Champion Bumper Tips & Odds

The race takes place at 17:20 on Wednesday 11th March 2026

You can watch the race live on Racing TV which also offers options to stream the race via its streaming services. 

Alternatively, most bookmakers offer a free live horse racing stream allowing you to watch the race after you've placed a bet.

Several winners of the Champion Bumper have a strong claim to such a title, including the 2010 winner Cue Card and the 2012 winner Champagne Fever, though the most successful of the lot was arguably the 1997 winner, Florida Pearl. Having won the Champion Bumper on just his second career start, Florida Pearl bypassed hurdles and launched straight into a chasing career the following season, winning the 1998 RSA Chase before placing in the 1999 and 2000 renewals of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. That particular prize would elude him throughout his career, but he proved to be a top-class horse nonetheless, winning the Irish Gold Cup on four occasions, and the King George VI Chase in 2001. Florida Pearl signed off in the perfect way, remarkably winning the Irish Gold Cup on his final start as a 12-year-old in 2004. He has a Grade 2 race named in his honour, the Florida Pearl Novice Chase, which is traditionally run at Punchestown in November. 

The unique nature of a bumper in National Hunt racing means that, in theory, any winner of a bumper race during a season could progress into a bona fide contender for the festival. As such, there are no fixed trials for the Champion Bumper, but it’s worth noting down any bumper winner who impresses during the season, while keeping an eye on some of the graded bumpers throughout the season, such as the Grade 2 contest at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown in February, can also prove fruitful. 

The most successful jockey in the history of the Champion Bumper is shared between Ruby Walsh and Patrick Mullins with three wins each. Walsh has won the race courtesy of Alexander Banquet (1998), Missed That (2005), and Briar Hill (2013) and Mullins has won on Cousin Vinny (2008), Champagne Fever (2012) and Facile Vega (2022).

The most successful trainer in the history of the Champion Bumper is Willie Mullins, who has trained the winner of the race on 12 occasions. Mullins was responsible for each of Ruby Walsh’s three wins in the race (Alexander Banquet in 1998, Missed That in 2005 and Briar Hill in 2013), while he has also trained Wither Or Which (1996), Florida Pearl (1997), Joe Cullen (2000), Cousin Vinny (2008), Champagne Fever (2012), Relegate (2018), Ferny Hollow (2020), Sir Gerhard (2021), Facile Vega (2022) and Jasmin De Vaux (2024).