Majborough, the favorite in the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, suffered defeat after recurring jumping issues. Trainer Willie Mullins suggested the horse may need a longer distance in future races. Il Etait Temps claimed victory for Mullins.
In the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, Majborough entered as the 5-6 favorite following a strong performance at the Dublin Racing Festival. Jockey Mark Walsh led from the front, but the horse made an error five fences out, followed by another that allowed rivals to close in. Majborough, a former Triumph Hurdle winner, faded through the field, repeating jumping problems seen in the Arkle a year earlier.
Trainer Willie Mullins, who secured the win with second-favorite Il Etait Temps, reflected on Majborough's performance. "He was going so well at home, but then when he made that first little error and then the second one… he’s making life hard for himself," Mullins said. He described the horse's jumping: "At those three or four fences down the back he jumped the first one great, the second one all right and then at the third one he just took off before Mark wanted." Mullins remains optimistic, stating, "I think he’ll put the whole thing together one day and win a big one, unless we have to go out in trip. He can certainly gallop and he can certainly jump, but it does fall apart, and maybe he needs to go that extra half-mile – maybe he could be a Ryanair horse."
Libberty Hunter finished strongly, with trainer Cathy Williams noting the horse's affinity for Prestbury Park. Williams, who recently took over the training license from her husband Evan after his conviction for assaulting a dog walker, said, "We’re delighted with him, he’s been in good form coming here and we’ve a great team at home. We could have done with it softer today, but it wasn’t and he’s run a stormer. He loves Cheltenham and that hill and he needs it, with softer ground he would have been bang there."
Jockey Sean Bowen added, "I nearly came off him at the first which has fairly woken him up. He picked his feet up after that, he’s a strong stayer at that trip and loves Cheltenham for whatever reason. He’s a good horse on his day. He hated that ground so I would love a go on him on real soft ground. He’s a Grade One horse on his day."
L’Eau Du Sud placed third for trainer Dan Skelton, who extended his lead in the trainers’ championship. "We’ve no excuses, he’s run a blinder," Skelton said. "The race probably changed in complexion twice given what happened to Majborough. We were up there, where we wanted to be tracking into the straight and ready to take over and then there was one better who took over completely. I say if we had ridden him negatively he might have finished second, but also fair play to the Williams team. He will go to Aintree and that there puts us over the British record for prize-money."
