2026 Ryanair Chase

[Faugheen_Machine]

Absolutely and I hate to say it that may just be time for me to bid farewell.

I'd be the same.

Getting rid of the Turners was a great move and this race should be next.

 

[Pigeon Island]

I’ve absolutely convinced myself Ricci will not allow his 2 best horses to step aside from the 2 premier races of the festival, but I’m also sure he will keep hearing go to the race you can win in his ear!!! So I reckon he splits them 1 in the premier race and 1 in the easier race….. I’m still backing Lossie for the champion hurdle on the machine and I will now be including Gaelic for the Ryanair in my antepost perms….. makes total sense as Paul will get to ride as well!

 

[Istabraq]

I’ve absolutely convinced myself Ricci will not allow his 2 best horses to step aside from the 2 premier races of the festival, but I’m also sure he will keep hearing go to the race you can win in his ear!!! So I reckon he splits them 1 in the premier race and 1 in the easier race….. I’m still backing Lossie for the champion hurdle on the machine and I will now be including Gaelic for the Ryanair in my antepost perms….. makes total sense as Paul will get to ride as well!

Ricci has pretty much zero say in where his horses go...

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

Ricci has pretty much zero say in where his horses go...

As an owner he has as much say as he wants, it’s his choice.

 

[Yosser]

As an owner he has as much say as he wants, it’s his choice.

I agree with this. All season long Willie has been saying Gaelic is a Good Cup contender. Nothing he has done on the track says he isn't. If Willie tries to get him in the Ryanair then it's for Willies benefit, not the horse or Ricci. Willie is basically saying, "sod your horse and dreams, I want to win prize money"

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

I agree with this. All season long Willie has been saying Gaelic is a Good Cup contender. Nothing he has done on the track says he isn't. If Willie tries to get him in the Ryanair then it's for Willies benefit, not the horse or Ricci. Willie is basically saying, "sod your horse and dreams, I want to win prize money"

Don’t forget the jockey
Apparently he has more say than the owner

 

[FredFlintstone]

Don’t forget the jockey
Apparently he has more say than the owner

Over the last 10 years history has proved this to be the case with Mullins. It’s happened repeatedly Ruby and Mullins tended to got their way. Annie Power for example was sent for the Stayers Hurdle despite never really looking like she needed three miles. I think Ricci once referred to it as the Mullins tax .

 

[Prestbury]

I think that if Ricci really wanted Lossiemouth to go Champion Hurdle or Gaelic Warrior to go Gold Cup then that's where they would go. He might have to live with Townend riding something else (e.g. GDC) but its not as if he is tilting at windmills - they both have solid chances. It will come down to whether Ricci has the balls.

 

[Istabraq]

As an owner he has as much say as he wants, it’s his choice.

You would think so but sadly it's just not the case with Mullins.
Unless you're JP when you send your horses to him you're effectively a bill payer, Mullins will decide where all his horses go and because he's such a genius at placing his horses every owner wants to send theirs to him...

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

You would think so but sadly it's just not the case with Mullins.
Unless you're JP when you send your horses to him you're effectively a bill payer, Mullins will decide where all his horses go and because he's such a genius at placing his horses every owner wants to send theirs to him...

It’s not the case cos unlike JP they allow it.
Placing a horse in the Ryanair or Mares is suiting himself and the jockey. Nothing genius about that at all imo.
It’s why JP don’t allow it.
Others should follow suit imo.

 

[Istabraq]

It’s not the case cos unlike JP they allow it.
Placing a horse in the Ryanair or Mares is suiting himself and the jockey. Nothing genius about that at all imo.
It’s why JP don’t allow it.
Others should follow suit imo.

I think owners just accept the man is a genius and send horses there on his terms.
He wants to win as many big races as possible, he has multiple horses good enough in each division so has to shuffle the pack to accommodate them all but it will be on the basis the operation comes first, not one specific owner.
JP is a unique animal because he has so many horses across so many trainers he needs to manage their schedule to avoid clashes, he'll have in the region of 50 runners at Cheltenham...

 

[archie]

It’s not the case cos unlike JP they allow it.
Placing a horse in the Ryanair or Mares is suiting himself and the jockey. Nothing genius about that at all imo.
It’s why JP don’t allow it.
Others should follow suit imo.

I think you'll find that all these things are made clear between parties before the horses arrive and that would have been the case with McManus and his pre-conditions just as the other owners agree that authority to act is just that.

I don't know how many of the 'grow a pair' mob have ever owned a proper share in a racehorse but my experience (40 years, 35 horses, 60 wins, 11 trainers) is that, if you have a large enough shareholding, you try to establish a relationship with your trainer so that you can have a proper and informed discussion. However, even with the smaller trainers, if you don't allow them the final say you are effectively saying that you don't trust them and it's time to move on.

No-one signs a Mullins training agreement without full knowledge of this and I doubt if either Mullins or Ricci are losing much sleep over the views of a few punters and journalists, even though they are fully entitled to those views.

 

[riccirich]

I think you'll find that all these things are made clear between parties before the horses arrive and that would have been the case with McManus and his pre-conditions just as the other owners agree that authority to act is just that.

I don't know how many of the 'grow a pair' mob have ever owned a proper share in a racehorse but my experience (40 years, 35 horses, 60 wins, 11 trainers) is that, if you have a large enough shareholding, you try to establish a relationship with your trainer so that you can have a proper and informed discussion. However, even with the smaller trainers, if you don't allow them the final say you are effectively saying that you don't trust them and it's time to move on.

No-one signs a Mullins training agreement without full knowledge of this and I doubt if either Mullins or Ricci are losing much sleep over the views of a few punters and journalists, even though they are fully entitled to those views.

Don't think anyone would be saying mullins is at fault with any of that. As you say its made clear at the start, and obviously if he can have it in a way that he makes all the decisions then he's going to be more than happy with that.

I'd lay the blame with the owners for accepting it. You say that owners try to establish a good relationship with a trainer so you can have good discussions, which is correct of course. It would just be my own personal view that in a proper trainer/owners relationship, that respect show go both ways, and I'd say with a lot of the top trainers it does, as in they dont just tell the owners how things are going to be and thats that. And if owner questions anything, then the relationship might be broken immediately and time to move on.

Not saying you should be questioning everything about how they campaign a horse etc as obviously they know a lot more than most owners, and that would signal distrust and trainers would understandably be annoyed. But in situations like sending gaelic/lossie etc to the second tier races when good enough to win the blue riband events, they should be questioned, as trainer/jockey are thinking about themselves a lot more than their owners in those situations.

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

I think owners just accept the man is a genius and send horses there on his terms.
He wants to win as many big races as possible, he has multiple horses good enough in each division so has to shuffle the pack to accommodate them all but it will be on the basis the operation comes first, not one specific owner.
JP is a unique animal because he has so many horses across so many trainers he needs to manage their schedule to avoid clashes, he'll have in the region of 50 runners at Cheltenham...

And that’s where Ricci could follow suit, split his horses, which I notice he looks like starting that. Horses with Venetia and now Hendo.
I hope he carries that on.
Would definitely help the sport.
Getting the top horses in the top races.
Imo it’s what we should all want.
Shame our biggest trainer does not seem to agree.

 

[Quevega]

All owners have a say
They own the animal
Just some are easily swayed or allow it or don’t care.
Syndicates are another thing altogether though as I expect trainer has a much bigger sway in most of those arrangements

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

I think you'll find that all these things are made clear between parties before the horses arrive and that would have been the case with McManus and his pre-conditions just as the other owners agree that authority to act is just that.

I don't know how many of the 'grow a pair' mob have ever owned a proper share in a racehorse but my experience (40 years, 35 horses, 60 wins, 11 trainers) is that, if you have a large enough shareholding, you try to establish a relationship with your trainer so that you can have a proper and informed discussion. However, even with the smaller trainers, if you don't allow them the final say you are effectively saying that you don't trust them and it's time to move on.

No-one signs a Mullins training agreement without full knowledge of this and I doubt if either Mullins or Ricci are losing much sleep over the views of a few punters and journalists, even though they are fully entitled to those views.

If I’m a member of the grow a pair mob then so be it.
I’m also a former owner, and always left the training to the person who trained the horses, absolutely.
However when entries were made or future races mooted, we had discussions and reasons explained. In our case we never had reason to want to question the trainer, but the opportunity was there.
In the case of of GW and Lossiemouth, I would love to know how on earth anyone reasons to an owner why they are not running in the Gold Cup and CH, with all the knowledge the owner would have.
If Lossiemouth goes to the Mares this year, imo Ricci should find another trainer.
It’s not as if WM is the only one out there.
Had he done that before he would almost certainly have one CH instead of a Mares, possibly more.

 

[archie]

Ricci is smart enough to know that Mullins usually gets it right. As far as this race is concerned, he believes that GW's most effective style of running is going forward over the intermediate trip. As Townend would only ride him in the Gold Cup if there was an issue with GdC and the relative form with Fact To File over 2m4f and 3m is in his favour, it's an easy argument to make and accept.

Briefly, because it's the wrong thread, Lossiemouth is a totally different case complicated by the lacklustre performance at the DRF. Definitely a wait and see how she seems on the run up to declarations.

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

Ricci is smart enough to know that Mullins usually gets it right. As far as this race is concerned, he believes that GW's most effective style of running is going forward over the intermediate trip. As Townend would only ride him in the Gold Cup if there was an issue with GdC and the relative form with Fact To File over 2m4f and 3m is in his favour, it's an easy argument to make and accept.

Briefly, because it's the wrong thread, Lossiemouth is a totally different case complicated by the lacklustre performance at the DRF. Definitely a wait and see how she seems on the run up to declarations.

Yep, pretty sure you are correct with the reasoning WM is saying behind GW possibly going Ryanair, I just don’t agree with it and I’m not convinced WM believes it either, imo it’s just trying to get two wins and saying what he can to convince his owner.
That performance the other day was that of a Gold Cup horse imo.
Yes he could win a Ryanair, but that’s not really the point here.
He could also win a Gold Cup, that’s the point, and his owner wanting a Gold Cup winner…..anywhere!! As he said before that race . And being denied the opportunity.
And in turn we are denied a top contender running in the Gold Cup.
Still if Rich is happy seeing his top staying chaser do what his other top staying chaser did a few years ago, win a Ryanair by a street, then that’s that really.

 

[Prestbury]

I think you'll find that all these things are made clear between parties before the horses arrive and that would have been the case with McManus and his pre-conditions just as the other owners agree that authority to act is just that.

I don't know how many of the 'grow a pair' mob have ever owned a proper share in a racehorse but my experience (40 years, 35 horses, 60 wins, 11 trainers) is that, if you have a large enough shareholding, you try to establish a relationship with your trainer so that you can have a proper and informed discussion. However, even with the smaller trainers, if you don't allow them the final say you are effectively saying that you don't trust them and it's time to move on.

No-one signs a Mullins training agreement without full knowledge of this and I doubt if either Mullins or Ricci are losing much sleep over the views of a few punters and journalists, even though they are fully entitled to those views.

I agree with everything you say but what I would say in this instance (Gaelic Warrior) is that we are talking about the Gold Cup - it is the pinnacle of the sport, the dream of every owner and something Ricci has never won despite sinking a sizeable sum into the sport. He doesn't need Willie to tell him that GW has a better chance of winning the Ryanair than the Gold Cup (a quick look at the betting markets tell him that) but sometimes that is not the point. Willie would absolutely respect this view if Ricci was adamant he wanted GW to go the Gold Cup route (particularly given the longevity of their relationship). Whether Ricci wants to do it is another question.

 

[Rooster Booster]

All owners have a say
They own the animal
Just some are easily swayed or allow it or don’t care.
Syndicates are another thing altogether though as I expect trainer has a much bigger sway in most of those arrangements

It’s probably worth remembering that when RR got into the sport he would have known next to zero about the sport. The best trainer in the history of the sport tells you to delegate all responsibility and decision making to him and guess what everything he touches turns to gold to an almost unprecedented level. I’m sure to RR it would have felt very similar to giving an accountant or financial advisor free rein and seeing his assets soar and tax burden plummet.

The level of trust RR would have had in Willie during that period would have been off the charts. Almost blind faith I would imagine. Just thinking about human nature it would take an awful lot to break that trust. Obviously that level of success could never be sustained and for a while now RR has enjoyed success and I’d say just about enough success to keep things ticking along. So I’d guess RR will have gone from marking Willie a 10/10 to perhaps a 7/10. Obviously it’s a lot easier to accept pure accommodation when the person you are accommodating is knocking it out of the park than it is when they are performing above average but not spectacularly.

Had RR had a different model or a different agreement the 10/10 period probably would never have happened. The other side of that coin is could he have experienced something better than a 7/10 with a different model or a different agreement and I think there is at least a reasonable argument to say he would.

The question now for me is does RR get the same enjoyment as he once did. Are his goals and ambitions the same as they were . What level of euphoria does he get from winning a mares hurdle or a Ryanair (he has experience of both already so he will know how another mares or another Ryanair will feel in comparison). He will know how his Champion hurdle wins felt and he will know how they stack up against his mares hurdle wins.

We can only guess the answer to these kinds of questions but he is giving a few clues. His recent interviews for me have shown signs that it hasn’t been feeling the same . The ‘gold cup’ speech felt very raw, very emotional and heartfelt. There have been other interviews where he talks about latent talent of horses that he has hopes for (horses that are hopefully or maybe horses) and these types of interview have been common place over the past few seasons now. His body language and his tone in these interviews have always seemed like ‘ I don’t know I’ve got this I’ve got that and we’ll see). Hope not confidence and a slight air of frustration and disappointment.

In addition there have been some false dawns, horses I think he felt were better than they turned out to be. Is that because he has needed that hope to convince himself he is still in love with it all, is he being told x and convincing himself they told him y …who knows. The point here though is something will give. Either something will happen to make him feel great again or the opposite will happen, it won’t drift indefinitely as a 7/10 that’s for sure.

If I had to guess he will not rock the boat just yet. He is not stupid. He knows Willie won’t go on forever and my guess is that the minute the training dynamic shifts materially he will make some major moves. Whether this means he will deinvest from the game entirely or reallocate his money within the game who knows.

If I were part of that training operation right now I would be trying to anticipate these things and human nature as it is , giving him a few wins in my opinion would be a timely and strategically sound thing to do. Sometimes you need to lose a few battles to win the war. I can see the operations desire to win every battle resulting in them losing the war. As with all things time will tell.