Champagne Fever (foaled 26 May 2007) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. He is noted for his front-running style and has won seven of his thirteen races. After beginning his racing career on the amateur point-to-point circuit he became the dominant National Hunt Flat performer in Britain and Ireland in 2012, winning the Champion Bumper and the Champion INH Flat Race. In the following season he was campaigned in novice hurdle races and won two more Grade I races, the Deloitte Novice Hurdle in Ireland and Supreme Novices' Hurdle in England. In his first season over steeplechase fences he won one minor race and finished second in the Arkle Challenge Trophy and in the following year he added win in the Clonmel Oil Chase and Red Mills Chase. Background Champagne Fever is a grey gelding bred in Ireland by John P. Cahill and John Walsh. He was sired by Stowaway, who won the Gordon Stakes and the Great Voltigeur Stakes in 1997. Stowaway has made some impact as a National Hunt stallion, also siring Hidden Cyclone, winner of four Graded races in Ireland. Champagne Fever's dam Forever Bubbles was unraced. As a three-year-old gelding, Champagne Fever was sent to the Tattersalls Ireland sale in June 2010 and was bought for €17,500 by Michael O'Mara. He was subsequently acquired by Rich and Sussanah Ricci and sent into training with Willie Mullins in County Carlow. Racing career 2011/2012 National Hunt season: National Hunt Flat races Before competing under National Hunt rules, Champagne Fever made an appearance on the amateur point-to-point circuit winning over three miles at the Quakerstown meeting on 24 April 2011. When the 2011/2012 National Hunt season began, Champagne Fever was campaigned in National Hunt Flat races, also known as "bumpers" starting at Leopardstown Racecourse on 26 December when he was ridden by his trainer's son Patrick Mullins and finished second to Thomas Edison. Mullins was again in the saddle when Champagne Fever reappeared in a bumper at Fairyhouse in January. He started the 1/4 favourite and led from the start to win "comfortably" by thirteen lengths. On 14 March Champagne Fever started a 16/1 outsider for the Grade I Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival. Mullins sent him into the lead after a furlong and held off several challengers to win by one and a quarter lengths from the favourite New Year's Eve. The