The Champion Bumper is the only race without obstacles at the Cheltenham Festival. With so many inexperienced horses up against each other, it can be tricky to decipher, but with the following stats, we can still narrow the field down for a prospective winner.
Age
The Champion Bumper is restricted to horses between the ages of four and six, but there is still plenty to take away from this statistical perspective over the last 20 years. The most notable is that only one four-year-old has won it despite that age group receiving a 10lb allowance, upped from 7lb in the days when Cue Card won at four years old in 2010.
However, the trends do not back up a steady incline, as it is the five-year-olds who have won more renewals than the six-year-olds. That is primarily due to quantity though, as only five horses not aged five have run in the Bumper in each of the last two seasons, so percentage wise, the six-year-olds, with the older horses winning seven of the last 20 runnings.
Age of the Last 20 Champion Bumper Winners
- 4 – 1 winner
- 5 – 12 winners
- 6 – 7 winners
Starting Price
If you were asked to guess the over/under at 4.5 favourites winning the Champion Bumper in the last 20 years, it is a fair bet that most would do so wrongly. That is because only four favourites have succeeded since 2004, likely much lower than the expected figure, with the race associated in the modern day with big reputations.
However, while some jollies have ended up on the wrong end of defeat, the Champion Bumper has still become easier to find the winner of. Only two horses priced into double figures have won the race since 2015, while all of the last three winners have gone off at 7/2 or below. From 2004 to 2014, the complexion is very different, with seven winners at double-figure odds, and just one favourite victorious.
Starting Price of the Last 20 Champion Bumper Winners
- 15/8-9/2 – 7 winners
- 5/1-9/1 – 4 winners
- 10/1-18/1 – 5 winners
- 20/1+ – 4 winners
Form
There is only one trend here, and that is that all of the last 20 winners had won on their previous start before claiming the Champion Bumper. Of course, most entrants have not had much time to lose on the racecourse given they are top of the class among those who have not even met an obstacle yet.
However, a number of winners have been beaten at some point during the season or a previous one, so it is not something that cannot be overcome. Nevertheless, it is almost imperative for a horse to arrive at the race in top form.
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