Queen Mother Champion Chase Preview (Cheltenham Festival 2026)
Who’s the best two-mile chaser in the UK and Ireland?
That’s a question that will be answered on Wednesday, when the Queen Mother Champion Chase gets underway on day two of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival (16:00 GMT).
From Moscow Flyer and Master Minded to Sprinter Sacre and Altior, some of the finest two-milers of the modern era have landed this Grade 1 major over the years.
But who will etch their name into the Cheltenham Festival hall of fame on Wednesday?
Queen Mother Champion Chase: Race Winner Betting
We have an odds-on favourite on our hands in the shape of Majborough, who landed the Dublin Chase with remarkable ease back in February.
Punters with long memories may need some convincing, though. Majborough went off as a red hot 1/2 favourite for the Arkle last year, but a catalogue of jumping errors saw him ultimately finish third.
The Willie Mullins trained six-year-old will carry the famous JP McManus colours, but even that successful combination can’t shake off concerns about an odds-on jolly with a form line of 1-3-2 and who may not get the drying ground at Cheltenham.
Money has come for Il Etait Temps, another from the Mullins camp. He had won five on the spin after skipping last year’s edition of the Cheltenham Festival, but a heavy fall in the Clarence House Chase in January has raised eyebrows.
If the rain stays away, Il Etait Temps could be a dangerous contender – assuming that January mishap was just a blip, particularly as the third horse in the betting, L’Eau Du Sud, has generally come unstuck against Grade 1 opposition.
Dan Skelton’s horse has performed admirably at Cheltenham, but against the top tier two-milers some heavy defeats – 18 lengths to Il Etait Temps last time out in the Tingle Creek, for instance – is indicative of his level.
And the puzzle is made all the more complex by Found A Fifty, who at times has looked a champion chaser in the making.
Gordon Elliott’s horse beat Majborough as recently as December, but must have tucked too readily into his Christmas dinner – since the festive period, he’s ran three times and been beaten by 18, 19 and 21 lengths respectively.
The horse currently fourth in the betting market, Quilixios, hasn’t run since the Cheltenham Festival in 2025.
So, it’s all a bit of a conundrum. Majborough could banish the demons of his poor run at the festival last year, but at prices of 5/6? It’s an offer that’s easy to pass up.
Instead, the high performance ceiling of Il Etait Temps may be worth chancing at a price of (at the time of writing) 5/1.
Tip: Il Etait Temps (5/1)
Queen Mother Champion Chase: Forecast Betting
Given that holes can be picked in every single horse in this race, predicting the 1-2-3 forecast is no easy feat.
It’s certainly possible that Il Etait Temps and Majborough will fill the 1-2, but the third horse could well come from deeper down the field.
For the reasons discussed, L’Eau Du Sud and Quilixios can all be swerved – that’s not to say that one or both of them won’t run a big race, while Irish Panther doesn’t have the look of a Champion Chase contender about him.
Libberty Hunter and Captain Guinness are ten and eleven respectively – a fast-paced two-mile dash on dry ground won’t suit them, so we circle around to Saint Segal to complete our forecast.
A 50/1 chance, the eight-year-old has won on fast ground this season and was second in both the Desert Orchid Chase and the Game Spirit Chase earlier this term – both are decent primers for this renewal.
Tip: Il Etait Temps, Majborough, Saint Segal (1-2-3 tricast)
Queen Mother Champion Chase: Each Way Betting
At prices of 50/1 at the time of writing, Saint Segal stands out as an each way flutter in his own right.
But there’s just something about Found A Fifty that is hard to give up on. This is a horse that beat the odds-on favourite in this race just four months ago… and now he’s 40/1 with bet365!?
Of course his form in 2026 thus far is a factor, but heavy ground last time out was never likely to be to his liking. And in the Dublin Chase, Gordon Elliott’s horse was close at hand with Majborough again, before tailing off towards the end.
So, if Elliott can get Found A Fifty right, he offers plenty of value at the 40/1 mark based on previous efforts.
Tip: Found A Fifty (40/1 each way)
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