Majborough has emerged as the clear favourite for the 2026 Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, following a dominant performance in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown. The Willie Mullins-trained horse, ridden by Mark Walsh, produced a career-best effort to defeat Marine Nationale by 19 lengths, displaying far greater fluency over fences while wearing first-time cheekpieces.
However, Majborough's jumping has previously been a concern, most notably when he almost unseated his rider and finished third in last year's Arkle at Cheltenham. If he can replicate his Leopardstown form, he will prove difficult to beat in the two-mile championship chase on day two of the festival.
Il Etait Temps, also trained by Mullins, ranks second on ratings but suffered a fall last time out at Ascot. He had previously defeated Jonbon at Sandown and in the Tingle Creek, but will compete without his customary hood at Cheltenham. L'Eau du Sud underperformed in the Tingle Creek but excels when fresh and won the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham in November, making him a solid each-way prospect.
Quilixios returns after a year off, having been poised to finish second in last year's race before falling at the final fence. Found A Fifty beat Majborough earlier this season but was comprehensively beaten in the Dublin Chase. The remainder of the field face significant challenges, with novice Irish Panther lacking experience and Captain Guinness, the 2024 winner, yet to show form this season.
Majborough is the most backed horse for the race, with over 44% of bets supporting him according to oddschecker. His best odds are evens with Unibet, while most bookmakers offer 10/11, and bet365 has him at 5/6.
