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Ryanair 2020

The Ryan Air is the worst race at Cheltenham and should be scrapped. Its the joke race for the horses who are scared of gold cup or champion chase fields. The race completely ruins gold cups and champion chases.
 
ELEGANTLY TASTED said:
The Ryan Air is the worst race at Cheltenham and should be scrapped. Its the joke race for the horses who are scared of gold cup or champion chase fields. The race completely ruins gold cups and champion chases.
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Why not scrap all mid distances on all disciplines, Ballymore, Aintree Hurdle, JLT/Marsh, dont just pick out the Ryanair.


Probably need to get rid of 2&1/2M chase and hurdle handicaps too if you dont like mid-distance races.

Why does athletics have 100M, 200M, 400M, 800M, 1500M, 5000M, 10,000M and Marathon?

Why not just have the 100M and the Marathon loads of times instead? :devilish:
 
The ryan air is the reason you get 6 runner fields in the champion chase and smaller gold cup fields.

It takes away from the true champion races. You either understand it or you dont. It dilutes the quality of the races that make the Cheltenham festival what it once was.

2m 4f races have there place just not at the festival. Its all commercial and they just weaken the festival.
 
Some of the Ryanair flack is due to

* The name of the race it is illogical not to have the proper race name, with any sponsor added to the front of it.

* The lack of a Graded race programme leading up to the Festival over 2M4F, incl LH tracks.
 
ELEGANTLY TASTED said:
The ryan air is the reason you get 6 runner fields in the champion chase and smaller gold cup fields.

It takes away from the true champion races. You either understand it or you dont. It dilutes the quality of the races that make the Cheltenham festival what it once was.

2m 4f races have there place just not at the festival. Its all commercial and they just weaken the festival.
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You can understand what you are saying, yet still disagree with it Potato. Just an opinion.

I'd hate the rumoured 2 1/2 mile hurdle to happen as well. So maybe i am against the Ryanair to some degree.
 
Its a dodgers race. Dodgers races have no place if you want to pretend that Cheltenham is still the best of the best festivals. Call the race whatever you like.
 
By the sounds of things your all for a 5 day festival then ET :highly_amused: no need to get angry about stupid stuff relax and make yourself a cuppa when the Ryanair is on
 
Arkle said:
By the sounds of things your all for a 5 day festival then ET :highly_amused: no need to get angry about stupid stuff relax and make yourself a cuppa when the Ryanair is on
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If it was up to me it would be a 2 day festival amd would not involve any handicaps where the winning trainers are lauded as heroes for successfully not trying throughout the season and mugging off the punters all year long to get a well handicapped horse on the day.

The race itself can be interesting though it has no place at a festival and only weakens the festival.
 
Arkle said:
By the sounds of things your all for a 5 day festival then ET :highly_amused: no need to get angry about stupid stuff relax and make yourself a cuppa when the Ryanair is on
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True dat. Just dont watch it. If the horses were true players in a Gold Cup they would run in it. Theres no point loading up the Gold Cup with non-stayers just to have a bigger field, that would be daft.
 
Saxon Warrior said:
True dat. Just dont watch it. If the horses were true players in a Gold Cup they would run in it. Theres no point loading up the Gold Cup with non-stayers just to have a bigger field, that would be daft.
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Exactly. Getting rid of the Ryanair would not guarantee that those horses would defect to the CC or the GC. If they did defect then they'd likely be uncompetitive and merely making up the numbers.

Looking back at the previous winners, would any of them have be genuinely competitive if they'd run in the CC or GC instead?

I would not be bothered if the Ryanair got binned but I would not do it to make any other races better and increase field sizes as it would be a futile exercise.
 
I like the Ryanair personally it’s wide open this year and will be fun to watch
 
Arkle said:
I like the Ryanair personally it’s wide open this year and will be fun to watch
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I agree arkle - some good horses have won this race such as Frodon Un De Sceaux, Vautour, Cue Card etc
 
I'm a big fan of the Ryanair too.

Whatever way you look it, the gap between 2m and 3m2f for Championship races is simply too big.
 
What if they were to significantly increase the prize money for the 4 championship races, surely then owners would be less inclined to go for the "dodgers" race with any horse that had any realistic chance?
 
harchibald said:
I agree arkle - some good horses have won this race such as Frodon Un De Sceaux, Vautour, Cue Card etc
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Cue Card probably would have won the gold cup as a 9yo but for falling. Imagine what he could have done in a gold cup as a 7yo if he wasnt busy ducking the opposition in the ryan air. He would have strengthened the gold cup if the option of being a dodger didnt exist.

Un De Sceaux running in the champ chase would have strengthened the race but instead they dodged Altior and
took the dodgers race.

2 prime examples of the true champions races being greatly weakened due to the option of having a dodgers race where you can avoid the best.

The festival is meant to be about the best taking on the best not saying "oh were scared of that horse so lets go for the dodger race".
 
aalowe9 said:
What if they were to significantly increase the prize money for the 4 championship races, surely then owners would be less inclined to go for the "dodgers" race with any horse that had any realistic chance?
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They wouldn't be Dodgers if the BHA had a proper mid distance graded programme.

At the moment they have to run at 2M and 3M on the season at Grade 1 and 2 and then move to the mid-trip at the Festival.

If the race programmers did their job properly they would be able to race at mid-trips in Graded races all season and the antepost market and in-season collateral would be a lot easier to follow.

At the moment they have no choice but to run in mid-trip handicaps, the odd Grade 2 on right handed tracks, or over 2M or 3M.

If they choose the latter two then they are called Dodgers. Unfairly if the programme isn't there for them.
 
It can also be a stepping stone to the bigger races. I see Imperial Commander won the Ryanair in 2009 and then the Gold Cup in 2010.
 
The Gold Cup will always be the bigger race , there is no dispute. But there is a place for a mid-trip programme and a Festival Championship race.
 
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Just had a look at last years prize money and it seems all over the place -

Champion Hurdle - £450k
Champion Chase - £400k
Stayers - £325K
Gold cup - £625K

Ryanair - £350K

I was surprised how high the ryanair is compared to the none-gold-cup championship races. I would say this disparity needs looking into , surely the 4 main events should be much higher than anything else. Altho it does beg the question, when the festival goes 5 days what will the 5th main event be? Ryanair would seem to make the most sense but not if you are bringing in a 2m4 championship hurdle. Best make it a 6 day festival to be safe
 
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