Champion Bumper Betting Tips and Race Preview – Cheltenham 2023

Weatherbys Champion Bumper is a fantastic race at the Cheltenham Festival, despite not requiring any jumping. This is a national hunt flat race, the best one there is of the season and it is for younger horses who are beginning their careers. Many very good horses have ran in the race, and looking back at some of the winners we have seen, many of them have gone on to bigger and better things when they have started jumping. It is always a good ante post betting market to get involved in, with big prices available for a lot of horses because with so little form on offer, bookmakers often find it hard to pick out a favourite.

Yet again, even though the race is still some way off, all the big stables have a juvenile or two they are excited about. Those horses will be in the betting now and if you have heard any whispers about potentially good unraced horses then this is the race to back them in. It takes a speedy horse to win the Champion Bumper, and that is certainly an avenue to go down when looking for a horse to back.

Champion Bumper Tips – Day 2, 17:30

Favourites	Horse	Odds	Best Bookmaker	Champion Bumper Tips
#1	Felix Desjy	16/1		Read Felix Desjy Preview Here
#2	Aione	33/1		Read Aione Preview Here

2023 Cheltenham Champion Bumper Preview

At this early stage a lot of guesswork is required if you want to place a bet on the Champion Bumper. Often the horses that are spoken about highly in things like stable previews, on stable open days and with good point to point form are the ones to watch out for. The two horses picked out so far, one we have seen on a racecourse winning a flat race, and the other hasn’t been seen under rules but has won a point to point race before moving yards. Felix Desjy made a very nice impression when he won on debut, winning an Irish national hunt flat race by 10 lengths. He was highly regarded before that debut, but after the run he was so impressive that he shot to the front of the betting market for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper. He is in the right hands with Gordon Elliott, a man who won the race last season and remains a very exciting prospect both this season and going forward.

Elsewhere, it always pays to take note of what is regarded as the best bumper horse in the Willie Mullins yard and so far that is Aione. We haven’t seen him under rules yet, but he did win an Irish point to point race in May. He is been spoken about in the right circles, and in this race that is one of the few things that you have to go on.

We are going to see a lot of exciting prospects hit the racecourse throughout the season who may challenge these two for favouritism on the day.

Champion Bumper Tips – Cheltenham 2023

Felix Desjy, Favourite #1

Favourites	Horse	Odds	Best Bookmaker	Bet Now
#1	Felix Desjy	16/1		Bet Now

One of the first bumper horses to show his hand was Felix Desjy when he made an early start to his racing career under rules. This was a very good start, beating the field by 10 lengths and it will be interesting to watch the form of that race work out. There are many good horses who we are yet to see, but so far this lad has made a very good impression on many punters.

He is favourite for the race right now, although at 16/1 he is still a very big price. The manor of his win was very eye catching, he seemed to have a lot of speed, despite winning a three mile point to point earlier in his career. He looks sure to have a very good future whatever he does and if he picks up another couple of wins between now and the Cheltenham Festival, he will be a much shorter price on the day. We really believe he will be one of the Champion Bumper winners.

Aione, Favourite #2

Favourites	Horse	Odds	Best Bookmaker	Bet Now
#2	Aione	33/1		Bet Now

The hardest part about looking at this race now is trying to guess how each stable will rate their unraced horses, if a horse is third or fourth best in the yard then it may not even be aimed at the race. Aione is from the Willie Mullins yard, one that certainly knows what it takes to win this race and one that has had a lot of success in it. Plus, Champion Bumper odds favour him. They have spoken about Aione in a very positive fashion so far, which is enough for us to try our luck at big prices.

It will be fascinating to see Aione on a racecourse when he makes his debut, although that may not be until close to the festival. Willie Mullins has sent horses out just once before sending them to the festival in the past, and certainly doesn’t like his bumper horses to have long, tough seasons, they are only babies after all. Aione is a name to remember and one to watch out for when hitting the track.

Champion Bumper Betting Odds

Cheltenham Champion Bumper Winners

Traditionally the Irish trainers always have a much better Champion Bumper line up than the British trainers do, so it often pays to look toward the Irish runners when it comes to your Champion Bumper betting lines. However, looking at the stats there isn’t much to choose when it comes down to the battle between British and Irish, so don’t let a British runner put you off. Willie Mullins always has a very strong bumper team and even those that don’t fare too well in the race often go on to have very good careers in racing.

Carter McKay after last year's Champion Bumper

Last 10 winners

Leading Trainers

Leading Jockeys

Cheltenham 2023 Champion Bumper Race Conditions

The Champion Bumper is the unique race at the Cheltenham jump racing festival that doesn’t have any jumping involved. This is a real puzzle to solve, but a race that always throws up some very good horses, even those that finish mid field often go on to have good careers. It takes a fast horse to win the race, which doesn’t suit some, so make sure you are on a horse that can cope with the sharp test this race offers.

The race is for horses who have not raced over hurdles or fences under rules or those who have previously raced in flat races, only those that have ran in national hunt flat races can enter. The race is open to horses aged between four and six, preventing older horses from coming into the race and making sure it is full of young prospects. This should be everything you need to know when it comes to Champion Bumper 2023 tips.