William Hill Champion Steeplechase 2023 | Tips, Odds & Predictions

The hotly anticipated Punchestown Festival starts in earnest on Tuesday, April 25th, with this kickstarting five days of action that will feature 40 races and a staggering 12 Grade 1 events. The opening day will be dominated by one such Grade 1 race, in the form of the Punchestown Champions Chase.

In this guide, I’ll take a look at the latest ante post odds for this race, while making my own Champion Steeplechase prediction about who will win in 2023.

💯 William Hill Champion Steeplechase Betting Odds

Open to runners aged five and older, the race covers roughly two miles and 11 difficult fences, while the winner will earn a cool €180,000 on behalf of their owners. So far, nine runners have confirmed their place in the 2023 William Hill Champion Steeplechase starting lineup. The initial ante-post prices are slowly being published too, so here’s a closer look at the very latest Champion Steeplechase betting odds.

Runner
Energumene	TBC	1.40	1.36	1.40	1.44	1.36
Gentleman De Mee	TBC	6.00	6.00	6.00	5.00	6.00
Captain Guinness	TBC	7.50	7.00	6.00	6.50	7.50
Blue Lord	TBC	10.00	11.00	9.00	10.00	10.00
Magic Daze	TBC	26.00	29.00	21.00	17.00	26.00
Rebel Gold	TBC	34.00	34.00	34.00	41.00	34.00
Chacun Pour Soi	TBC	34.00	26.00	34.00	26.00	34.00

⚡ William Hill Champion Steeplechase Preview

While a relatively small field of nine will compete for the 2023 William Hill Champion Steeplechase, this number includes some truly exceptional runners. So, I’ve prepared a more detailed Champion Steeplechase preview, which will take a closer look at the four most likely race winners!

1️⃣ Energumene

Even a quick glance at the initial ante post odds for the Champion Steeplechase confirm Energumene as the early favourite, at an average price of around 1/3. There’s good reason for this too; as this nine-year-old gelding has won nine of 11 career steeplechase outings and placed in the top three on every single occasion he’s gone under starters’ orders.

What’s more, he romped home by 10 lengths from Captain Guinness in the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, travelling strongly throughout before powering down the straight. This proved his ability to last the two-mile course in exceptional company, and there’s no doubt that is in top form ahead of Punchestown.

Of course, he also fell short in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Clarence House Chase at the same course in January, although it should be noted that he was well-placed in second just two fences from home before he blundered and lost further ground on winner Editeur Du Gite.

This appeared to be more of a blip than a serious cause for concern, and Energumene is a more than justifiable favourite ahead of the Champion Steeplechase. However, the question that remains is whether he offers genuine value at a starting price of around 1/3. I’ll leave this for you to decide!

2️⃣ Captain Guinness

Captain Guinness will also compete in the 2023 Champion Steeplechase, at an average starting price of 11/2. This reflects a relatively impressive steeplechase career that has seen the eight-year-old bay gelding win four of 15 career races, while placing in the top three on 10 occasions in total.

This included his impressive run at Cheltenham last time out, when despite being overpowered by Energumene late on, he showcased tremendous staying power and an ability to keep going down the final straight.

He also placed second at the Grade 1 Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown in December, finishing 11 lengths behind winner Blue Lord but once again running well and featuring prominently throughout.

Trained by the excellent Henry De Bromhead, Captain Guinness is well placed to do well at the 2023 Champion Steeplechase. He’s definitely a good value each-way bet, especially at his current ante post price of 11/2.

3️⃣ Blue Lord

While Blue Lord may have beaten Captain Guinness into second place during the Grade 1 Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown, the Willie Mullins-trained runner will arrive in Punchestown priced as high as10/1 with BoyleSports to win the 2023 William Hill Champion Steeplechase.

This has much to do with his relatively poor showing last time out at Cheltenham, when he placed eighth out of nine runners in the Ryanair Chase (Registered As The Festival Trophy) Grade 1 outing. This was despite a strong start, as Blue Lord faded over the two-mile, four-furlong course and weakened just two fences from home.

However, he has more than demonstrated his ability and staying power over two miles, while it should be noted that he won two consecutive steeplechases over a similar distance at Clonmel and Leopardstown towards the end of 2022.

Once again, Blue Lord remains a viable each-way wager for the 2023 Champion Steeplechase, while you may even want to take a punt on him to win outright at a price of 10/1.

4️⃣ Gentleman De Mee

Interestingly, Blue Lord also placed second in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Dublin Chase in February, ultimately trailing the eventual winner Gentleman De Mee by seven lengths. There was no shame in this, with his seven-year-old stablemate an exceptional runner who disputed the lead from the beginning in Leopardstown.

Gentleman De Mee now has a total of four wins from nine career chase outings, although he had gone nearly 10 months without success prior to his triumph at Leopardstown.

However, his previous win had come in the Grade 1 Poundland Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree last April, when he prevailed by an impressive 4½ lengths from Edwardstone.

He’s priced at around 4/1 to win at Punchestown, which make for reasonable ante post odds given his form and competitiveness. He’ll certainly be one to watch at Punchestown.

⭐ William Hill Champion Steeplechase Betting Tips

These four runners alone are well-placed to contend for the William Hill Champion Steeplechase 2023. However, wagering on this type of competitive and unpredictable Grade 1 race can be challenging, so here are a few Champion Steeplechase betting tips to help you on your way!

✔️ Understand Race Gradings

While studying form and past performances is a staple of any sports betting activity, it’s important that you’re focused when reviewing the data ahead of horse races.

There’s certainly a lot of information to consider when analysing form and engaging in horse racing betting, but one of the key criteria is the grading of a particular race.

The are three main grades of National Hunt racing, with 1,2 and 3 each hosting two distinct class bands. Grade 1 is considered to represent elite-level racing and runners, and when betting on this type of event, it’s important to see how runners have fared in previous races of the same quality.

This can lead to more informed decision making and a better appraisal of each horse’s actual form, while it could make all the difference ahead of the Champion Steeplechase!

✔️ Keep an Eye on Your Punchestown Bankroll

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll bet on just one race at the Punchestown Festival, with 40 different races scheduled to take place over five action-packed days.

Because of this, it can be hard to manage your bankroll over the course of the festival, which is why you should commit to never wagering more than you can afford to lose over the duration of the five-day Punchestown festivities!

It’s also wise to plan your betting activity in advance and calculate how your bankroll will be deployed, as you identify your preferred races and the best-value odds or betting markets.

Another key step to managing your bankroll over the course of the festival is to carefully calculate each stake amount. For example, you may want to bet small amounts when backing high-priced outsiders to win specific races, whereas your stake can be increased when betting on short-price favourites or each-way wagers.

✔️ Use Your Free Bets Wisely ?

While sportsbooks are always offering free bets promotions and 100% deposit matches to new players, many also increase their wider portfolio of bonuses ahead of iconic events such as the Punchestown Festival.

So, it’s worth reviewing these free bet promotions and offers before selecting operators and placing your wagers, as this enables you to identify the offers that best suit the size of your bankroll and the odds of the outcomes that you’d like to back.

When appraising the full range of promotions in play, you should also look for guaranteed odds and price boosts, which deliver the highest value prices in real-time.

If you want to place accumulators across the Punchestown Festival, I’d also recommend wagering with a bookie that offers acca insurance. After all, this creates a safety net in instances where one of your selections doesn’t come in, and it can make the difference between failed and successful wagers!

🏆 William Hill Champion Steeplechase 2023 Prediction

These Champion Steeplechase tips aside, the question that remains is who am I tipping to win this Grade 1 race in 2023?

Well, it’s hard to look beyond the ante post favourite Energumene, who’s odds-on to win at Punchestown and has yet to place outside of the top three in any of his career chase outings to date.

His performance in the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March was also truly exceptional, especially when you consider that he won by a canter and left Champion Steeplechase rival Captain Guinness trailing by a whopping 10 lengths.

Certainly, he’s more than capable of staying the two-mile course and will encounter similar going at Punchestown to what he encountered at Cheltenham, so my prediction is that Energumene will deliver on his status as favourite and win the 2023 Champion Steeplechase. Of course, his exceptionally short price of 1/3 will deter many from placing such a bet, but you could consider increasing your stake to maximise any potential returns.

The aforementioned Captain Guinness (11/2) and Gentleman De Mee (4/1) also offer exceptional value as each-way bets, with the latter hoping to evoke memories of his superb display when winning the Grade 1 Poundland Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree last April in similar company.

Interestingly, French Dynamite is priced as high as 33/1 with BoyleSports to win the William Hill Champion Steeplechase 2023. He also offers value as an each-way bet, especially as he performed well last time out when finishing fourth at the Grade 1 Marsh Chase at Ainitree on April 14th.

Blue Lord can also be backed each-way in the 2023 Champion Steeplechase, although his average starting price of around 10/1 means that you may want to consider backing him to win outright with a nominal stake.

🎁 The Best Free Bets Offers for the William Hill Champion Steeplechase 2023

I’ve already spoken about how free bets and promotions can be used to help increase your bankroll and minimise your risk of loss. To build further on this, let’s take a look at the very latest free bets and deposit match offers from Betinreland’s leading sportsbooks, so that you can select the bonus that best suits your gambling needs!

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❓Frequently Asked Questions About the William Hill Champion Steeplechase Betting 2023

Before I bring this Champion Steeplechase betting guide to a close, it’s important to answer some of your most frequently asked questions about the 2023 iteration of this race. This will hopefully help to summarise the content above while you wait for the Punchestown and Champion Steeplechase results to come in!

✒️ Lewis Humphries iGaming and Sports Betting Expert

Lewis Humphries is an experienced sportswriter and tipster from the UK. He writes regularly about the horse racing and key events from across the UK and Ireland, including the Irish Grand National, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Aintree Grand National. He’s also providing extensive coverage and predictions for the 2023 Easter Festival at Fairyhouse.