Punchestown Champion Chase Preview 2026: Billy Grimshaw’s Best Bet For Tuesday’s Feature Race

The Punchestown Champion Chase brings together one of the strongest races of the Festival on Tuesday, and Billy Grimshaw has taken aim at a fascinating Grade 1 clash featuring Cheltenham hero Il Etait Temps, defending champion Marine Nationale and the talented but inconsistent Majborough.

Punchestown often throws up races that bring together all the big names, only for the contest itself to fall a little flat for one reason or another. I really hope that does not happen in tomorrow’s feature, because I am fascinated to see how all three market leaders fare. It has been a long old season for the Mullins duo of Il Etait Temps and Majborough, while for Marine Nationale it has been one of frustration with niggly injuries keeping Barry Connell's star away from the track most of the campaign. 

What makes this such a fascinating clash is that all three have a fair shout at being the best horse in this race and all three have reasons to doubt them. Il Etait Temps is the reigning Champion Chaser, a race in which Majborough was sent off odds-on and ran a shocker. Prior to that, however, he flopped and took a brutal fall at Ascot. Majborough fans will be itching to put a line through the Champion Chase, or simply remind his doubters the horse just isn't fond of Cheltenham - despite winning a Triumph there. The reason he was so short for Cheltenham was his stunning success at the DRF, a race in which Marine Nationale could not keep up. A repeat of that run sees him win this race I am almost certain, but Punchestown is left handed like Cheltenham which sews enough seeds of doubt in the mind.

Marine Nationale has done very little wrong when making it to the track, but his issue is he doesn't get there enough. He has only really been stuffed once in his career, that otherworldly Leopardstown win by Majborough, but there is certainly a case to be made his Champion Chase win in 2025 was more impressive than that of Il Etait Temps in 2026, and he comes here the fresher horse. Clearly, this is not a race to be having your biggest bet of the week in, but it is the one I am most looking forward to watching!

I will quickly address the other two horses in the race: Energumene is a legend but on the downgrade and needs it softer, while Blood Destiny is simply in here to pick up the pieces and for cheap Mullins prize money. Back to the big three then, and after much deliberation and tying myself in a few knots I can declare that I will be backing IL ETAIT TEMPS.  The Ascot fall and performance prior to said fall is of course a worry, however ,looking at his record apart from in that race, he is a model of consistency and he could hardly do more to prove he was back on song than win a Champion Chase by ten lengths! He is the most trustworthy of the three and that counts for everything in this game of jumps racing.

As I have already mentioned, if Majborough is as good as he was at the DRF I do believe he has the highest ceiling of this elite group of chasers, but at 11/4 or shorter in places you simply cannot back him here on a left handed, undulating track given what he did at Cheltenham. As good as his jumping was at Leopardstown it was as bad at Prestbury Park and on the balance of probability, I think this may be the final time we see this lad over two miles in the hope a longer trip calms him down. Were he to get to a silly price nearer 5/1 I would probably switch allegiance then as the risk would be worth the reward, but at the odds he is now, he is an easy swerve.

Marine Nationale will tempt plenty in as his trainer never misses an opportunity to tell the world how good his lad is. His 2025 Champion Chase was a fantastic performance, as indeed was his Punchestown Champion Chase win in the same season. That was his last victory, however, and now coming here on the back of the small injury that kept him from Cheltenham I'd worry he won't quite be the force of old. Again, were his price bigger the risk may become worthwhile and Il Etait Temps may become too short to play, but if we can get anything near the 6/4 I can see now I rate that a decent punt on the favourite here who brings the best profile to the Festival.