Champion Bumper Tips & Odds
The Champion Bumper is the final race on day two of the Cheltenham Festival and is the solitary National Hunt Flat race at the meeting and takes place at 17:30 on Wednesday 12th March, 2025. Read More
You can check out the latest odds for the Champion Bumper here, as well as our Cheltenham tips for the solitary Flat race at the meeting. We will have an in-depth racecard on race day as well giving you guidelines on placing a bet with a host of betting sites.
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About The Champion Bumper
The Champion Bumper is a Grade 1 National Hunt Flat race, run over two miles and 87 yards, which brings the second day of the Cheltenham Festival, Ladies Day, to a close. It is the most prestigious ‘bumper’ of the season, races which are designed to give horses who haven’t run on the Flat experience in their career before they switch to jumping, and it is open to horses aged between four and six. It is the only race at the festival where an obstacle isn’t cleared, and as such Flat jockeys regularly ride in it - with Jamie Spencer emerging victorious on Pizarro in 2002.
The race has regularly produced future stars of the sport since being established in 1992, and several winners of the Champion Bumper have come back to win other races at the festival in later years. Willie Mullins has a formidable record in the Champion Bumper, training the winner of the race on nine occasions - though rather surprisingly, Ruby Walsh was only on board for three. Champion Bumper horses regularly graduate to novice hurdling the following season, and the last Champion Bumper winner to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle the following year was the 2012 winner, Champagne Fever, who struck in the Supreme for Willie Mullins in 2013.
JASMIN DE VAUX was a historic 100th Cheltenham winner for Willie Mullins in 2024, with son Patrick giving the horse a great ride to see off Gordon Elliott's charges who were battling for the lead.
Latest Betting
Odds for the Champion Bumper will be released nearer the time...
Champion Bumper Key Trends
- Six of the last 10 winners have been aged five with the other four being aged six
- Three of the last 10 winners have been sent off as favourite
- Eight of the last 10 winners have been trained in Ireland
- All 10 of the last 10 winners won their previous race before winning the Champion Bumper
Champion Bumper Tips
We will display tips from @RaceOlly, @RoadCheltenham and a host of national press tipsters for the Champion Bumper nearer the time.
Previous Winners Of The Champion Bumper
Year | Winner | Winning Jockey | Winning Trainer | Starting Price | AGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Jasmin De Vaux | Patrick Mullins | Willie Mullins | 9/2 | 5 |
2023 | A Dream To Share | John Gleeson | John Kiely | 7/2 | 5 |
2022 | Facile Vega | Patrick Mullins | Willie Mullins | 15/8 Fav | 5 |
2021 | Sir Gerhard | Rachael Blackmore | Willie Mullins | 85/40 | 6 |
2020 | Ferny Hollow | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 11/1 | 5 |
2019 | Envoi Allen | Jamie Codd | Gordon Elliott | 2/1 Fav | 5 |
2018 | Relegate | Katie Walsh | Willie Mullins | 25/1 | 5 |
2017 | Fayonagh | Jamie Codd | Gordon Elliott | 7/1 | 6 |
2016 | Ballyandy | Sam Twiston-Davies | Nigel Twiston-Davies | 5/1 | 5 |
2015 | Moon Racer | Tom Scudamore | David Pipe | 9/2 Fav | 6 |
2014 | Silver Concorde | Robbie McNamara | Dermot Weld | 16/1 | 6 |
2013 | Briar Hill | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins | 25/1 | 5 |
Frequently Asked Questions About The Champion Bumper
When is the Champion Bumper?
The race takes place at 17:30 on Wednesday 12th March 2025
Where can I watch the Champion Bumper?
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.
Who is the most iconic winner of the Champion Bumper?
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.
Are there any trials for the Champion Bumper?
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.
Who is the most successful jockey in the Champion Bumper?
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).
Who is the most successful trainer in the Champion Bumper?
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) and Facile Vega (2022).