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Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase
Race Conditions
The Queen Mother Champion Chase (3:20pm) is a Class A Grade 1 chase run over two miles. It is open to horses aged 5 years old and upwards. The total prize fund is £320,000.
For a free £25 Champion Chase bet click here.
Recent Winners
The feature race on the second day of the Festival is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Traditionally, the race has fewer entrants than the other Grade 1 events, but it certainly doesn’t suffer as a result. In fact, for many, this is the most exciting race of the fours days as it provides the thrilling spectacle of the best two mile chasers flying the Cheltenham fences at break neck speed.
Favourites have a great record in the race in recent years, as do previous winners of the Arkle, and you very rarely get a below par winner of the race. In fact, the winner of this race is often rated higher by the handicapper than the winner of the King George or the Gold Cup.
The event has produced some great winners and some great Festival memories, including some of the most incredible finishes in the history of the sport. No one who was there to witness them will ever forget the epic battles between Edredon Blue and Direct Route in 2000, or Viking Flagship, Travado and Deep Sensation in 1994, and the emotional triumph for One Man in 1998 must rate as one of the most popular Festival victories of all time.
| Year | Horse | Age | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Master Minded | 6 | P F Nicholls | 4/11F |
| 2008 | Master Minded | 5 | P F Nicholls | 3/1 |
| 2007 | Voy Por Ustedes | 6 | A King | 5/1 |
| 2006 | Newmill | 8 | J Murphy | 16/1 |
| 2005 | Moscow Flyer | 11 | Mrs J Harrington | 6/4F |
| 2004 | Azertyuiop | 7 | P F Nicholls | 15/8 |
| 2003 | Moscow Flyer | 9 | Mrs J Harrington | 7/4F |
| 2002 | Flagship Uberalles | 8 | P Hobbs | 7/4F |
| 2000 | Edredon Bleu | 8 | Miss H Knight | 7/2 |
| 1999 | Call Equiname | 9 | P F Nicholls | 7/2 |
| 1998 | One Man | 10 | G Richards | 7/2 |
| 1997 | Martha’s Son | 10 | T Forster | 9/1 |
| 1996 | Klairon Davis | 7 | A Moore | 9/1 |
| 1995 | Viking Flagship | 8 | D Nicholson | 5/2F |
| 1994 | Viking Flagship | 7 | D Nicholson | 4/1 |
| 1993 | Deep Sensation | 8 | J Gifford | 11/1 |
| 1992 | Remittance Man | 8 | N Henderson | EvensF |
| 1991 | Katabatic | 8 | A Turnell | 9/1 |
| 1990 | Barnbrook Again | 9 | David Elsworth | 11/10F |
| 1989 | Barnbrook Again | 8 | David Elsworth | 7/4F |
(prior winners detailed at bottom of page)
Course
Given the speed at which the runners travel, jumping is more at a premium in this race than in perhaps any other that is run at the Festival. Even the slightest mistake can cost lengths, as the pace is unrelenting from start to finish. As always, the ditches out in the country, and the second and third last fences coming down the hill, often provide key moments in the contest.
Key Trends
9 of the last 11 Arkle Trophy winners were 1st or 2nd in this race the next year.
26 of the last 28 winners started at single-figure odds.
10 of the last 11 winners started no bigger than 5/1.
7 of the last 8 winners were officially rated 160+ and had previously won a Grade 1 race.
19 of the last 25 winners had won or been placed at the Festival before.
Just one winner older than 10 since 1997.
7 of the last 10 winners contested the Tingle Creek Chase the same season.
2010 Queen Mother Champion Chase Preview
The big question is can anybody dethrone the great Master Minded and prevent him from matching the exploits of the legendary Badsworth Boy, who won this race three years in a row in the 1980s?
Well, after his seasonal debut at Cheltenham, the answer had to be “very possibly”, as Paul Nicholls’ seven year old could only finish a well beaten third behind Well Chief.
That was Master Minded’s second worrying performance on the trot, as he only just scraped home from Big Zeb at Punchestown at the end of last season.
Master Minded hung markedly right in the closing stages of the Cheltenham contest, and so it wasn’t surprising that a physical aliment was subsequently discovered. With that fixed, he returned to action at Newbury in the Game Spirit and after that race the answer to the question was “very unlikely” as a top class effort there saw him rightfully reinstated as one of many people’s Festival bankers.
The position seems to be clear. If the Master Minded who won in 2008 turns up, he will surely win again, but if last season’s Master Minded goes to post, then he could have a real scrap on his hands as this is shaping up to be the classiest field he has faced so far.
There appear to be three creditable alternatives to the favourite – stablemate Twist Magic, Kalahari King and the Irish challenger, Big Zeb.
Prior to Master Minded’s demolition job at Newbury, Twist Magic had firmly established himself as the premier two miler chaser of the season with wins in the Tingle Creek at Sandown and the Victor Chandler at Ascot.
The concern for his supporters is that both those races were run right handed and his last few efforts at Cheltenham have been very poor. On the plus side, his brilliant trainer thinks he is a different horse this season thanks to a new training regime. It is also easy to forget that he was still cruising when coming to grief in the 2007 Arkle run, of course, at Cheltenham.
Although he was beaten in last season’s Arkle, Kalahari King was the best two mile novice last season. He has only been out once this season so far, but was most impressive when lumping a big weight to victory in a valuable handicap at Doncaster. What was particularly exciting about his effort that day was his trainer’s pre race warning that the horse was far from being fully wound up for his seasonal debut. With improvement to come, he could be a real threat granted his preferred good ground.
Big Zeb looks best of the Irish. His jumping has let him down on occasions, not least when he finished a head behind Master Minded at Punchestown after demolishing the last. He also has to overcome a disappointing effort behind Twist Magic in the Tingle Creek (beaten 33 lengths). However, this horse has always given the impression that he is a class performer (he tends to travel very smoothly through his races) and that he has a big race in him.
A decent win last time out at Punchestown has put him back on the right track and he was still going very well when falling in last year’s renewal of this race. He deserves a place on the shortlist.
The rest look to have it all to do.
Last year’s Arkle winner, Forpadydeplasterer, lacks the necessary speed for this contest, the admiral Well Chief surely has his best days behind him now and Petit Robin will have his work cut out to better last year’s third in this stronger renewal.
CONCLUSION: Master Minded looks back to his very best and so will be very hard to beat but, given his prohibitive odds, the best way to back him may be to double him up with other Festival fancies and so preference is for KALAHARI KING who has always looked a class act and could prove an each way certainty providing the going is good.
As already mentioned, there are three very credible challengers to the current champion and Big Zeb looks next best of those. The worry with Twist Magic is the undulating, left handed track.
Barker can run better than his odds suggest if the ground is soft.
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Race Facts
1. The National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase was first run in 1959 and the Queen Mother’s name was added to the race title in 1980, the year of her 80th birthday. The race was first sponsored in 2007 and Seasons holidays has been the backer since then.
2. The race’s roll of honour includes plenty of multiple winners. Badsworth Boy (1983-85) is the only three-time winner. The double winners are Fortria (1960 and 1961), Drinny’s Double (1967 and 1968), Royal Relief (1972 and 1974), Skymas (1976 and 1977), Hilly Way (1978 and 1979), Pearlyman (1987 and 1988), Barnbrook Again (1989 and 1990), Viking Flagship (1994 and 1995), Moscow Flyer (2003 and 2005) and Master Minded (2008 and 2009).
3. Irish-trained runners have a good record in the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase, winning 19 of the 50 runnings. Newmill, trained by John Murphy and ridden by Andrew McNamara, was the most recent Irish-trained scorer in 2006.
4. Tom Dreaper has the best record of any trainer in the race, winning six runnings with Fortria (1960 and 1961), Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), Muir (1969), and Straight Fort (1970). Of current trainers, Paul Nicholls (1999 Call Equiname, 2004 Azertyuiop and the 2008 & 2009 winner Master Minded) has the best record.
5. Flyingbolt was the shortest-priced winner when succeeding at 1/5 in 1966, while Another Dolly, who was awarded the 1980 race at odds of 33/1, provided the biggest upset.
6. Pat Taaffe is the most successful rider with five wins, while Ruby Walsh (Azertyuiop 2003 and Master Minded 2008 and 2009) and Barry Geraghty (Moscow Flyer 2003 and 2005) are the only current jockeys to have landed more than one Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase.
7. The oldest horse to have triumphed was the 12-year-old Skymas in 1977, while the youngest victor was Master Minded, who was just five when winning for the first time in 2008.
8. A small but select field usually lines up for the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase. The largest field was in 1999 when 13 runners went to post, one while only five runners lined up in 1985, 1972, 1968, 1964, 1963 and 1961.
9. The most successful owners are George Ansley, who enjoyed three wins with Fortria (1960 and 1961) and Straight Fort (1970), and Doug Armitage who had three victories with Badsworth Boy (1983, 1984 and 1985).
10. Michael Dickinson trained the winner for three consecutive years with Rathgorman (1982) and Badsworth Boy (1983 & 1984). His mother Monica had taken charge of the training operation for Badsworth Boy’s final success in 1985.
11. In 1986, the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Buck House subsequently met with that year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup heroine Dawn Run in a special match race at Punchestown in April, 1986. It was Dawn Run who prevailed by two and a half lengths.
12. The Irish Independent Arkle Chase is a good guide for future success in the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase. Voy Por Ustedes (2007), Azertyuiop (2004), Moscow Flyer (2003 and 2005), Flagship Uberalles (2002), Klairon Davis (1996) and Remittance Man (1992) all won the novices’ event before their Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase victory.
2009 Queen Mother Champion Chase Review
For any other horse, this would have been an impressive victory in one of the season’s blue riband events, but MASTER MINDED raised the bar last season and by his immense standards a seven length victory here suggested that the reigning Champion didn’t have to be at his brilliant best to land back to back renewals of this great race.
For all that, his win here was never in doubt, especially after Big Zeb’s departure four out. That was also the point in the race when Ruby Walsh took Master Minded up on to the heels of the leaders, and when he actually hit the front soon after the second last, the race was soon put to bed.
On this evidence, it is hard to see him not achieving legendary status at next year’s Festival by matching previous triple winner, Badsworth Boy. It seems as though the rest can’t even beat him when he isn’t quite a hundred per cent!
The veteran, Well Chief ran a blinder in second, confirming himself as one of the best two milers never to win this race.
It was a terrific effort after a 698-day absence, and one can only imagine what he might have achieved had he stayed injury free throughout his career. He stayed on strongly at the death here, having been outpaced slightly when the winner, Petit Robin and Briareus formed a breakaway group running down the hill.
Petit Robin hung on for third, but finished tired having mixed it with the winner for a long way. A mistake at the last didn’t help his chances and as a six year old he is entitled to improve further and challenge Master Minded again next season.
The 2006 Champion Chaser, Newmill stayed on well to finish fourth, but was never really in the contest. He often runs well here and decent ground is clearly the key to him. He would have claimed second had the race been over half a furlong more.
Scotsirish ran well to take fifth and clearly wasn’t inconvenienced by the step back in trip. He was hampered slightly at the last by the fall of Briareus, who deserved a better fate, having match strides with the principals for a long way. He was clearly tired at the time.
We’re still to find out how good Big Zeb is. The ground was in his favour here and he was still travelling well within himself when he crashed out. If he can sort out his jumping, he can prove to be the second best two miler chaser around….but he’ll have to go some to beat the awesome Master Minded.
2009 Queen Mother Champion Chase Result
| Place | Horse | Trainer | Age | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Master Minded | P F Nicholls | 6 | R Walsh | 4/11F |
| 2 | Well Chief | D E Pipe | 10 | Timmy Murphy | 12/1 |
| 3 | Petit Robin | N J Henderson | 6 | B J Geraghty | 12/1 |
| 4 | Newmill | John Joseph Murphy | 11 | R M Power | 100/1 |
| 5 | Scotsirish | W P Mullins | 8 | P Townend | 40/1 |
| 6 | Mahogany Blaze | N A Twiston-Davies | 7 | P J Brennan | 40/1 |
| 7 | Ashley Brook | K Bishop | 11 | Richard Johnson | 66/1 |
| 8 | Santa's Son | J Howard Johnson | 9 | Denis O'Regan | 33/1 |
| 9 | Marodima | Miss Rebecca Curtis | 6 | Nick Scholfield | 100/1 |
| F | Big Zeb | C A Murphy | 8 | Robert Thornton | 12/1 |
| F | Twist Magic | P F Nicholls | 7 | Sam Thomas | 16/1 |
| F | Briareus | A M Balding | 9 | A P McCoy | 16/1 |
Ruby Walsh heralds Master Minded's second Champion Chase success
2008 Queen Mother Champion Chase Review
A scintillating effort from MASTER MINDED who, in winning this great race, put up one of the classiest performances seen at the Festival in recent memory. Everything about his destruction of this top quality field was impressive and what made it even more remarkable was the fact that he is the first five-year-old to succeed in the race’s 49 year history. With time on his side, the sky’s the limit and he looks set to dominate this division for years to come.
The winner jumped immaculately throughout and when Ruby Walsh asked him to go and win his race turning for home the response was immediate and electric, and he made the former champion, Voy Por Ustedes, look almost second rate.
The two of them had the race between them from four out, but while Walsh was sitting motionless as he continued lead coming down the hill, Robert Thornton was rowing away on Voy Por Ustedes, trying to keep tabs on the winner. It was a vain pursuit in the end and, if anything, the winning distance of 19 lengths didn’t do justice to Master Minded’s superiority.
The runner up lost nothing in defeat – he was simply beaten by a better horse and there is no reason to think he didn’t give his running. He finished well clear of the rest and had Master Minded not been in the field he would have been an impressive winner himself. He looks ready for a step up in trip though, and the King George could be a long range target.
Nothing else was involved in the business end of the race.
Fair Along clearly wants further, for he was never going the pace and lost his place badly down the back side. It was only after the second last that he finally picked up and he stayed on strongly enough to take a remote third.
Twist Magic (sixth) and Tamarinbleu (seventh) were both disappointing. The former would probably have preferred a faster surface and was never travelling. He only just stays a stiff 2 miles on this sort of ground.
Tamarinbleu’s jumping didn’t hold up under this sort of pressure over this trip and connections probably wished they’d targeted the Ryanair instead. He doesn’t seem to have the speed to live with the top two mile chasers.
2008 Queen Mother Champion Chase Result
| Place | Horse | Trainer | Age | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Master Minded | P F Nicholls | 5 | R Walsh | 3/1 |
| 2 | Voy Por Ustedes | A King | 7 | Robert Thornton | 5/2F |
| 3 | Fair Along | P J Hobbs | 6 | Richard Johnson | 12/1 |
| 4 | Schindlers Hunt | D T Hughes | 8 | P Carberry | 33/1 |
| 5 | Newmill | John Joseph Murphy | 10 | R M Power | 40/1 |
| 6 | Twist Magic | P F Nicholls | 6 | Sam Thomas | 5/1 |
| 7 | Tamarinbleu | D E Pipe | 8 | Tom Scudamore | 7/2 |
| PU | Mansony | A L T Moore | 9 | D N Russell | 16/1 |
2007 Queen Mother Champion Chase Review
What was probably already not the strongest renewal of this great race following the retirements of Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop, and the absence of Nickname due to unsuitable ground, was further devalued by the first fence fall of red hot favourite Well Chief. We’ll never know what would have happened had he stood up, but he had the form in the book to win and it is hard to envisage him not being involved in the finish.
As it was, VOY POR USTEDES was left to uphold the great recent record of Arkle winners in this race for in form jockey / trainer combination of Robert Thornton and Alan King. The horse looked beaten when he made a hash of the second last, but he rallied turning for home and outstayed his main rival, Dempsey on the run in. However, on this evidence, Kauto Star is probably the best two miler chaser about.
Dempsey ran another good race and relished the drying ground. He would surely have won a Champion Chase by now if it was run at Sandown or Kempton as he is significantly better going right handed.
River City in third, was another to enjoy the underfoot conditions. He was travelling really well in this race last year when falling, so this was compensation of sorts. However, the horse who won this event in 2006, Newmill was a big disappointment, as the fall of Well Chief had appeared to leave the race at his mercy. His jumping wasn’t as fluent as usual here and that didn’t help his chances.
Ashley Brook was the hard luck story of the race. He’d led throughout until being passed by the winner and runner up two out. However, he was visibly rallying running down to the last and was only a length behind when he was left short of room at the fence by the front two and fell. He has proven stamina and is up for a fight, and so would surely have worried the winner all the way to the line. He is a very talented, if slightly fragile, performer and at nine years old may have a couple more cracks at this race left in him.
2006 Queen Mother Champion Chase Review
A wonderful display of front running culminated in NEWMILL being crowned the new king of the two mile chasers at the end of an incident packed Queen Mother Champion Chase.
The race had already been deprived through injury of potentially leading players Well Chief, Azertyuiop, Ashley Brook and Contraband, and we only had to wait until the third fence for further drama when the favourite, Kauto Star, fell, bringing down the well supported Dempsey and hampering the reigning champion, Moscow Flyer.
To complete the carnage, Oneway and River City both unseated their riders when still in contention four out, whilst Kario De Sormain and Fundamentalist also failed to finish.
By stark contrast, NEWMILL’S jumping was fast and accurate throughout, and as is so often the case in this race, that proved to be the perfect recipe for success. Try as they might to close the gap on the flat, NEWMILL’S fencing enabled him to keep his challengers at bay and he was actually extending his advantage as he reached the winning post.
NEWMILL had had an unusual build up to the race, but his efforts over hurdles behind Brave Inca earlier in the season had clearly hinted at the enormous ability the horse possesses. Indeed it was only in the weeks leading up to the race that connections finally decided to have a crack at this race, rather than the Champion Hurdle. Freshness seems to be the key to him, as he thrives on having a good break between his races.
Although Fota Island eventually finished second, NEWMILL’S most persistent challenger proved to be the ever game and ultra consistent Mister McGoldrick. In the past he has run most of his best races on flat tracks and it was the final thrust up the Cheltenham hill that found him out here. He too has mixed hurdling with chasing this season to good effect and this must go down as a career best effort.
Fota Island was a bit one paced. He was one of a number of horses who was tapped for toe when NEWMILL increased the tempo running down the hill. The ground may not have been quite as quick as he likes it, but this is his time of year and at 10 years old it is hard to see him finding enough improvement to better this effort next season.
By contrast, Central House would probably have preferred a shade more cut in the ground and it seems as though he simply isn’t quick enough to live with the best horses over this trip on decent ground. However, having disappointed at the Festival on more than one occasion in the past, this was at least a solid performance in the circumstances.
Time may show that this wasn’t a vintage Queen Mother Chase but the race will always be remembered as it proved to be Moscow Flyer’s last - the horse was honorably retired shortly after crossing the line in fifth.
One of the great debates throughout the winter had centered on whether or not Moscow Flyer could recapture his best form and go retain his crown. However, whilst he ran a solid enough race, he was nowhere near his best and connections did the right thing in calling it a day with the horse still in one piece. By finishing where he did he at least earned himself one last trip to the hallowed winners’ enclosure.
Few performers have deserved a long and happy retirement more than this wonderful champion. He is quite simply one of the all time greats.
Watson Lake was the only other finisher.
Of the casualties, River City looked the unluckiest. His shrewd trainer had been confident of a big run before the race and had he stood up he would surely have been in the first three. He certainly seems to have more speed than the second and third and so could have got closer to the winner. He’ll surely win a big race on his favoured fast ground, and could be interesting if making it back to this race in one piece net year.
It may be harsh to put Kato Star’s fall down to inexperience as he was looking right into the sun as he approached the obstacle and appeared to guess at it. However, his price did seem to be very short for a horse with so few outings over fences, who had never run in a race this competitive, on this sort of ground, over fences these stiff. However, he remains an outstanding prospect.
Kauto Star falls in the 2006 Queen Mother Champion Chase
Roll of Honour (1959-1988)
(recent winners detailed towards top of page)
Queen Mother Champion Chase since 1980; previously National Hunt Two Mile Champion Chase from when first run in 1959.
Year Winner Age/Wt Jockey Trainer SP Ran
1988 Pearlyman 9-12-00 Tom Morgan John Edwards 15/8F
1987 Pearlyman 8-12-00 Peter Scudamore John Edwards 13/8F
1986 Buck House 8-12-00 Tommy Carmody Mouse Morris IRE 5/2
1985 Badsworth Boy 10-12-00 Robert Earnshaw Monica Dickinson 11/8
1984 Badsworth Boy 9-12-00 Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson 8/13F
1983 Badsworth Boy 8-12-00 Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson 2/1
1982 Rathgorman 10-12-00 Kevin Whyte Michael Dickinson 100/30
1981 Drumgora 9-12-00 Frank Berry Arthur Moore IRE 25/1
1980 *Another Dolly 10-12-00 Sam Morshead Fred Rimell 33/1
1979 Hilly Way 9-12-00 Mr Ted Walsh Peter McCreery IRE 7/1
1978 Hilly Way 8-12-00 Tommy Carmody Peter McCreery IRE 7/1
1977 Skymas 12-12-00 Mouse Morris Brian Lusk IRE 7/2
1976 Skymas 11-12-00 Mouse Morris Brian Lusk IRE 8/1
1975 Lough Inagh 8-12-00 Sean Barker Jim Dreaper IRE 100/30
1974 Royal Relief 10-12-00 Bill Smith Edward Courage 6/1
1973 Inkslinger 6-12-00 Tommy Carberry Dan Moore IRE 6/1
1972 Royal Relief 8-12-00 Bill Smith Edward Courage 15/8
1971 Crisp 8-12-00 Paul Kelleway Fred Winter 3/1
1970 Straight Fort 7-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE 7/4F
1969 Muir 10-12-00 Ben Hannon Tom Dreaper IRE 15/2
1968 Drinny’s Double 10-12-00 Frank Nash Bob Turnell 6/1
1967 Drinny’s Double 9-12-00 Frank Nash Bob Turnell 7/2
1966 Flyingbolt 7-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE 1/5F
1965 Dunkirk 8-12-00 Dave Dick Peter Cazalet 8/1
1964 Ben Stack 7-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE 2/1
1963 Sandy Abbot 8-12-00 Stan Mellor George Owen 5/1
1962 Piperton 8-12-00 Dave Dick Archie Thomlinson 100/6
1961 Fortria 9-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE 2/5F
1960 Fortria 8-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE 15/8F
1959 Quita Que 10-12-00 Bunny Cox Dan Moore IRE 4/9F
*Another Dolly finished second to Chinrullah, who was subsequently disqualified after failing a post-race urine test