Favori De Champdou

The standout moment of his recent career came at Cheltenham on 24 January 2026, where he won a Class 2 race — one of the better races you'll find in British racing. Cheltenham is the sport's most famous and demanding venue, a track with steep hills and sweeping bends that separates the genuine performers from the pretenders. Winning there at any age is an achievement; winning there at 11 suggests a horse who has aged into his best rather than past it. He has raced just 18 days since that win, so he arrives at his next outing in form and full of confidence.

His jockey pairing with Jack Kennedy is one of the reasons to get excited here. In 9 races together, Kennedy has guided Favori De Champdou to 5 wins — that's a win rate of 56%, or more than 1 in every 2 races. That kind of chemistry between horse and rider is genuinely rare, and it suggests Kennedy understands exactly how to get the best from him.

Then there's the ground. On wet or muddy conditions, this horse has won 2 of his 3 races — a 67% win rate that is frankly staggering. Some horses merely cope with soft ground; Favori De Champdou appears to actively thrive on it, which in the British winter and spring gives him plenty of opportunities to shine.

Behind him stands Gordon Elliott's yard in Longwood, Co Meath — one of the most powerful operations in jump racing. With 209 winners already this season, Elliott's team knows how to place a horse and peak it at the right moment. Favori De Champdou has been with them since his first career win at Thurles back in November 2022, and the fact he's still winning top-level races more than three years later speaks volumes about how well he has been managed. This is a horse in the form of his life at an age when many would have already retired.