Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post: Champion Bumper

Tipping / Timeform / 12 February 2010 / Leave a comment

Willie Mullins looks set to launch a typically strong assault on the Champion Bumper

Timeform take a look at this year's candidates for the ever intriguing Champion Bumper..

"...neither Alexander Banquet nor Cousin Vinny made their debuts until late February, so it is interesting that Mullins’s French-bred Quaquo de Flotte is prominent on many lists. "

Since its inception in 1992 the Champion Bumper has been something of a benefit for Irish-trained horses. It has been run seventeen times (no race in 2001 due to the outbreak of foot and mouth) and the Irish have supplied the winner on no less than fourteen occasions. However, that does not mean that it is easy to pick the winner as there have only been two winning favourites in the last ten runnings, with a 33/1 winner (Hairy Molly) and a 50/1 winner (Monsignor) thrown in for good measure in the same period. Most of the current market principals are Irish-trained but as there doesn't appear to be any outstanding candidate it may be best to hold your bets until closer the time.

Willie Mullins has a particularly good record in the race, training the winner on five occasions as well as riding Wither Or Which to victory in 1996, and, as usual, he has a number of potential candidates this year. At this stage Up Ou That would appear to be the best of them. It is hard to know what he actually achieved in a four-runner race at Fairyhouse last month but he also won a 2½m maiden point on his sole start in that sphere and looks to have a bright future. Don't Turn Bach is as low as 20/1 with some firms but he has been well entered up over hurdles of late so has to be rated as an unlikely starter. It is quite possible that we have yet to see some of the principals; neither Alexander Banquet nor Cousin Vinny made their debuts until late February, so it is interesting that Mullins's French-bred Quaquo de Flotte is prominent on many lists.

Dermot Weld was responsible for last year's favourite, Rite of Passage, and also has the current market leader in the shape of Elegant Concorde, as well as the year-younger Hidden Universe. Elegant Concorde was given plenty of time to mature after finishing second on his debut over twelve months ago and the race that he won at Leopardstown over Christmas is working out quite nicely. Hidden Universe, a son of Linamix, who cost €150,000 as a yearling, was an impressive winner of a newcomers' race at the same track on his debut but one has to go back to Dato Star in 1995 to find the last four-year-old to win this particular race.

Araucaria is unlucky not to be unbeaten as she came from a long way back when a fast-finishing second to For Bill in a mares race at Navan and absolutely bolted up in a similar contest at Punchestown. She will be bidding to become the third mare to win the race after Mucklemeg in 1994 and Total Enjoyment in 2004. Drumbaloo has done nothing wrong in his three starts to date and won the same Navan race that Dunguib took en-route to his win last year. Tavern Times has been prominent in the betting ever since creating a good impression when beating a subsequent winner on his only start at Fairyhouse and Forty Foot Tom was sold for £220,000 after annihilating the opposition at Navan before Chirstmas.

One that has attracted plenty of support in recent days is J. P. McManus's recent acquisition Made In Time. A half-brother to Made In Taipan, he had Our Aodh (who finished second to Forty Foot Tom) back in third when making a winning debut at Ffos Las. The bumper is one of the few races at the Festival that Paul Nicholls hasn't made much of an impact in but he looks to have picked up a couple of useful prospects in the shape of the Al Ferof, a winner at Fairyhouse for Liz Doyle, and Ramses De Marcigny, who won in a relatively quick time at Taunton. Gary Moore's Dragons Roost was impressive on his only start at Newbury, Dunraven Storm overcame greenness to win on his bow at Ascot and Tetlami comes into the reckoning after winning juvenile events at Exeter and Cheltenham. Of those at bigger prices, Amroth Bay won easily at Chepstow and is in good hands; Shot From The Hip won an ordinary race at Clonmel but is trained by Edward O'Grady who is the only trainer other than Willie Mullins responsible for more than one winner of this race; Sizing Mexico shaped like a stayer at Punchestown but is entitled to improve; while Tony Mullins reportedly holds Age Benefit in high regard.

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