Queen Mother Champion Chase tips 2022
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View Our tips for the Queen Mother Champion Chase
When is the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase 2022?
Cheltenham Wednesday 16th March 15.30pm
Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase (Grade 1) (4yo+)
Distance: 2 Miles
Weights: 11st 10lb, 7lb allowance for mares
The fourth race on Ladies Day is the feature race – the Queen Mother Champion Chase, a grade one chase, over two miles of the old course comprising twelve fences. It is an exciting race for the fastest two-mile chasers in national hunt racing.
This is speed jumping at its best and one mistake could cost a horse the race – hold onto your hats, it is sure to be a thriller.
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Champion Chase Records
Fastest Win: SPRINTER SACRE 2016 ridden by Nico Boinville trained by Nicky Henderson finished in 228.9 s – 3 minutes 48.9 seconds
Most successful horse (3 wins):
Badsworth Boy – 1983, 1984, 1985
Leading jockey (5 wins):
Pat Taaffe – Fortria (1960, 1961), Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), Straight Fort (1970)
Barry Geraghty – Moscow Flyer (2003, 2005), Big Zeb (2010), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013)
Leading trainer (6 wins):
Tom Dreaper – Fortria (1960, 1961), Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), Muir (1969), Straight Fort (1970)
Nicky Henderson – Remittance Man (1992), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013, 2016), Altior (2018, 2019)
Paul Nicholls – Call Equiname (1999), Azertyuiop (2004), Master Minded (2008, 2009), Dodging Bullets (2015), Politologue (2020)
Leading owner (3 wins):
George Ansley – Fortria (1960, 1961), Straight Fort (1970)
Doug Armitage – Badsworth Boy (1983, 1984, 1985)
John Hales – One Man (1998), Azertyuiop (2004), Politologue (2020)
Queen Mother Champion Chase Trends and Statistics
12 Year Trends and Statistics
- Age – 10 of the last 12 winners were aged between 7 and 9. 5 of them were aged 9 and only 26 horses of that age have run in the last 12 years.
- Sex – All of the last 12 winners were geldings
- Trainer – Nicky Henderson has won this race 5 times in the last 12 years. Paul Nicols has recorded 3 wins and Henry De Bromhead 2 in the same time period.
- Horse – 2 horses have won the race twice in the last 12 years.
- Country – 6 of the last 12 winners were bred in Ireland, 4 in France and 2 in Great Britain.
- Colour – 8 of the last 12 winners were bay.
- Weight Carried – All 12 winners have carried 11st 10lb and mares 11st 3lb.
- Starting Price (SP) – 8 of the last 12 winners returned a SP of 6/1 or less.
- Starting Price Rank – 5 of the last 12 winners started as favourite and 11 were in the first 4 in the betting.
- Headgear – None of the last 12 winners wore any headgear.
- Days Since Last Run – 9 of the last 12 winners had run between 31 and 60 days ago, the rest were between 76 and 120.
- Last Run Form – 7 of the last 12 winners had won last time out, 10 of them finished in the first 3 last time.
- Official Rating – 10 of the last 12 winners had an official rating of at least 164.
Who are the Queen Mother Champion Chase Leading Contenders?
In many ways this is the hardest race to preview, mainly because I have to submit before the Clarence House Chase (Ascot 22nd January) where the two market leaders, Shishkin and Energumene are due to clash, ‘I will believe it when I see it’ given their trainers records of avoiding a tough race before Cheltenham. It is a best -priced 30/100 that one of those two will become champion two-mile chaser in March and who can realistically argue with that, the pair looks streets ahead of anything we’ve seen from the rest.
Having advised in the autumn that members back Shishkin at 15/8, I can’t advise backing him now at around even money, despite the fact that I believe him to be the banker of the week, even ahead of Honeysuckle. Unbeaten in eleven completed races over hurdles and fences, Shishkin has been electric over fences and has barely had to come off the bridle in six races. Given that Shishkin and Energumene are both currently unbeaten over fences, so something will have to give, either at Ascot or Cheltenham. Let’s hope for a clash at Ascot with the camp of the defeated claiming they can reverse the form at Cheltenham. I am firmly in the Shishkin camp and with his Festival record of two from two, and more importantly last year’s Arkle winner – seven of the last eleven Arkle winners from the previous season to run have won, including Put The Kettle On last year. While Energumene has been dominating small fields and is yet to be tested at Cheltenham.
At this stage, it makes sense to find a big-priced alternative to hit the frame and with the race likely to cut up into fewer than eight runners, hopefully be in a good position with extra places.
Third in the market with most firms is a stable mate of Energumene, is Chacun Pour Soi, who looked like a champion before two well below par efforts in both starts into Britain. Something was clearly amiss when last of five in the Tingle Creek in December, he looks a risky proposition for an ante-post bet and a serious doubt for March.
As mentioned above, the reigning champion Put The Kettle On maintained a good record of Arkle winners returning twelve months later to claim the Champion, she has not been in good form since and is dismissed along with stablemate, Envoi Allen who failed to impress with a workmanlike defeat of Battleoverdoyen in Paddy's Rewards Club Chase over Christmas.
Greaneteen was impressive when winning the Tingle Creek with Shishkin in the dugout but was firmly put in his place at Kempton over Christmas. Although that could have come too quickly for Greaneteen, coming only three weeks after Sandown. I was disappointed with Nube Negra at Sandown when finishing fourth of five behind Greaneteen, Hitman and Captain Guinness with no obvious excuses. The rain-softened ground was offered as a possible explanation and that he is best after a break, but he struggled to beat Chacun Pour Soi, who was possibly injured. However, Nube Negra he goes well at Cheltenham and was possibly an unlucky runner-up in 2021. He could place again, but I have a feeling that the Nicholls pair may have improved past him. As I indicated at the start, I think the Champion Chase ‘landscape’ will be completely different by the time you read this.
Here's what Keith wrote ahead of the Champion Chase:
CHACUN POUR SOI – Lightly raced 9 year old who is 5 wins from 7 over fences including 3 Grade 1’s
POLITIOLOG – Won this last year and proved he has lost none of his sparkle when winning the Tingle Creek at Sandown on reappearance.
ALTIOR – Dual winner of this race who missed last year’s renewal. 15 wins from 17 over fences.
NUBE NEGRA – Young pretender who had the mighty ALTIOR behind when winning the Desert Orchid at Kempton over Christmas.
What’s Our Queen Mother Champion Chase Tips?
Members will see our Champion Hurdle Tips below. If you can't see our antepost selection you will need to log in, or join for free.
While I love ALTIOR and want him to run well every time he is getting a bit long in the tooth at 11 years old, NUBE NEGRA who beat him last time is probably not quite the finished article at just 7. POLITILOGUE made-all to win last year but with a couple of the principals missing there were only 5 runners, he is unlikely to get things his own way this year. CHACUN POUR SOI is the absolute box ticker and this is a race that his trainer Willie Mullins would dearly love to win as it has eluded him thus far, currently ante-post favourite at 6/1 he is my selection for the race..
On the day, Keith told our members:
NUBE NEGRA 15:05 Cheltenham 11/1 each way – Hard to get away from CHACUN POUR SOI and he was my pick in the Cheltenham mag when 6/1, I hope some of you got on at those odds, however 4/5 is absolutely no value. NUBE NEGRA was very classy when winning the Desert Orchid at Kempton just after Christmas and is cracking each way value.
How did he do?
NUBE NEGRA – pipped at the post by half a length, was held up towards rear, closed 4 out, stumbled slightly last, switched right flat, stayed on, went 2nd towards finish, couldn't quite reach the winner however Each Way money was taken at 11/1
For the 2020 Cheltenham Festival Antepost Guide Keith wrote about his antepost selections for the Queen Mother Champion Chase:
This year’s renewal of the Queen Mother Champion Chase looks set to be a thriller. The three to concentrate on are CHACUN POUR SOI, ALTIOR and DEFI DU SEIUL.
The first one to be eliminated is CHACUN POUR SOI who is the least experienced having had only four Chase runs and has not run at Cheltenham before. Now we are down to a head-to head, and whilst DEFI DU SEIUL was impressive at Royal Ascot, quickening clear before being eased on the run in, ALTIOR in turn won pretty readily at Newbury, finding an extra gear after the last and running on well.
ALTIOR – Keith’s tip for the Champion Chase, no surprise here. Some quarters have criticised ALTIOR’s win last time for leaving it late but that is how he has won most of his races so I am sticking with him.
On the day, Keith went for DEFI DU SEUIL
Result: DEFI DU SEUIL turned out to be a disappointing odds-on favourite in the Queen Mother Champion Chase finishing a well beaten fourth of five.
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Champion Chase Results
| No | Place | Dist Bt | Horse | Age | Weight | OR | Trainer | Jockey (Claim) | Odds | BF | BFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1st | Put The Kettle On (IRE) | 7 | 11-3 | 156 | Bromhead, Henry De | Coleman, A | 17/2 | |||
| led until 1st, led 2nd until 3rd, led 8th, headed after next, led and reached through 3 out, headed after 2 out, led again final 50 yards, stayed on gamely | |||||||||||
| 6 | 2nd | 0.5 | Nube Negra (SPA) | 7 | 11-10 | 165 | Skelton, Daniel | Skelton, Harry | 11/1 | ||
| held up towards rear, closed 4 out, stumbled slightly last, switched right flat, stayed on, went 2nd towards finish, not reach winner | |||||||||||
| 1 | 3rd | 1 | Chacun Pour Soi (FR) | 9 | 11-10 | 173 | Mullins, W P | Townend, P | 8/13 (Fav) | ||
| chased leaders, went 2nd and edged slightly left towards rail after 3 out, challenged 2 out, soon led, ridden and headed final 50 yards, lost 2nd towards finish | |||||||||||
| 4 | 4th | 0.5 | Greaneteen (FR) | 7 | 11-10 | 161 | Nicholls, P F | Cobden, Harry | 50/1 | ||
| held up towards rear, not fluent 8th, headway on outside approaching 3 out, close 3rd 2 out, held in 4th and carried right flat, kept on | |||||||||||
| 9 | 5th | 1.75 | Sceau Royal (FR) | 9 | 11-10 | 163 | King, A | Jacob, Daryl | 16/1 | ||
| mid-division on inside, headway 6th, chased leaders on inside when badly hampered and lost ground after 3 out, went 5th and kept on from last, no impression | |||||||||||
| 3 | 6th | 2.75 | First Flow (IRE) | 9 | 11-10 | 166 | Bailey, K C | Bass, David | 11/1 | ||
| tracked leaders on inside, not fluent 1st, mistake 3rd, not fluent and looked to be hanging right from 6th, lost place 7th, wide but closed 3 out, held from 2 out, kept on | |||||||||||
| 5 | 7th | 2.75 | Notebook (GER) | 8 | 11-10 | 162 | Bromhead, Henry De | Blackmore, Rachael | 22/1 | ||
| chased leaders, lost place 4th, closed 6th, beaten last, weakened flat | |||||||||||
| 2 | 8th | 11 | Cilaos Emery (FR) | 9 | 11-10 | 165 | Mullins, W P | Cooper, Bryan J | 12/1 | ||
| not jump well, behind, closed from 3 out but never got on terms, another mistake 2 out and well beaten after | |||||||||||
| 8 | 9th | 1.5 | Rouge Vif (FR) | 7 | 11-10 | 163 | Whittington, H | Sheehan, Gavin | 20/1 | ||
| led 1st, headed 2nd, led 3rd until 8th, led after 9th, mistake 4 out, headed 3 out, soon beginning to lost place and hampered, well behind 2 out | |||||||||||
Non Runners – Politologue (FR)
Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)
Distance: 2m (3499 yards) Prize (winner): £225080 Direction: Left Handed
Runners: 5 Going: Soft Class: Class 1 Grade 1 Age Restrictions: 5yo+
Winners Time: 4 mins 10.03s Avg OR: 164 Median OR: 163
| No | Place | Dist Bt | Horse | Age | OR | Trainer | Jockey (Claim) | Odds | BF | BFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1st | Politologue (FR) | 9 | 165 | Nicholls, P F | Skelton, Harry | 6/1 | 7.60 | 2.60 | |
| made virtually all, clear before 2 out, ridden approaching last, driven flat, unchallenged BF IP MIN 1.01 BF IP MAX 8 | ||||||||||
| 5 | 2nd | 9.5 | Dynamite Dollars (FR) | 7 | 160 | Nicholls, P F | Cobden, Harry | 7/1 | 11.14 | 2.76 |
| chased leaders, disputing 2nd from 4th, mistake 4 out, pushed along after next, ridden and hanging left before last, no impression on winner BF IP MIN 7.2 BF IP MAX 1000 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 3rd | 3.25 | Bun Doran (IRE) | 9 | 160 | George, T R | Burke, Jonathan | 33/1 | 48.00 | 6.60 |
| led until 1st, chased winner, pushed along after 3 out, no impression before 2 out, ridden before last, lost 2nd flat, no extra BF IP MIN 10 BF IP MAX 1000 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 4th | 0.5 | Defi Du Seuil (FR) | 7 | 170 | Hobbs, P J | Geraghty, B J | 2/5 (Fav) | 1.45 | 1.24 |
| held up in touch on outside, rider lost right iron briefly 4 out, close enough 3 out, soon pushed along and beaten, well held when landed awkwardly last, closed on 3rd towards finish BF IP MIN 1.4 BF IP MAX 1000 | ||||||||||
| 7 | 5th | 32 | Sceau Royal (FR) | 8 | 163 | King, A | Jacob, Daryl | 10/1 | 13.50 | 3.26 |
| held up in last, pushed along before 3 out, soon beaten, well behind 2 out, tailed off BF IP MIN 13.5 BF IP MAX 1000 | ||||||||||
Non Runners – Altior (IRE), Chacun Pour Soi (FR)
Champion Chase Previous Winners
| Date | Going | Runners | Winner | Stallion | Age | Jockey (Clm) | Trainer | Odds | Weight | OR | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.03.2021 | Good To Soft | 9 | Put The Kettle On (IRE) | Stowaway | 7 | Coleman, A | Bromhead, Henry De | 17/2 | 11-3 | 156 | 80d |
| 11.03.2020 | Soft | 5 | Politologue (FR) | Poliglote | 9 | Skelton, Harry | Nicholls, P F | 6/1 | 11-10 | 165 | 95d |
| 13.03.2019 | Soft | 9 | Altior (IRE) | High Chaparral (IRE) | 9 | Boinville, Nico | Henderson, N J | 4/11 | 11-10 | 175 | 53d |
| 14.03.2018 | Soft | 9 | Altior (IRE) | High Chaparral (IRE) | 8 | Boinville, Nico | Henderson, N J | Evens | 11-10 | 170 | 32d |
| 15.03.2017 | Good To Soft | 10 | Special Tiara | Kayf Tara | 10 | Fehily, Noel | Bromhead, Henry De | 11/1 | 11-10 | 159 | 46d |
| 16.03.2016 | Good | 10 | Sprinter Sacre (FR) | Network (GER) | 10 | Boinville, Nico | Henderson, N J | 5/1 | 11-10 | 170 | 80d |
| 11.03.2015 | Good | 9 | Dodging Bullets | Dubawi (IRE) | 7 | Twiston-Davies, Sam | Nicholls, P F | 9/2 | 11-10 | 171 | 53d |
| 12.03.2014 | Good | 11 | Sire De Grugy (FR) | My Risk (FR) | 8 | Moore, Jamie | Moore, G L | 11/4 | 11-10 | 169 | 53d |
| 13.03.2013 | Good To Soft | 7 | Sprinter Sacre (FR) | Network (GER) | 7 | Geraghty, B J | Henderson, N J | 1/4 | 11-10 | 179 | 46d |
| 14.03.2012 | Good | 8 | Finians Rainbow (IRE) | Tiraaz (USA) | 9 | Geraghty, B J | Henderson, N J | 4/1 | 11-10 | 164 | 53d |
| 16.03.2011 | Good | 11 | Sizing Europe (IRE) | Pistolet Bleu (IRE) | 9 | Lynch, A E | Bromhead, Henry De | 10/1 | 11-10 | 160 | 45d |
| 17.03.2010 | Good | 9 | Big Zeb (IRE) | Oscar (IRE) | 9 | Geraghty, B J | Murphy, C A | 10/1 | 11-10 | 165 | 45d |
| 11.03.2009 | Good To Soft | 12 | Master Minded (FR) | Nikos | 6 | Walsh, R | Nicholls, P F | 4/11 | 11-10 | 186 | 53d |
| 13.03.2008 | Good To Soft | 8 | Master Minded (FR) | Nikos | 5 | Walsh, R | Nicholls, P F | 3/1 | 11-10 | 170 | 33d |
| 14.03.2007 | Good To Soft | 10 | Voy Por Ustedes (FR) | Villez (USA) | 6 | Thornton, Robert | King, A | 5/1 | 11-10 | 167 | 32d |
| 15.03.2006 | Good | 12 | Newmill (IRE) | Norwich | 8 | McNamara, Andrew J | Murphy, John Joseph | 16/1 | 11-10 | 0 | 55d |
| 16.03.2005 | Good | 8 | Moscow Flyer (IRE) | Moscow Society (USA) | 11 | Geraghty, B J | Harrington, Mrs John | 6/4 | 11-10 | 0 | 45d |
| 17.03.2004 | Good | 8 | Azertyuiop (FR) | Baby Turk | 7 | Walsh, R | Nicholls, P F | 15/8 | 11-10 | 172 | 32d |
| 12.03.2003 | Good | 11 | Moscow Flyer (IRE) | Moscow Society (USA) | 9 | Geraghty, B J | Harrington, Mrs John | 7/4 | 12-0 | 0 | 38d |
| 13.03.2002 | Good To Soft | 12 | Flagship Uberalles (IRE) | Accordion (IRE) | 8 | Johnson, Richard | Hobbs, P J | 7/4 | 12-0 | 169 | 95d |
| 15.03.2000 | Good | 9 | Edredon Bleu (FR) | Grand Tresor (FR) | 8 | McCoy, A P | Knight, Miss H C | 7/2 | 12-0 | 160 | 39d |
| 17.03.1999 | Good To Soft | 13 | Call Equiname | Belfort (FR) | 9 | Fitzgerald, Mick | Nicholls, P F | 7/2 | 12-0 | 150 | 53d |
| 18.03.1998 | Good | 8 | One Man (IRE) | Remainder Man | 10 | Harding, Brian | Richards, G | 7/2 | 12-0 | 0 | 35d |
| 12.03.1997 | Good To Firm | 6 | Marthas Son | Idiots Delight | 10 | Farrant, R | Forster, T A | 9/1 | 12-0 | 0 | 18d |
Who is FRT’s Cheltenham Day 2 Tipster?
This year, our Cheltenham ante-post tipster is Neil.
He’s one of the best at finding consistent value and runs his own tipping service – “Cheek Pieces”.
Since becoming a professional tipster last year, Neil has delivered a 24.6% strike rate, 15.86% ROI, and returned over 100 points profit for all his followers.
Check out Neil’s full results and join his service.
Neil tells us:
“I got hooked on racing after a visit to Goodwood to see Ardross in 1980.
“As a father of three in the 90s, I couldn’t afford to lose money betting and drifted in and out of the sport.
“The next 20 years was a learning curve, including losing my ‘betting bank’ several times over and having to save enough to start again. I spent the downtime reading numerous books and articles on betting strategies.
“But since about 2011, I’ve made a second income from betting while working full-time as an accountant, a career I hated but it paid the bills and taught me some financial disciplines.
“Last year, I finally resigned and became a professional horse racing tipster.
“My modus operandi is quite simple…regular winners at above market prices. Interested in winning? Join my service here.”
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Cheltenham Festival Wednesday
Race Schedule
| START TIMES | RACE | DISTANCE | TYPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:30 | The Ballymore Novices' Hurdle Race | 2m abt 5f | Hurdle |
| 14:10 | The Festival Novices’ Chase (RSA Chase) (Grade 1) | 3m abt ½ f | Chase |
| 14:50 | The Coral Cup Hurdle (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Grade 3) | 2m abt 5f | Hurdle |
| 15:30 | The Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) (feature race) | Abt 2m | Chase |
| 16:10 | The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase | 3m 6f | Chase |
| 16:50 | The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (Grade 3) | 2m abt ½f | Chase |
| 17.30 | The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1) | 2m abt ½f | Bumper |
The Countdown to Cheltenham 2022
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