Champion Bumper Betting Preview – Cheltenham Day 2 Tips (2025)

The Champion Bumper is the final race on Day 2 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and 18 runners have been declared for one of the biggest horse racing betting heats of the season.

We’ve known the early entries for the Champion Bumper for some time now but decisions have been made and all eyes will be on Prestbury Park on Wednesday afternoon.

Here, we look at some of the leading players in the Cheltenham odds for this year’s race, with a Champion Bumper selection ahead of the 2025 renewal.

Willie Mullins dominates the betting, with four of the top five in the market housed at Closutton. Copacabana is the choice of Patrick Mullins and he was very impressive on the eye when winning at Navan in February.

His jockey struggled to pull him up that day and connections have mentioned that he is a laid back type, only ever doing enough and he doesn’t over-exert himself during a race and all signs point to a bright future for him.

However, there is another Closutton inmate that looks like a potential superstar and I’m siding with GAMEOFINCHES to prevail under Paul Townend. He travelled so sweetly at Punchestown and he won with any amount in hand – he really could be anything.

I get the vibe that Willie Mullins thinks this horse could be very special indeed and it’ll be interesting to see which Closutton runner is supported in the market. You’d imagine that Copacabana will be well backed as stable number one but Gameofinches gets the nod for me.

Bambino Fever looks overpriced to me given how easily she won at the Dublin Racing Festival and mares have a decent record in the Champion Bumper, with the likes of Relegate and Fayonagh winning the race in years gone by.

Soft ground is key to bringing out the best in her and there is some rain in the forecast so it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see her shorten before the race. Jody Townend is one of the most underrated jockeys in the bumper sphere and she has each way claims.

Looking at the non-Mullins runners, Kalypso’chance has an excellent chance. He has a BHA rating of 130, which is actually 6lbs superior to my selection. However, that means very little as the handicapper has more to go off for the Gordon Elliott runner seeing as we’ve seen him on two occasions.

I was very impressed with the manner of his success at Navan in December, making some smart rivals look average enough. He is the choice of Jack Kennedy and Elliott will be hoping to go one better than last year after notching second with Romeo Coolio.

Idaho Sun deserves a mention here. He has a lofty reputation and Harry Fry has spoken highly of him in recent weeks – he is well worth a place in the race. On official ratings, he is up there with the Irish battalion and I give him an each way squeak.

SELECTION: GAMEOFINCHES