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2026 Ryanair Chase

Benjy23 said:
Sounds like IEP may actually show up here. First time out?

“Impaire Et Passe is grand and he likes the nicer ground and at the moment it’s all a bit too soft and mucky for him. We want to have a nice spring with him so we want to keep him fresh and well for then.
“Good ground is key to him, he enjoys that and he’ll have options at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown
“He’s anything from two and a half to three miles and I think he will definitely stay, but I imagine he would start off over the intermediate trip and then work his way up.
“We would be hoping we could get him to Cheltenham and something like the Ryanair could be right up his street. There is then a month from Cheltenham to Aintree where he won last year and then a smaller gap to Punchestown, but those spring festivals are where we want him racing really
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Music to my Ryanair AP books ears!😂

Don’t understand the Grand National entry though 🤔
 
PT now his his Ryanair ride. No need for Gaelic to not run on the Friday 😃
 
IEP would have a chance but best to wait closer to the time and see what the ground is. Ive seen many heavy ground Cheltenham's in my years
 
BigL said:
IEP would have a chance but best to wait closer to the time and see what the ground is. Ive seen many heavy ground Cheltenham's in my years
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Surely 12 NRNB is worth taking today. If it’s heavy he ain’t running if it’s Good to Soft he probably goes off fav
 
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BookieBasher said:
Surely 12 NRNB is worth taking today. If it’s heavy he ain’t running if it’s Good to Soft he probably goes off fav
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Could still run to put him right for Aintree and Punchestown, just won't be trying too hard!

No harm in betting then laying off/cashing out if not getting his ground.
 
Without FTF or Gaelic in this, I make Heartwood a great bet, and that's without Impaire and Jonbon running. Well done to those who are on him at 50s from earlier in the season! I only had a small bet at that price but have topped up at the current 8s.
 
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YoungHustler said:
Without FTF or Gaelic in this, I make Heartwood a great bet, and that's without Impaire and Jonbon running. Well done to those who are on him at 50s from earlier in the season! I only had a small bet at that price but have topped up at the current 8s.
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For those with 50/1 AP vouchers then maybe a small interest each way for the Gold Cup @ 66/1 NRNB as HDB did mention after his last race that they will consider it

A Plus Tard for Henry was third in the Ryanair the year before finishing runner up in the Gold Cup the following season……and then winning it the next year after that

Heart Wood is the same age as when A Plus Tard won the GC
 
On the 50s in Ryan air, but ant have Heartwood for the GC at all. Don’t think HW stays and GC looks like a hot race for me.
 
Magpie said:
On the 50s in Ryan air, but ant have Heartwood for the GC at all. Don’t think HW stays and GC looks like a hot race for me.
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Agree the GC is a hot race, although I’d suggest that a fair few have question marks around their staying power over the GC trip

As a result HDB will probably (hopefully) run him in what appears at this stage the easier race

However a lot can happen between now and race day and I just think he’s not a 66/1 poke if he runs in the GC - NRNB - and HDB did mention the race as a ‘consideration’ after Heart Woods last win
 
Panic Attack.....

"We'll keep her in the Ryanair until the last minute because that's a funny-looking race and could have only four or five runners, but you'd imagine she'll run in the Mares' Chase on the Friday of Cheltenham."
 
Lobos said:
Panic Attack.....

"We'll keep her in the Ryanair until the last minute because that's a funny-looking race and could have only four or five runners, but you'd imagine she'll run in the Mares' Chase on the Friday of Cheltenham."
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Definitely worth a go if gaelic and fact to file dont run
 
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Lobos said:
Panic Attack.....

"We'll keep her in the Ryanair until the last minute because that's a funny-looking race and could have only four or five runners, but you'd imagine she'll run in the Mares' Chase on the Friday of Cheltenham."
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The skelton quotes are filtering through in bits - any chance for the full post in the members area?
 
darlojim said:
I'd say its long odds on though ONE of them 2 will
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Second be worth more than winning Mares Chase. And prize money be a big focus with their title challenge. Mares looks to be more competitive than placing in this Ryanair as well!

Think they could still go for it...
 
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Lobos said:
Panic Attack.....

"We'll keep her in the Ryanair until the last minute because that's a funny-looking race and could have only four or five runners, but you'd imagine she'll run in the Mares' Chase on the Friday of Cheltenham."
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Makes absolute sense
Considering no one knows whose going to be in the Ryanair!!
 
Ruby Walsh feels one of Gaelic Warrior or Fact To File will run in the Ryanair Chase as it's 'too good an opportunity' for one of them.

Fact To File is even-money in Paddy Power's NRNB market for the Ryanair and Gaelic Warrior is 7/4, with the former also favourite for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup after his Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup win at the Dublin Racing Festival.

JP McManus' horse will have to be supplemented for the Gold Cup, however, and Walsh feels that Gaelic Warrior has the greater stamina of the pair.

Speaking on Paddy Power Media's ‘From The Horse’s Mouth’ podcast Cheltenham Countdown, the analyst said: "I think when you look at Florida Pearl, he had a great record at Leopardstown, didn’t quite ever get the trip in a Gold Cup and that’s probably the question mark for both Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File.

"Gaelic Warrior would need to settle to get it and Fact To File didn’t look like he got it last year, but looked like he got three miles at Leopardstown really well this year when aggressively ridden.

"But it’s still a question mark with both horses, will they get three and a quarter?

"It’s an unknown, but it’s a question mark and then when you sit down and toss it around and connections think about it, one of them is likely to think I’ll take the Ryanair – which one it is I don’t know.

"I suppose it’s not even your opinion as I think when you look back through both horses, Fact To File won a two and a half mile bumper as a five-year-old, whereas Gaelic Warrior was getting that sort of trip, won a three-mile Grade 1 novice hurdle as a five-year-old.

"So probably there’s always been more stamina in Gaelic Warrior, but I don’t know what it is, three miles and three and a quarter at Cheltenham, it sounds nothing those two furlongs and a couple of yards, they seem to make a huge

The more you go through it and go through it, it’s hard not to see either Fact To File or Gaelic Warrior turning up here, I think one of them will. It’s going to be too good an opportunity.

"There’s 27 other races - free bet in the Ryanair, I’m splitting my stake and having it on either one of those two, Gaelic Warrior or Fact To File, because I think either one will be a shade of odds-on if they run.

"If you think back to all of the races we’ve had this year – the standout race still in my mind is the John Durkan. As good and all as the King George was to watch, it became a dash down the straight with four horses.

"As actually a race to watch from the grandstand, the John Durkan, that was two and a half and it was these two horses. Now I know they both then contested the Irish Gold Cup and you’re talking about going an extra couple of furlongs with them, but it’s easy to argue both of them are off the charts at two and a half."
 
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The sooner they get rid of the ryanair the better 👍
 
If Fact to File is supplemented for Gold like expected.

I wonder if they'll also shell out for Iroko to run in the Ryanair.
He got raised to 157 this morning.

With Jaqwar (rated 151) also looking for a run at Cheltenham and having the Ryanair entry I expect they now wish they had entered Iroko also.

If JP is listening, I'd do a fucking miles better job than the fucking hangers on you have doing it at the minute.
 
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