Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-10-08
Down Royal Champion Chase 2026
The Champion Chase at Down Royal is the feature of the course's two-day Festival of Racing and the season's first Grade 1 test for top staying chasers. It has been sponsored as the BetVictor Champion Chase since 2025, and you will also see it under its earlier names, the Ladbrokes Champion Chase and, before that, the JNwine.com Champion Chase.
For 2026 the race is scheduled for Saturday 31 October 2026, the Saturday of the festival. The off time, the going and the declared runners are confirmed in race week, and this page adds the off time and going as they are published.
At a glance
- Course: Down Royal, near Lisburn, Northern Ireland
- Grade: Grade 1
- Distance: 3m, fifteen fences
- Age: 5yo+
- First run: 1999
- Sponsor: BetVictor, since 2025
The race was first run over a longer trip before settling at its present distance, and it has been a Grade 1 for almost all of its history. Kauto Star, Beef Or Salmon and Don Cossack are on its roll of honour.
Below: the 2026 details, the last ten winners with the trends behind them, how to watch, and the day out. The Down Royal course guide covers the track itself.
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2026 race details
2026 race details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Race date | Saturday 31 October 2026 |
| Off time | TBA |
| Going | TBA |
| Field size | TBA |
| Distance | 3m |
| Grade | Grade 1 |
| Age | 5yo+ |
It can fall on the same Saturday as the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, so check both cards if you follow the staying chasers.
Where the race fits
Fields are small, and repeat winners are common: Road To Respect won it two years running, and Envoi Allen three times, the last at the age of 11. A previous winner coming back for another go deserves respect.
In between comes Cheltenham's November Meeting, built around the Paddy Power Gold Cup. The next Grade 1 staying chases in Britain are the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November and the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day. Our festivals and big races board lists every big race coming up, soonest first.
Recent winners and trends
Recent winners and trends
Down Royal Champion Chase: Recent Winners
Grade 1 · 3m · 5yo+ · Down-royal · October/November
| Year | Winner | Age | SP | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Envoi Allen | 11 | 11/4 | Darragh O'Keeffe | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2024 | Envoi Allen | 10 | 3/1 | Darragh O'Keeffe | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2023 | Gerri Colombe | 7 | 4/7 f | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2022 | Envoi Allen | 8 | 7/2 | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2021 | Frodon | 9 | 3/1 | Bryony Frost | Paul Nicholls |
| 2020 | The Storyteller | 9 | 9/2 | Keith Donoghue | Gordon Elliott |
| 2019 | Road To Respect | 8 | 5/2 | Sean Flanagan | Noel Meade |
| 2018 | Road To Respect | 7 | 6/4 f | Sean Flanagan | Noel Meade |
| 2017 | Outlander | 9 | 16/1 | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2016 | Valseur Lido | 7 | 2/1 f | Ruby Walsh | Henry de Bromhead |
Trends
- Henry de Bromhead won four of the ten runnings from 2016 to 2025 (Valseur Lido 2016, Envoi Allen 2022, 2024 and 2025) and Gordon Elliott three (Outlander 2017, The Storyteller 2020, Gerri Colombe 2023).
- Three returned favourites won in 2016 to 2025 (2016, 2018, 2023).
- Repeat winners are common: Road To Respect won in 2018 and 2019 and Envoi Allen three times, the last at age 11.
- Small fields: five to nine runners in each of the eight runnings with a Sporting Life result page (2017 to 2022, 2024, 2025).
Source-verified from official records. Last checked 2026-10-05.
The trends
Winning age
- 7yo
- 30%
- 9yo
- 30%
- 8yo
- 20%
- 10yo
- 10%
Age known for 10 of 10 winners (2016–2025)
Market
- Started favourite
- 30%
- Won at 10/1 or bigger
- 10%
- Won at 5/1 or shorter
- 90%
Starting price known for 10 of 10 winners (2016–2025)
Trainers & jockeys
- Most successful trainer
- Henry de Bromhead (4)
- Most successful jockey
- Darragh O'Keeffe (2)
10 runnings (2016–2025)
The records
The records
- Most wins by a horse: Envoi Allen, three (2022, 2024 and 2025).
- Leading trainers: Paul Nicholls and Gordon Elliott, with five wins each.
- Leading jockey: Ruby Walsh, with four wins.
- Not run: 2005, when the meeting was cancelled after bomb warnings were telephoned to the racecourse.
Henry de Bromhead has had the upper hand lately: four of the ten runnings from 2016 to 2025 went to his stable, three of them with Envoi Allen.
How to watch and where to bet
How to watch and where to bet
The television listing and the off time are confirmed in race week, when the declarations are out. This page shows the off time above as soon as it is published.
Down Royal is in Northern Ireland, so British online bookmakers price the race in the usual way. Two things matter more than the welcome offer:
- Best odds guaranteed. In a small field the early price can move a long way. A BOG bookmaker pays the starting price if it is bigger than the price you took. See our best BOG bookmakers.
- Free bets and their terms. Check the minimum odds and the expiry before you claim. Our free bet offers page compares them.
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Raceday at Down Royal
Raceday at Down Royal
The Festival of Racing is the biggest meeting of the year at Down Royal, over a Friday and a Saturday, with the Champion Chase on the Saturday card. Book ahead if you want hospitality, and dress for a cold, possibly wet afternoon.
For getting there, the enclosures and what to wear, read our day out at Down Royal guide. The Festival of Racing guide covers the meeting as a whole, and the Down Royal betting guide has the course angles.
Results go on this page within 24 hours of the race, and the full card's results are on our racing results page the same evening.
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