, depsite his high odds. He scoped dirty after his defeat at Leopardstown over Christmas, but he looked like a real talent earlier in the season.

CHOSEN WITNESS is another option for Willie Mullins. He looked like he was going to win well at Limerick last time when Jody Townend rode him. He has show a lot of gears on testing ground at the Munster track and drier ground will suit him better.

POUR LE FILLES, FASCILE MODE, WESTPORT COVE, CAPTAIN TEAGUE and FAVOUR AND FORTUNE are the other interesting long shots.

At the moment, the most backed horses are the following:

All the bookmakers we recommend are offering No Runner No Bet on every Cheltenham Festival race.

CHAMPION BUMPER TRENDS  

• Just 6 of the 30 favourites won
• 21 of the last 30 winners came from the top 6 in the betting
• The last 19 winners won last time out
• 23 of the 30 winners were trained in Ireland (12 by Willie Mullins)
• 16 of the last 17 winners were aged 5 or 6 years-old
• The last 14 winners were rated 118 or more

CHAMPION BUMPER PREDICTIONS 

Find below our free betting tips on the Weatherbys Champion Bumper 2023. Feel free to copy our Cheltenham Festival predictions and get the best odds available on the market by clicking the 'Bet' button! Don't miss our horse racing tips anymore, bookmark our horse racing free betting tips page!

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2023 CHAMPION BUMPER FAQs

What time is the Champion Bumper?

The Champion Bumper is the 7th and last race run on Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival. That falls on Wednesday March 15, 2023 and the official starting time is 5:30pm.

How many obstacles are jumped in the Champion Bumper?

There are no obstacles to jump for the Champion Bumper runners

What is the distance of the Champion Bumper?

The Champion Bumper is run on a distance of 2 miles and 87 yards

What is the prize money for the Champion Bumper?

The total prize money on offer for the Champion Bumper at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival will be £75,000.

Who won the Champion Bumper last year?

Last year's renewal was won by Facile Vega at SP of 15/8, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Patrick Mullins.

What weights are carried for the Champion Bumper?

10st 11lbs (4yo). 11st 5lb (5yo-6yo). 7lb allowance for fillies and mares.

Who is the leading jockey in the Champion Bumper?

Ruby Walsh is the most successful jockey, having won this race on three occasions. Hence, don't underestimate his "successor" Paul Townend. Jamie Codd has only had four rides in the race, all for Gordon Elliott, but it has yielded two wins, a runner-up last year and a third in 2020.

Who is the leading trainer in the Champion Bumper?

Willie Mullins has won 12 Champion Bumpers. From eleven runners, Gordon Elliott has saddled two winners, a second and a third.