The William Hill Champion Chase runs tonight at 18:05 at Punchestown. It is the feature race of the festival's opening day — five runners, four of them trained by Willie Mullins, the fifth being last year's winning defender Marine Nationale. Here is the complete preview.
The Five Runners
Il Etait Temps (Paul Townend, Willie Mullins) — 7/4 favourite. Won the Cheltenham Champion Chase by 10 lengths. Now 8-from-11 over fences. Has beaten Gaelic Warrior on his only previous Punchestown chase course start. Right-handed track suits — his record on right-handed tracks and good or yielding ground is excellent.
Marine Nationale (Barry Connell) — defending champion. Won this race last year and the Cheltenham Champion Chase the year before. Missed Cheltenham 2026 through injury but Barry Connell confirmed on April 13 that the horse is "fine now" and completed a successful piece of work at Fairyhouse. Has not raced since being beaten by Majborough at the Dublin Racing Festival in February.
Majborough (Willie Mullins) — won this race at Punchestown last year as a novice. Faded badly at Cheltenham this season. Won a Grade 2 at Fairyhouse in March on his return. Has a tongue tie fitted. The fitting of a tongue tie often signals a specific tactical adjustment — worth noting.
Energumene (Willie Mullins) — two-time Punchestown Champion Chase winner in 2022 and 2023. Now 12 years old. Won a Grade 2 at Fairyhouse recently to show he retains ability. At 12, he is the sentimental selection but the legs of the younger horses are a realistic concern.
Blood Destiny (Willie Mullins) — outsider. Completes the Mullins-dominated five-runner field.
The Case for Il Etait Temps
Ten lengths at Cheltenham. The freetips.com analysis is direct: "Il Etait Temps has won six Grade Ones in his last nine starts, and beat the great Gaelic Warrior on his only previous outing on the chase course at Punchestown." His record at Punchestown over fences is one from one — and that one was over Gaelic Warrior. Going: yielding at Punchestown today — his record on good or yielding ground is excellent. Paul Townend riding at a track where he wins 44% of his rides across the festival.
The Case for Marine Nationale
Freshness. He has not run since February while Il Etait Temps has had a hard Cheltenham campaign. The Punchestown freshness angle is one of the most consistent patterns at the festival — horses arriving with more rest than rivals who ran at Cheltenham consistently outperform their prices. Marine Nationale won this race last year and the Read Horse Racing preview notes he has "a history of performing well after breaks."
The Verdict
Read Horse Racing's Andy Newton picks Il Etait Temps, describing him as the safer call. William Hill's preview picks Marine Nationale based on freshness. Freetips.com selects Il Etait Temps at 7/4. The weight of analytical opinion points to Il Etait Temps but the freshness argument for Marine Nationale is genuine and not to be dismissed at bigger odds.
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Facts verified via web search April 28 2026. Sources: Paddy Power News, Read Horse Racing, William Hill News, Freetips.com.