Quilixios expected to bypass DRF ahead of Champion Chase

January 26, 2026

Quilixios is expected to bypass the Dublin Racing Festival ahead of a redemption bid in the Champion Chase.

Before Christmas, Henry de Bromhead confirmed the nine-year-old had suffered a small setback in the early part of the season but mentioned the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown as a potential comeback target.

However it appears Quilixios is going to skip this weekend’s action in the Irish capital in favour of going back to Cheltenham fresh according to stable jockey Darragh O’Keeffe, speaking on Racing TV’s Road To Cheltenham show.

“I’m not 100% sure, but I’d imagine he won’t (turn up at the Dublin Racing Festival). I thought they might save him for Cheltenham, looking at his record when fresh.

“Maybe his best chance of winning a Champion Chase would be to go there without a run. He’s proven that he can come out on his first start and be ready.”

Quilixios boasts strong course form at Prestbury Park, a ready winner of the Triumph Hurdle in 2021 and in a wide open division it’s no surprise De Bromhead’s team want to prioritise the big one.

Majborough, plagued with jumping woes and attitude concerns is not a daunting opponent, L’Eau du Sud would prefer a real test on what is unlikely to be soft ground and Il Etait Temps took a big backwards step in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot.

The son of Maxios has been nibbled at in recent days in the ante-post betting for Sunday’s Grade 1, cut from as big as 20/1 into a general 12/1.

He was last seen in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham last March, running a blinder at 40/1 and alongside eventual winner Marine Nationale going over the final fence before taking an unfortunate tumble.

The market move may simply be due to uneasy vibes surrounding the reigning champion two-miler, likely to be unsuited by the current yielding to soft conditions on the chase track with up to 60mm of rain due before racing begins.

⭐️ It was meant to be

Marine Nationale won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle under the late Michael O’Sullivan. Two years on, he wins the Champion Chase in an emotional success ❤️ pic.twitter.com/LIpPdrGw00

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 12, 2025

Things didn’t go to plan for the Cheveley Park Stud representative in the Dublin Chase last year, paying the price for trying to go with a ferocious gallop set by Joseph O’Brien’s course expert Solness.

Quilixios is knocking on the door, inching ever closer to landing that elusive top-level win over fences but the better opportunity could be to sit tight and tune up to the maximum for Cheltenham – as tempting as Leopardstown may seem.

De Bromhead is adamant he’s ground versatile and considering uncertainty in that regard for the market leader, there’s a definite chance of an upset.

Barry Connell skipped the Fortria Chase, ran on soft to heavy at Navan in November with Marine Nationale who he describes as a light-actioned horse that prefers a decent surface.

Quilixios will probably only get one more real crack at Festival glory and after all, Cheltenham is the Olympics of National Hunt racing.