Elite Irish Flat jockey to ride 20/1 Champion Bumper hope at the Cheltenham Festival

Liam Bramall

Published: February 26, 2026

Horse racing is in Liam's blood and his biggest passion is jumps racing. He can often be found at his favourite tracks; Chepstow and Cheltenham in the Autumn when the National Hunt action kicks off. In his own words: "I'm often referred to as a walking form book, a trait which comes in handy from time to time. My proudest tipping success to date was landing a whopping 682-1 accumulator at Epsom."

Colin Keane is Juddmonte’s retained rider on the Flat these days and for good reason. There aren’t many better jockeys around and he’s arguably the best Flat rider in Ireland at the moment. It’s therefore definitely worth noting that Noel Meade has acquired his services for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. Keane has never ridden at the Festival before and Meade’s runner is one to keep an eye on. Take a look at our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.

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CLAIM

Champion Bumper

The Mourne Rambler (20/1, bet365) was second by a length in his sole start in an Irish point in October and he left that run well behind when scoring with plenty in hand in a Leopardstown bumper on Boxing Day. Well on top at the finish, Cheltenham’s hill shouldn’t be a problem on that evidence.

Gavin Cromwell’s Outofafrika was 10 lengths behind back in fifth that day and he has boosted the form by winning impressively since. The five-year-old is related to several smart performers for this yard, including the 145-rated hurdler Sixshooter, who was also a smart bumper horse.

Noel Meade has six Cheltenham Festival winners to his name and the most recent of those was Jeff Kidder back in 2021. The veteran trainer has never won the Champion Bumper before did have the runner-up back in 2008.

A big run could be on the cards for The Mourne Rambler, judging by the trainer’s decision to book Keane, as it also suggests that he’s not just coming over for a day out. Willie Mullins’ Love Sign d’Aunou is currently the market leader and deservedly so, off the back of his 24-length demolition job at Naas.

The Mourne Rambler

Analysis

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CLAIM

Elite Irish Flat jockey to ride 20/1 Champion Bumper hope at the Cheltenham Festival

Champion Bumper

The Mourne Rambler

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