Champion Bumper Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Cheltenham Festival)

Updated: 12851 Horse Racing

We look at the Champion Bumper ahead of the next renewal, a race contested over 2m½f at Cheltenham during the Cheltenham Festival to see which runners, trainers and jockeys have previously won the race and which trends can you use to find the winner of the Champion Bumper.

Champion Bumper Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Cheltenham Festival)
In this article: Preview
Andy Powell Content Editor

Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.

2025 Champion Bumper Preview

The biggest national hunt flat race of the year where punters flock to back the representatives of twelve-time winner Willie Mullins at the Cheltenham racecourse. The Champion Bumper is a race for your trackers and a good source for future winners and many high class, the likes of Florida Pearl and Cue Card have won the Champion Bumper down the years.

Below we have previewed the Champion Bumper trends and statistics, are our racing tipsters supporting Willie Mullins in the race? Head over to the Cheltenham predictions to see if they are! Be sure to check out our recommended bookies for Cheltenham article before placing your bets on the Champion Bumper.

Champion Bumper Information:

To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Cheltenham tips on the day of the race, do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist or are they predicting other runners? We cover every race at the Cheltenham Festival and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.

How competitive is the Champion Bumper market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2019 when the race had an over-round of 121%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 145%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Champion Bumper, the over-round has been 130%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £130 which is bet.

Champion Bumper Trends:

Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Champion Bumper next time out then you would have backed a total of 9 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +1.08. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page so you can get easy access to the OLBG racing picks daily.

The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2024 renewal when Jasmin De Vaux from W P Mullins under the guidance of Mr P W Mullins, won in a time of 4:07.39, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Silver Concorde, trained by D K Weld and ridden by Robbie McNamara set the quickest time of 3:43.40 in the 2014 renewal.

These are the top three quickest-run Champion Bumper over the last 20 renewals:

  1. Silver Concorde (3:43.40) in 2014
  2. Hairy Molly (3:46.70) in 2006
  3. Champagne Fever (3:47.50) in 2012
What the expert says...
Although it doesn't rule out many, if a runner did not win last time out then they are best ignored, the last renewal won by a runner who didn't win last time out was back in 1999! Ideally, you also want that win to have been in Ireland as the last eight all came into the race having won in Ireland, four of those at Leopardstown and only 5 of the last 20 didn't win Ireland last time out.

Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com

Champion Bumper Past Winners

Here are the Champion Bumper past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse. The trainer of the horse at the time of winning the Champion Bumper as well as the jockey is also displayed along with the starting price the horse was sent off.

YearHorseInfo
2024
4:07.39
Jasmin De Vaux (FR)
5yo 11-7 9/2
Mr P W Mullins
W P Mullins (IRE)
2023
3:59.83
A Dream To Share (IRE)
5yo 11-7 7/2
Mr J L Gleeson
John E Kiely (IRE)
2022
4:04.80
Facile Vega (IRE)
5yo 11-5 15/8F
Mr P W Mullins
W P Mullins (IRE)
2021
3:55.48
Sir Gerhard (IRE)
6yo 11-5 85/40
Rachael Blackmore
W P Mullins (IRE)
2020
4:06.06
Ferny Hollow (IRE)
5yo 11-5 11/1
Paul Townend
W P Mullins (IRE)
2019
3:55.60
Envoi Allen (FR)
5yo 11-5 2/1F
Mr J J Codd
Gordon Elliott (IRE)
2018
4:04.30
Relegate (IRE)
5yo 10-12 25/1
Ms K Walsh
W P Mullins (IRE)
2017
3:51.10
Fayonagh (IRE)
6yo 10-12 7/1
Mr J J Codd
Gordon Elliott (IRE)
2016
3:47.70
Ballyandy (GB)
5yo 11-5 5/1
Sam Twiston-Davies
Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB)
2015
3:50.40
Moon Racer (IRE)
6yo 11-5 9/2F
Tom Scudamore
David Pipe (GB)

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Champion Bumper have been based:

  • IRE: 16 winners with an additional 26 placings from 199 runners
  • GB: 4 winners with an additional 14 placings from 233 runners
  • FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner

Champion Bumper Trainer Statistics

The leading trainer in the Champion Bumper over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins who has won the race nine times with those nine winners coming from Missed That (2005), Cousin Vinny (2008), Champagne Fever (2012), Briar Hill (2013), Relegate (2018), Ferny Hollow (2020), Sir Gerhard (2021), Facile Vega (2022) and Jasmin De Vaux (2024). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Champion Bumper is Gordon Elliott (2 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Champion Bumper, Paul Nicholls has sent a total of 12 runners to the race without recording any wins.

Here are some of the top Champion Bumper trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
W P Mullins87-9-20+23.01-21.34
Gordon Elliott16-2-6-5.00-7.30
Philip Hobbs13-1-3+2.00-2.00
David Pipe13-1-1-7.50-9.75
Nigel Twiston-Davies12-1-1-6.00-8.50
D K Weld8-1-2+9.00+1.50
Philip Fenton4-1-1+1.50-0.75
Mrs John Harrington3-1-1+3.50+0.75
John E Kiely2-1-2+2.50+1.25
Paul Nicholls12-0-3-12.00-10.50

Champion Bumper Jockey Statistics

The leading jockey in the Champion Bumper over the last 20 renewals is Mr P W Mullins who has won the race four times with those four winners coming from Cousin Vinny (2008), Champagne Fever (2012), Facile Vega (2022) and Jasmin De Vaux (2024). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Champion Bumper is Mr J J Codd (2 wins). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Champion Bumper, Danny Mullins has ridden a total of 10 runners to the race without recording any wins.

Here are some of the top Champion Bumper jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Mr P W Mullins15-4-6+23.38+7.19
Mr J J Codd5-2-4+6.00+2.70
Paul Townend11-1-3+1.00-3.41
Sam Twiston-Davies9-1-1-3.00-5.50
Rachael Blackmore3-1-1+0.13-0.72
Mr J L Gleeson1-1-1+3.50+1.75
Danny Mullins10-0-3-10.00-8.50
Aidan Coleman8-0-1-8.00-7.50
Denis O'Regan7-0-0-7.00-7.00
Paddy Brennan7-0-0-7.00-7.00

Champion Bumper Trend Analysis

The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners last win was 2 starts ago, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-69.

The course which has produced the most winners of the Champion Bumper is Leopardstown, there has been a total number of 5 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out. The next best courses which have produced the second most winners are Naas and Fairyhouse, there has been a total number of 3 winners from each of those courses.

The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 18 winners from a total of 408 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 25 runners.

These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Champion Bumper despite multiple attempts:

  • Oscar (0 Wins from 11 runners)
  • Milan (0 Wins from 10 runners)
  • Beneficial (0 Wins from 8 runners)
  • Martaline (0 Wins from 7 runners)
  • Yeats (0 Wins from 6 runners)

Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Cue Card in 2010, winning for Colin Tizzard at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Joe Tizzard. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.

Schedule for Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival

Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle, the feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:30 Cheltenham
Supreme Novices Hurdle
Slade Steel (IRE)
6yo - 7/2
Henry De Bromhead
Rachael Blackmore
14:10 Cheltenham
Arkle Challenge Trophy
Gaelic Warrior (GER)
6yo - 2/1
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
14:50 Cheltenham
Ultima Handicap Chase
Chianti Classico (IRE)
7yo - 6/1
Kim Bailey
David Bass
15:30 Cheltenham
Champion Hurdle
State Man (FR)
7yo - 2/5
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
16:10 Cheltenham
Close Brothers Mares Hurdle
Lossiemouth (FR)
5yo - 8/13
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
16:50 Cheltenham
Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Lark In The Mornin (GER)
4yo - 9/1
Joseph Patrick O'Brien
J J Slevin
17:30 Cheltenham
National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup
Corbetts Cross (IRE)
7yo - 15/8
Emmet Mullins
Mr Derek O'Connor

Schedule for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival

The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it and some don't!

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:30 Cheltenham
Baring Bingham Novices Hurdle
Ballyburn (IRE)
6yo - 1/2
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
14:10 Cheltenham
Brown Advisory Novices Chase
Fact To File (FR)
7yo - 8/13
W P Mullins
Mark Walsh
14:50 Cheltenham
Coral Cup
Langer Dan (IRE)
8yo - 13/2
Dan Skelton
Harry Skelton
15:30 Cheltenham
Queen Mother Champion Chase
Captain Guinness (IRE)
9yo - 17/2
Henry De Bromhead
Rachael Blackmore
16:10 Cheltenham
Cross Country Chase
Delta Work (FR)
10yo - 11/10
Gordon Elliott
Keith Donoghue
16:50 Cheltenham
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual
Unexpected Party (FR)
9yo - 12/1
Dan Skelton
Harry Skelton
17:30 Cheltenham
Champion Bumper
Jasmin De Vaux (FR)
5yo - 9/2
W P Mullins
Mr P W Mullins

Schedule for Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival

Halfway through the festival and onto day three where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last best up the Cheltenham hill.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:30 Cheltenham
Turners Novices Chase
Grey Dawning (IRE)
7yo - 5/2
Dan Skelton
Harry Skelton
14:10 Cheltenham
Pertemps Network Final
Monmiral (FR)
7yo - 25/1
Paul Nicholls
Harry Cobden
14:50 Cheltenham
Ryanair Chase
Protektorat (FR)
9yo - 17/2
Dan Skelton
Harry Skelton
15:30 Cheltenham
Stayers Hurdle
Teahupoo (FR)
7yo - 5/4
Gordon Elliott
Jack Kennedy
16:10 Cheltenham
Festival Plate
Shakem UpArry (IRE)
10yo - 8/1
Ben Pauling
Ben Jones
16:50 Cheltenham
Mares Novices Hurdle
Golden Ace (GB)
6yo - 10/1
Jeremy Scott
Lorcan Williams
17:30 Cheltenham
Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
Inothewayurthinkin (IRE)
6yo - 13/8
Gavin Cromwell
Mr Derek O'Connor

Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival

The final day of the festival and feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:30 Cheltenham
Triumph Hurdle
Majborough (FR)
4yo - 6/1
W P Mullins
Mark Walsh
14:10 Cheltenham
County Handicap Hurdle
Absurde (FR)
6yo - 12/1
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
14:50 Cheltenham
Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle
Stellar Story (IRE)
7yo - 33/1
Gordon Elliott
Sam Ewing
15:30 Cheltenham
Cheltenham Gold Cup
Galopin Des Champs (FR)
8yo - 10/11
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
16:10 Cheltenham
Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup
Sine Nomine (GB)
8yo - 8/1
Fiona Needham
Mr John Dawson
16:50 Cheltenham
Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase
Limerick Lace (IRE)
7yo - 3/1
Gavin Cromwell
Keith Donoghue
17:30 Cheltenham
Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
Better Days Ahead (IRE)
6yo - 5/1
Gordon Elliott
Danny Gilligan

Article Contributor Information

We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Champion Bumper Preview are at hand, Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.

James Banting

James Banting

Tipster competition assistant

James Banting, a passionate horse racing enthusiast and aficionado, brings a wealth of experience to OLBG, having attended numerous race meetings over the years. His background working with the Jockey Club provides him with a unique insider's perspective on the industry.
Andy Powell

Andy Powell

Content editor

Andy, a seasoned horse racing expert with over 15 years of experience, possesses a comprehensive understanding of the sport, from delving into complex statistical data for jump racing in the UK and Ireland to crafting insightful national hunt racing blogs for OLBG.

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