Queen Mother Champion Chase Tips: Do we ignore the obvious?

This wonderful, famous old contest never fails to enthral and delight. A speed test over 2m, with 13 fences to be negotiated. Regular readers will know that I like to list some of the former champions, to give a flavour of just how rarefied the air is that's shared by these turf titans. Here goes;

Flyingbolt, Badsworth Boy, Pearlyman, Viking Flagship, Moscow Flyer, Master Minded, Sprinter Scare, Altior, Energumene. That's just a sample. No Marine Nationale, last year's hero, this time around sadly; but we've still got a G1 race to savour and our likely favourite, if he puts it all together on the day, could be quite something.

Queen Mother Champion Chase

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Our in-house Horse Racing tipster Owen McMahon has gone through the card for Wednesday's Races and made a selection for every race. Read who he's backing and why with our Cheltenham Day 2 Tips. Add to that former Jockey Katie Walsh has passed on her Cheltenham Wednesday Tips to us here at Betfred.

In last year's Arkle, Majborough, the previous year's Triumph Hurdle winner, started as the 1/2 favourite. He'd had just two chase starts but as a typically precocious French-bred he was an early achiever, and had won both with ease; including a Leopardstown G1.

In the big one then here at the Festival he made too many mistakes, but was still only beaten less than a length by Jango Baie. Since then he's sluiced up at Punchestown, jumping out to his left on occasion (would be less of a problem here if he repeats), then two 'ok' runs this season before a breathtaking coming-of-age display last time at the Dublin Racing Festival meeting 38 days ago, thrashing a decent-looking field by 19l.

Majborough @ 10/11

On that form, this prize is his to lose in my view - but if he repeats last year's errors, the door could be open for the likes of L'Eau du Sud to walk on in. Dan Skelton's eight-year-old is a course-and-distance scorer and took the Shloer Chase here easily in November, beating Jonbon no less by 15l; though the latter made some fairly serious errors of his own on the day.

L'Eau du Sud was brought back down to earth a tad next time in the Tingle Creek at Sandown, a mile behind Il Etait Temps, who goes here with a definite squeak but did fall last time at Ascot in January.

It's a case for me of 'will the real Majborough please stand up.' If the Leopardstown DRF version makes an appearance, we could be looking at a very comfortable success. If the kinks reappear, it's game on.

I'm going for the former, an authoritative performance, and victory in those legendary green and gold, hooped McManus silks; with Mark Walsh in the plate, who's ridden him in all nine races whilst in the care of Willie Mullins (the horse was bought from France, after winning his solitary point).

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Cheltenham Tips with Betfred Insights.