Cheltenham Festival Day 2: Champion Chase tips

Day Two of Cheltenham takes place on Wednesday with another seven races to get stuck into, with the feature being the Queen Mother Champion Chase at 16:00.

In what has turned out to be a dramatic race over the years, a field of eight will battle over two miles as the leading chasers look to claim the spoils at Prestbury Park.

Two-time Energumene is bidding to reclaim the crown he lost last year and if the ground turns softer, Irish trainer Willie Mullins could stand a good chance of landing this title for the third time.

Henry de Bromhead's defending champion Captain Guinness will line up at the start but three below-par efforts leading into the Festival suggests he has his work cut out to retain his crown.

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Solness to hit the hat-trick

Short-priced favourites haven't fared well in the last 10 editions of the Champion Chase, with Altior (2018 and 2019) and Energumene (2023) the only horses in the last decade that have won the race when going off as market leader.

Nicky Henderson's Jonbon is expected to be the odds-on favourite for the 2025 edition and while he has looked impressive this season, all three of his career defeats have come at Cheltenham and he could be worth opposing.

With Captain Guinness not at his best and doubts over whether Energumene can win this for the third time, there could be value in backing Solness to come out on top.

Trained by Joseph O'Brien, the seven-year-old burst into contention for this race when winning back-to-back Grade 1s at Leopardstown in December 2024 and last month.

Marine Nationale, Quilixios and Captain Guinness were all behind Solness in that latest victory in Ireland and it will be interesting to see whether he can find more improvement on his second Cheltenham Festival appearance.

The likes of Jonbon and Energumene certainly make this a tougher assignment for Solness, but he will look to take this race to the field by adopting his usual aggressive, front-running style under J J Slevin.

Solness' recent victories highlights his capability at the highest level and it would be no surprise to see O'Brien's charge take another step in the right direction.

Found A Fifty worth a flutter

Looking further down the market for more value, Found A Fifty is an interesting option for Gordon Elliott, who is still chasing his first Champion Chase victory.

The eight-year-old gelding made significant progress when racking up a hat-trick of wins from April to November last year, at Aintree, Down Royal and Navan.

That victory at Navan was notable given he fought off Solness to claim the spoils, and although he pulled up at Leopardstown in December on last outing, that effort can be forgiven as he had slight nasal discharge.

If firing on all cylinders for this trip to Cheltenham, where he was second in the Arkle last year, then Found A Fifty could be a big danger under the ride of Jack Kennedy.

Kennedy should keep Found A Fifty off the expected strong pace and if within striking distance of those ahead of him heading into the closing stages, a well-timed sprint could result in glory.

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