The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the feature race of day two at the Cheltenham Festival and has produced some of the most memorable performances in National Hunt racing. Run over two miles on the Old Course, the Grade 1 contest regularly showcases the very best two-mile chasers and remains one of the most prestigious prizes of the week at Prestbury Park.

Over the years, the race has been won by an array of exceptional horses, many of whom have gone on to define an era in jump racing. From multiple winners to dominant champions, the Queen Mother Champion Chase winners list reflects the quality, speed and jumping ability required to succeed at the very highest level.

Below, we take a look back at some of the standout winners from the race’s history and the horses that have left a lasting mark on this Cheltenham Festival showpiece.

Badsworth Boy

We start with the most successful horse in the history of the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Badsworth Boy is the only horse to have won the race on three occasions, and they all came back-to-back, in a glorious run of success from 1983 to 1985.

For trainers Michael and Monica Dickinson, and jockey Robert Earnshaw, it was a glorious period in their respective careers. Badsworth Boy made the Champion Chase his own for those three years in the 1980s, and his achievements are still talked about to this day. 

Pearlyman

The success of Badsworth Boy triggered a wave of horses winning successive editions of the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Pearlyman was the next to do so, coming out on top in both 1987 and 1988. 

John Edwards was the successful trainer who guided Pearlyman to glory, while Peter Morgan and Tom Scudamore were the lucky jockeys who got to revel in the success.

Barnbrook Again

In 1989, it was Barnbrook Again who tasted the glory of winning the Champion Chase in two successive years. David Elsworth was the winning trainer, with Simon Sherwood and Hywel Davies the men in the saddle. 

Viking Flagship

The mid-1990s were all about Viking Flagship as far as the Champion Chase was concerned. The David Nicholson-trained horse won it in 1994 and 1995, with Adrian Maguire and Charlie Swan taking to the saddle on respective occasions. 

Master Minded

It took 13 years for another horse to earn successive victories in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. It was Master Minded who achieved the feat, and it will come as no surprise that the legendary jockey-trainer duo of Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins were responsible for the success.

The first win for Master Minded came in 2007, before Walsh and Mullins followed it up with further glory 12 months later. 

Altior

Now we come to one of the Champion Chase’s modern heroes. Altior is one of the greatest horses of recent times. His dual Queen Mother triumphs in 2018 and 2019 are the main reason for his enduring legacy in racing. 

The honours went to trainer Nicky Henderson and his trusted jockey Nico de Boinville, who guided Altior to victory in successive editions of the Cheltenham Festival.  

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