Who are the favourites for the 2023 Queen Mother Champion Chase?

We are now just days away from the beginning of the Cheltenham Festival, and the excitement is palpable. Four days of top-class racing action are in store, and there’s bound to be plenty of twists, turns and dramatic moments as the races unfold each day.

As usual, much of the attention surrounding the Cheltenham Festival will focus on the feature races each day, and the Queen Mother Champion Chase is no different. As the showpiece event on day two of the Festival, this is the time when it becomes clear which trainers and jockeys are enjoying a stellar meeting.

But who are the favourites for this year’s edition of the Champion Chase? Let’s have a brief look at the main contenders and assess their form as they head to Prestbury Park.

Energumene – 13/8

It’s no surprise the defending champion is one of the top favourites for the 2023 Queen Mother Champion Chase. Energumene took advantage of Shiskhin being pulled up last year to sail to victory in the day two feature race, and the bookies fancy the Willie Mullins-trained horse to do himself justice once again.

Having tasted victory 12 months ago, there’s no reason why Energumene couldn’t repeat the trick. It will take some doing, but you can’t rule out a horse of such quality.

Edwardstone – 13/8

Energumene faces stiff competition from Edwardstone, who is being tipped as another top contender due to his fine form over the last couple of seasons. There have been some big wins, not least at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, where the Alan King-trained horse won the Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase.

There have been a couple of blips lately though. Edwardstone unseated his rider in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton back in December, before suffering a narrow defeat at the hands of Editeur Du Gite in the Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham earlier this year.

Editeur Du Gite – 6/1

Another horse fancied to do damage in the Queen Mother Champion Chase is Editeur Du Gite, who has been enjoying some excellent results in recent times. As previously mentioned, he won the Clarence House Chase in a thrilling finish with Edwardstone, and a fine victory in the Desert Orchid Chase preceded that.

Good form is what everyone’s looking for heading to the Cheltenham Festival, and Editeur Du Gite certainly has that.

Gentleman De Mee – 8/1

Another contender for the Champion Chase from Mullins’s stable is Gentleman De Mee, who has burst into contention following a fine win in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown in February. It will be interesting to see whether he can live up to his 8/1 price come raceday, but it’s clear that Gentleman De Mee is a horse with form trending in the right direction.

Blue Lord – 10/1

The 2023 Queen Mother Champion Chase will be packed with Mullins-trained horses, and Blue Lord is another name to watch out for when Wednesday’s feature race gets underway. A victory at Leopardstown back in December made plenty of racing fans sit up and take notice, and it’s no surprise the eight-year-old can be found at a price of 10/1.