Cheltenham Champion Bumper Tips: 2023 Betting Preview & Trends

The prestigious Cheltenham Champion Bumper closes out the second day of the festival and attracts plenty of betting activity at the best horse racing betting sites, as punters consult Champion Bumper tips and look to round off Wednesday afternoon with a win.

This is the only Grade 1 bumper run in Britain and often features horses that go on to become stars over obstacles, with the likes of Cue Card, Champagne Fever, Envoi Allen and Ferny Hollow all winning in recent years.

Cheltenham Champion Bumper Tips

• Back American Mike to win - 9/4 with 888sport

• Back Seabank Bistro each-way - 33/1 with 888sport

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Irish trainers have dominated the race of late and Willie Mullins' record stands at an astonishing 11 wins, including in three of the last four editions.

Unsurprisingly, Mullins has several fascinating candidates for the 2022 edition including the red-hot favourite and no Cheltenham Champion Bumper tips shortlist would be complete without at least one Mullins-trained runner.

Champion Bumper Runners in Focus

Here's an in-depth look at some of the leading contenders for the 2022 Cheltenham Champion Bumper:

Vega Shows Superstar Potential at Leopardstown

Willie Mullins’ chances of winning the Champion Bumper for a remarkable 12th time were given a significant boost when Facile Vega absolutely skated up in the Grade 1 Goffs Future Stars Race at the Dublin Racing Festival.

The son of mighty six-time Mares’ Hurdle winner Quevega tanked through that contest hard on the bridle before quickening away in quite brilliant fashion to score by 12 lengths. That is by some way the strongest piece of bumper form from either side of the Irish Sea.

That Leopardstown contest has been won by the likes of Envoi Allen, Appreciate It and Kilcruit in recent years so it’s a race that often throws up a star and Facile Vega was so impressive that betting websites slashed him in to 10/11 from 3/1 to follow up at the Cheltenham Festival.

There can be no doubt now that Facile Vega heads to Cheltenham as the horse they all have to beat and that will make him a very popular choice in Champion Bumper tips previews.

Don’t Ignore Mullins' Runners at Bigger Prices

Champion Bumper trends followers will be well-aware that Willie Mullins does not always win the Grade 1 contest with his shortest-priced runner, indeed the Closutton maestro has won the race with two 25/1 shots in the last decade.

So, while Facile Vega is the one to beat, he’s far from unbeatable and Mullins has some other very talented bumper operators in his yard.

Top of that list is Redemption Day, who didn’t come out of second gear when winning a Leopardstown bumper on his first career start. Although that form doesn’t look particularly strong, he could hardly have got the job done in an easier manner and he could be anything at this stage.

One to be particularly interested in is Seabank Bistro, who must have some serious talent, because he went clear to win at Naas by five lengths on debut despite looking very green.

Described by his trainer as a ‘big, green baby’, he is yet another from the Closutton stable that is open to stacks of improvement.

By Walk In The Park – who also sired Facile Vega – Seabank Bistro is exactly the sort of potential improver who could outrun juicy odds on the big day. For that reason, he is one of our Cheltenham Champion Bumper tips at 40/1.

Pink In The Park is another wide-margin Mullins-trained debutant bumper winner that could have a huge future and her trainer made no secret of the regard in which he holds this mare after she eased to a 14-length success at Listowel.

However, she appeared to have no excuses when beaten at short odds in the Mares’ Bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival, suggesting that she doesn’t have the limitless scope of some of her stablemates.

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American Mike Tops Champion Bumper Tips List

Willie Mullins might have dominated this race over the years but Gordon Elliott has won it twice since 2017 and he’s not short of strong contenders in 2022 either.

American Mike looks the most obvious Elliott candidate, having been Champion Bumper favourite prior to Facile Vega’s success at the Dublin Racing Festival.

American Mike followed in the footsteps of the likes of Samcro, Envoi Allen and Sir Gerhard by winning the Listed Future Champions INH Flat Race at Navan in December and he could hardly have done it in a more stunning fashion.

He made two previous winners look like trees that day, extending his career record to 3-3 (including one impressive Point-to-Point win). He rates a better value play at 11/4 than the market leader now, so American Mike tops our Cheltenham Champion Bumper tips list.

Elliott might also be tempted to unleash The Mediator, who was far too good for some modest rivals at Down Royal in October. He’s not been seen since, which is a slight concern, but the son of Maxios is clearly quite useful and completely unexposed, so shouldn’t be underestimated if allowed to take his chance at Cheltenham.

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Read More:Cheltenham Gold Cup tips

Champion Bumper Odds

• Odds correct as of 15/03/2022 - For full latest odds head over to 888sport

Cheltenham Champion Bumper Trends

• Age matters: 24 of the last 25 Champion Bumper winners were aged five or six. Cue Card is the only four-year-old to have won the race this century.
• Irish dominance: This is a race the Irish dominate. 21 of the 29 winners were trained in Ireland, including every winner in the last five years.
• Seasonal success crucial: Only one Champion Bumper winner (Liberman in 2003) had not previously scored that season.
• Experience counts: The last 12 winners had all run at least twice.
• Flat-track bullies come unstuck: Nine of the last 10 Champion Bumper winners had already won on a track described as ‘galloping’ or ‘undulating’.
• Favourite misery: Only two favourites have won in the last decade and two of Willie Mullins' recent winners were sent off 25/1.
• Gender note: Only three mares have ever won the Champion Bumper - Mucklemeg in 1994, Hairy Molly in 2006 and Fayonagh in 2017.

Recent Champion Bumper Winners

Cheltenham Champion Bumper Verdict

Facile Vega is all the rage for this after bolting up in the big Grade 1 bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival but favourites don’t have a great record in this race, largely because they come up against a whole host of unexposed horses ready to show much-improved form.

AMERICAN MIKE has been deposed as favourite but he looked a monster at Navan in December and is a better value play than the ante-post favourite.

Willie Mullins is no stranger to striking in this race and there is no shortage of candidates from his Closutton base in 2022.

His Seabank Bistro looks a sure-fire improver from his Naas debut, which makes him a potentially dangerous runner at 40/1. He makes our Cheltenham Champion Bumper tips shortlist for those looking for something a bit more adventurous.

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