A history of Cheltenham Champion Chase winners

The Champion Chase is perhaps the most important minimum-distance race on the National Hunt calendar

The Champion Chase first took place at the Cheltenham Festival in 1959, where Bunny Cox rode 10-year-old Quita Que to victory. Although the race is still held on the same course, its profile has grown significantly to become one of the biggest events in British racing.

With a £400,000 prize pot in 2025, the Champion Chase is the feature race on Day 2 (Style Wednesday) of the Festival and is perhaps the most important minimum-distance race on the National Hunt calendar. In the years since its inception, the Champion Chase has become one of Cheltenham’s key races, with famed jockeys competing for a place in the history books each year.

We’ve listed the most recent Champion Chase winners to help you learn more about the jockeys, horses, and trainers who have found success over the last 10 years. We’ll also highlight some of the race’s greatest competitors, who have set the standard for newer riders to beat. 

Who are the last ten Champion Chase winners? 

Over the last decade, the Champion Chase has seen many icons of the racing world claim victory, with Betway ambassador Paul Townend and Rachael Blackmore among the recent winners. 

Who are the most successful horses in Champion Chase history?

Several popular horses have won multiple Champion Chases across their careers, but who are some of the most notable winners? Here are our picks for some of the greatest horses to have ever competed in the race:

Badsworth Boy

The most prolific winner at the Champion Chase is Badsworth Boy, who took three consecutive victories between 1983 and 1985. He dominated the competition at the time, securing each of his wins by more than ten lengths. His jockey, Robert Earnshaw, also became the second three-time champion racer in the history of the race, after Pat Taaffe secured a hat-trick almost 20 years earlier.

Sprinter Sacre

In his prime, Sprinter Sacre was one of the highest-rated steeplechase horses in the world, earning approximately £1.13 million in prize money before retiring in 2016. His first victory came in 2013, with a stunning 19-length finish that cemented him among the best competitors of the era. After a period of ill health, Sprinter Sacre secured a second win in 2016, marking an incredible comeback.

Altior

The most recent double winner in the Champion Chase record books is Altior, who also boasts one of the most impressive winning streaks of the modern era. Between October 2015 and November 2019, Altior won each of his 19 National Hunt races, including both the 2018 and 2019 Champion Chases. He was a winner at four consecutive Cheltenham Festivals, making him one of the event’s greatest competitors.

Master Minded

With legendary Irish jockey Ruby Walsh in the saddle, Master Minded earned back-to-back Champion Chase wins in 2008 and 2009. His first win in the race was secured with a staggering 19-length lead over the previous year’s winner, Voy Por Ustedes. He also became the youngest winner in the race’s history at just five years old – a record he maintains to this day.

Who are the most successful trainers in Champion Chase history? 

Trainers play an essential role in a horse’s success, and they earn a portion of the prize money whenever one of their horses wins a race at Cheltenham. Here are the trainers who have racked up the most wins across the history of the Champion Chase:

Nicky Henderson

Since claiming his first Champion Chase victory with Remittance Man in 1992, Nicky Henderson has become a record-equalling six-time winning trainer at the event. After 20 years without a win, Henderson became a two-time winner with Finian’s Rainbow in 2012. He then trained two double winners with Sprinter Sacre, who won races in 2013 and 2016, and Altior, who earned consecutive victories in 2018 and 2019.

Paul Nicholls

Another six-time winner at the Champion Chase is Paul Nicholls, who earned his first taste of gold in the race when Call Equiname finished first in 1999. He later partnered with Irish racing legend Ruby Walsh, who secured his next three wins on Azertyuiop (2004) and Master Minded (2008 and 2009). Dodging Bullets beat three previous Champion Chase winners in 2015 to secure his fifth win, while Politologue (2020) became his sixth.

Tom Dreaper

Known for training legendary horses such as Arkle and Flyingbolt, Tom Dreaper dominated the Champion Chase in the early 1960s. His first of six wins came with Fortria, who won back-to-back chases in 1960 and 1961 with Pat Taaffe at the helm. Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), Muir (1969) and Straight Fort (1970) made him the most successful trainer in the race’s early history.

Henry de Bromhead

While Henry de Bromhead hasn’t yet equalled the records of Dreaper, Nicholls, or Henderson, his recent success has made him a fierce competitor. Impressively, each of his four wins has come from different horses: Sizing Europe (2011), Special Tiara (2017), Put The Kettle On (2021), and Captain Guinness (2024). With 25 overall victories at Cheltenham (as of 2025), the Champion Chase is historically his strongest race at the event.

Who are the most successful jockeys in Champion Chase history?

Of course, every successful horse needs a skilled jockey to take it across the finishing line. Here are some of the riders who have made history in the Champion Chase:

Pat Taaffe

Best known as the jockey of Arkle, who was one of Cheltenham’s leading horses in the 1960s, Pat Taaffe dominated the early years of the Champion Chase thanks to his partnership with Tom Dreaper. Taaffe became the first dual winner in Champion Chase history with Fortria in 1960 and 1961. Later wins with Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), and Straight Fort (1970) secured his legacy as the greatest rider of his generation at the race.

Barry Geraghty

Barry Geraghty has earned five victories in the Champion Chase, making him the joint-most successful jockey in the history of the event. Both of his first two wins were on Moscow Flyer, finishing first in the 2003 and 2005 editions of the chase. He would have to wait until 2010 to secure his third win with Big Zeb, then back-to-back wins with Finian’s Rainbow (2012) and Sprinter Sacre (2013) saw him equal Taaffe’s record.

Robert Earnshaw

In the saddle of Badsworth Boy, Robert Earnshaw became the only jockey in Champion Chase history to lead a single horse to three victories; his three consecutive wins from 1983 to 1985 still stand as the longest-running undefeated streak ever in the Champion Chase. Earnshaw’s resumé also includes a 1982 Gold Cup victory with Silver Buck, cementing him as one of Cheltenham’s great jockeys.

Nico de Boinville

One of the most prolific Champion Chase winners in recent years has been Nico de Boinville, who earned three victories in the late 2010s. Each of his wins was raced on horses trained by Nicky Henderson, who has proven to be a lucrative partner for the Englishman.

De Boinville first earned Champion Chase gold in 2016 when he rode Sprinter Sacre in an incredible return from ill health, while his consecutive wins on Altior in 2018 and 2019 solidified him as a force to be reckoned with in modern racing.

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