Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase 2023 Ante-Post Tips: Proven Cheltenham star to reign on Wednesday

One of the iconic races of the Cheltenham Festival, the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase has been won by some of the legends of the National Hunt sphere, and on Wednesday 15th March, 2023 the elite two-mile chasers will attempt to etch their name on that illustrious roll of honour and this year's renewal looks a real hum-dinger. Our in-house tipster Steve Chambers previews the race here and has one of his big-race Cheltenham tips for the Wednesday showpiece...

Sponsors of the race, Betway, have a fabulous new Cheltenham Free Bets offer that can be used on the Champion Chase and you can read all the vital terms and conditions below in our guide, but the well-respected betting site have the reigning champion Energumene as the 13/8 joint-favourite for the 2023 renewal. A stunning eight-and-a-half length winner of the race last season, the Willie Mullins-trained superstar produced a faultless display in a race that saw the well-fancied Shishkin bow out in the early stages. Despite Nicky Henderson's raider flopping on the day, Energumene stalked the pace before unleashing a blistering turn of foot in the closing stages to pull clear of Funambule Sivola in rain-softened conditions and a repeat of that effort here would see him star once again.

However, there's a significant cloud hanging over Energumene after he suffered a shock defeat to Gary Moore's Editeur Du Gite in the rescheduled Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day. Not travelling with his usual zest, Paul Townend appeared to be struggling a long way out as many expected his main market rival that day Edwardstone to prevail, but it was Editeur Du Gite that produced a sparkling lead-all-the-way display to bound to glory and put his hat in the ring for the Champion Chase.

Despite that loss, Energumene is still the most solid punting option as he suffered a defeat to the aforementioned Shishkin in last season's Clarence House before he went and produced a stunning display at Cheltenham, and Townend may opt to give Editeur Du Gite a little less rope on the front end this time around. Unbeaten in the spring, the nine-year-old market leader is the proven class act at this level and can reign supreme once again and his current Cheltenham odds for the Champion Chase appeal, but will have some lively rivals.

Need To Know On The Betway Offer

• What is Countdown To Cheltenham? For every week that you qualify for Free Bet Club from Saturday 11th February until Friday 10th March 2023, you will get an extra £5 Free Bet added to a Countdown To Cheltenham Pot which will be credited at Cheltenham. Should you qualify for all 4 weeks, your Total Free Bet Pot will be £30.
• Do I need to opt in? Yes, to be eligible for Free Bet Club and Countdown To Cheltenham, you need to opt in via the Free Bet Club tracker.
• What do I need to do? Once opted in, you need to spend £25 or more on sports trebles or higher (multiples with 3+ selections), settling within a week, between Saturday 00:00 GMT – Friday 23:59 GMT.
• When do I receive my Free Bets? You will receive your first £5 Free Bet from Free Bet Club at 10:00 GMT on the Saturday after qualification, then your second at 10:00 GMT on the following Monday. All £5 Free Bets accumulated in your Cheltenham Pot plus the extra £10 if you qualified for all 4 weeks will be credited in full on Monday 13th March 2023.
• Do Bet Builder Bets qualify? Yes, as long as you have 3+ selections in your Bet Builder bet then this will count towards your qualifying amount.

Edwardstone is the other 13/8 joint-favourite with Betway and last year's imperious Arkle winner is another that was beaten in the Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham and is looking to recapture the winning thread. A dominant novice chaser last season, Alan King's charge has just struggled to be so authoritative this season, as having produced a fine return in the Tingle Creek when winning that Sandown prize, he unseated Tom Cannon in the Grade 2 Desert Orchid at Kempton Park over Christmas time. Defeat in the Clarence House means he is looking to stop that losing run, but he showed last year with a sumptuous Arkle win that he excels around the undulations of Prestbury Park and he's sure to turn up with his A game. However, while he finished ahead of Energumene in the Clarence House the form can be reversed here and the Irish raider can down the primary British-trained raider.

Relatively unthought of as a Champion Chase candidate prior to his Cheltenham win, is now a 5/1 chance with Betway and the hugely progressive Moore-trained nine-year-old is looking for a third win in a row. He won that aforementioned Desert Orchid at Kempton before causing a shock last month and he will be sent to the front from the flag fall and look to produce another front-running masterclass. But, it's sure to be tougher in the top two-mile event on the racing calendar, and he could just come unstuck in the closing stages when the going gets tough up the Cheltenham hill.

Astonishingly, that was Willie Mullins first ever win in the Champion Chase last year, but the master of Closutton could have a strong team backing up Energumene this year and Gentleman De Mee and Blue Lord (both 9/1 with Betway) are both entered and are worth taking a second look. The pair clashed in the Dublin Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown in early February with the former landing a shock win over his short-priced stablemate. With news Allaho is out of the Ryanair Chase then it would be no shock to see Blue Lord veer down the Ryanair route, so Gentleman De Mee makes more appeal.

Of the others, last year's runner-up Funambule Sivola (33/1) was a fine winner of the Game Spirit Chase over former Tingle Creek winner Greaneteen (20/1) in the Denman Chase at Newbury, but both have often struggled at the highest level, while former Champion Chase runner-up Nube Negra (16/1 with Betway) adds more depth to the contest, but is another that may just find those few at the front of the betting a little too hot to handle in a race that can see Energumene retain his crown.

A real star of the National Hunt division on his day, Energumene can bounce back from his Clarence House Chase defeat by storming to victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase for the second year in a row. With Editeur Du Gite to make this a fiercely run race from the outset, the Willie Mullins-trained star can stalk Gary Moore's charge before storming clear turning for home and get the better of Edwardstone, who can stay on best of the rest in second place, with Funambule Sivola bagging third place.