The biggest race on day 2 of Cheltenham is the Queen Mother Champions Chase and our betting experts have compiled some tips for this race.
Read on for these tips, as well as details around some of the best betting offers currently available from UK betting sites.
Champion Chase betting offers & free bets
One of the best sign up offers available for the Champion Chase is from Paddy Power, who are offering you £60 in free bets for Cheltenham, whilst Sky Bet’s sign up offer gives you £50 in free bets.
You can also receive £40 in free bets from the Cheltenham BOYLE Sports sign up offer as well. We recommend this offer because you can get your money back, up to £10, as a free bet when you bet on the first race every day at Cheltenham.
| Best Horse Racing Betting Sites | Champion Chase Betting Offers |
| Paddy Power | £60 in free bets when you bet £10 on Cheltenham |
| BOYLE Sports | Get £40 in free bets & money back as a free bet if your horse loses in the first race at Cheltenham |
| Sky Bet | £50 in free bets when you place a £1 bet |
| Betfred | £40 in free bets when you bet £10 |
| BetMGM | Bet £10 get £40 in free bets |
| William Hill | Bet £10, get £40 in free bets |
Champion Chase betting offers & free bets – Key T&Cs:
- Paddy Power: New customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on Cheltenham on odds of min EVS (2.0), get 6x £10 in Free Bet Builders, Accumulators or multiples to use on any sport. Rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Apple Pay or Debit Card will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
- BOYLE Sports: 18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs Apply
- Sky Bet: New customers only. £5 minimum deposit. First minimum £1 single, e/w, or multis bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 5 x £10 bet tokens. Free bets for multiples only. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets are non-withdrawable. 7 Day free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. Further T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad
- Betfred: New customers only. 00:00 06/03/26 – 23:59 13/03/26. Register with FRED40, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £20 in Sports Free Bets & £20 in Acca Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment exclusions & T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org
- BetMGM: New cust. Deposit £10+ in 7 days & bet on sports. Min odds apply. Reward = 4 x £10 Free Bets (2 x £10 Bet Builders & 2 x £10 Sports bet). Valid 7 days. Free bets not valid on e-sports & non UK/IE horse racing. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
- William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. Online only. For new UK register customers using promo code G40. Deposit & place £10 cash single bet (min odds 1/2) on sportsbook (excl. Virtuals). Get £40 in Free Bets (4x£10), valid for sportsbook (excl. Virtuals), 7 days expiry, must use in full (£10 each). Not valid with deposits via PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay or WH PLUS Card. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply.. www.begambleaware.org #ad
Queen Mother Champion Chase Tips
The feature race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival is the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the two-mile chasing Championship event.
This race is, for many purists, one of the true great tests. Two miles at racing speed, no margin for error with the jumping and a relentless gallop for glory at the end.
Last year’s impressive winner Marine Nationale was sadly ruled out by an 11th-hour setback, ensuring his crown is up for grabs as a field of 10 runners take on the Queen Mother Champion Chase (16:00) challenge.
Jury still out on Majborough
There is no doubting the sheer talent that Majborough possesses, but there remains enough doubt about his jumping to want to avoid taking odds-on prices here.
He put on a show at the Dublin Racing Festival last time and was utterly dominant, but his fencing was a barrier to success in both runs at Cork and Leopardstown before that this season.
He made mistakes at three of the last four fences in the Arkle here last March and was still denied less than a length at the line. Admirable and gutsy as he was in defeat, he’s even less likely to get away with such shenanigans this time around.
Last month’s DRF win tilted the ledger in his favour, with four wins and three defeats in seven starts over fences. If he replicates that jumping performance here, he is the winner in waiting, but it could be heart-in-mouth at times for backers.
He faced five rivals last time, has nine to contend with here, and the value may be away from the favourite in a contest where 12 odds-on favourites have run this century, but only three have won.
Il Etait Temps to bounce back
The fact that he is 0-3 at the Cheltenham Festival is a stick for many to beat IL ETAIT TEMPS with, but it shouldn’t be the deciding factor.
He ran fifth in a hot Triumph Hurdle in 2022, filled the same spot in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2023 as future Champion Chaser Marine Nationale prevailed and was third behind the ultra-impressive Gaelic Warrior in the Arkle in 2024. It’s surely a binary view to suggest he doesn’t operate here.
He missed almost all of last season before beating Jonbon at the latter’s beloved Sandown in the Grade 1 Celebration Chase and he began this season with a win at Clonmel and a virtuoso in the Tingle Creek back at Sandown.
The dye was cast for Il Etait Temps long before he fell in the Clarence House at Ascot in January. He was never going with his usual enthusiasm and that race came at a time when Willie Mullins was having a number of horses fluff their lines at odds-on.
If willing to take a forgiving attitude to that effort, Paul Townend’s partner would be coming here with a superb chance. It is the only fall of his career, and there may have been some mitigation underlying it. The fact that he had a string of 1s beside his name previously shouldn’t be dismissed.
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Found A Fifty not a backmarker
With Majborough taking such a chunk of the market, there is certainly the potential for a value each-way play in a field of ten.
L’eau Du Sud is held by Il Etait Temps on best form and has come up shy in elite company, though a career-best from Dan Skelton’s charge would be no shock here.
Quilixios hasn’t run since falling last year in this very race. He was 40/1 then and running a big race, but will be a quarter of those odds now. Libberty Hunter should offer an honest effort, while nine-year-old novice Irish Panther jumps into the big league after just two runs over fences.
FOUND A FIFTY for Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy is a rock-solid, eight-time winner over fences, seven of those in Grade 1 and 2 company. He beat Majborough in the Hilly Way at Cork in December and while his recent prep at Navan was disappointing, he could rebound and do much better than last year in this race.
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