Sports
Mullins G1 treble as Il Etait Temps wins Champion Chase
Il Etait Temps (5/2) landed a third Grade 1 for Willie Mullins on day two of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
The son of Jukebox Jury, ridden by Lisgoold, Co Cork-born Paul Townend, ran out an emphatic 10-length winner of the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase despite a final-fence error.
A faller on his previous start at Ascot on 17 January, the eight-year-old grey was back to form with this his seventh Grade 1 success.
The British-trained pair of filled the places: Libberty Hunter was runner-up at 50/1, while L’Eau Du Sud was third at 13/2.
Seven G1s & counting for Il Etait Temps, including:
🏆 G1 @BetMGMUK Champion Chase
🏆 G1 Tingle Creek
🏆 G1 Celebration Chase pic.twitter.com/xlQQoj1qDm— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 11, 2026
Majborough the 5/6 favourite, in the colours of J.P. McManus, could only finish in seventh place after some major jumping errors over the two-mile race.
His defeat continues the poor record of odds-on favourites in the Champion Chase – he is now the 14th odds-on shot to taste defeat in the race this century.