The Ryanair Chase made its debut at the Cheltenham festival in 2005 and was upgraded to Grade One status in 2008.
Run over 2m5f The Ryanair Chase is seen as an easier alternative to the Gold Cup but has usually attracted high quality fields. It can produce future Gold Cup winners - in 2009 Imperial Commander won the Ryanair Chase and that horse followed up in the Gold Cup 12 months later. 2013 Ryanair Chase winner, Cue Card, is one of the favourites for the 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Ryanair Chase Trends
As with pretty much every Grade 1 race, there is a minimum quality threshold for a potential winner and for this race it seems that you need to be rated at least 152 by the official handicapper to stand a chance of winning. Another important stat that stands out is this race tends to go to a horse that hasn't had a busy campaign, the last 10 winners had all run no more than 4 times since October that season.
It is also a big help if a horse has previous winning form at Cheltenham, has a decent amount of experience over fences (at least 6 runs), had won over the distance and is well fancied for the race (in the first 3 in the betting).
| 12/12 | were sent off no bigger than 16/1 |
| 12/12 | held an OR of 152+ (Last 7 held a 161+ mark) |
| 12/12 | ran in at least a Grade 3 last time out (7 of last 8 ran in a Grade 1) |
| 12/12 | had made 1-5 starts that season recording no more than 2 wins |
| 12/12 | had previously gone left handed 6+ times recording 2+ wins |
|
| 12/12 | ran in England last time out |
12/12 | finished in the first four on their debut under Rules | 10/12 | came from the first three in the betting |
You can read more on the Ryanair Chase Trends if you
check out a Key Trends blog from OLBG member Robmull. He not only lists the trends but also looks at those he considers most important before providing a list.
Ryanair Chase Analysis
As with many of the races at the Cheltenham Festival
course winning form looks to be advisable with only 2012 winner Riverside Theatre not having previously scored at the course. With the trend being so strong for the top 3 in the market doing so well in the race, if you find that one of the favourites hasn't already won at Cheltenham then you could be looking at a very small shortlist for potential winners.
Ryanair Chase Last Ten Winners
Table below shows the last ten winners of the race, their age at the time of winning, trainer, jockey and odds (starting price).
| Year | Horse | Age/Wgt | Trainer | Jockey | Price |
| 2017 | Un De Sceaux | 9-11-10 | W Mullins | R Walsh | 7/4F |
| 2016 | Vautour | 7-11-10 | W Mullins | R Walsh | EvsF |
| 2015 | Uxizandre | 7-11-10 | A King | AP McCoy | 16/1 |
| 2014 | Dynaste | 8-11-10 | D Pipe | T Scudamore | 3/1F |
| 2013 | Cue Card | 7-11-10 | C Tizzard | J Tizzard | 7/2 |
| 2012 | Riverside Theatre | 8-11-10 | N Henderson | B Geraghty | 7/2F |
| 2011 | Albertas Run | 10-11-10 | JJ ONeill | AP McCoy | 6/1 |
| 2010 | Albertas Run | 9-11-10 | JJ ONeill | AP McCoy | 14/1 |
| 2009 | Imperial Commander | 8-11-10 | N Twiston-Davies | P Brennan | 6/1 |
| 2008 | Our Vic | 10-11-10 | D Pipe | T Murphy | 4/1 |
Ryanair Chase Trainer Statistics
The table below outlines some of the top trainers record in the Ryanair Chase over the last ten years
Trainer | Number of runners | Wins | Other Placed Horses | Win LSP | Each Way LSP | Ryanair Chase Top Trainers
|---|
| N Henderson | 12 | 1 | 2 | -7.50 | -6.60 |
| P Nicholls | 12 | 1 | 2 | -6.50 | -6.32 |
| WP Mullins | 9 | 1 | 2 | -7.00 | -2.50 |
| JJ ONeill | 7 | 2 | 1 | 15.00 | 8.50 |
| A King | 7 | 1 | 2 | 10.00 | 5.48 |
| P Hobbs | 7 | 0 | 0 | -7.00 | -7.00 |
| D Pipe | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3.00 | 1.05 |
| N Twiston Davies | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4.00 | 1.60 |
| C Tizzard | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1.50 | 0.10 |
Ryanair Chase Preview
Only two winners have started at a bigger price than 6/1
The
last six winners have all had an official rating of 161 or higher
Ryanair Chase Tips from the OLBG Forum
OLBG member
Alexman thinks that Ireland could register only their second win in the Ryanair:
Empire Of Dirt was confirmed for this race by Gordon Elliott on the Betfair Twitter feed on the 27th of Feb and rates a knocking bet for me now.Empire Of Dirt travelled beautifully into the Irish Gold Cup, cruised in there but was maybe just outstayed over that 3 miles by Sizing John (still had some very good horses in behind); therefore this trip should really suit 100%. Indeed, he has winning festival form over 2m 5f furlongs in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate last year, so clearly likes the place, and Gordon Elliott is enjoying his best ever season so confidence will be high that this horse can give him another Cheltenham winner.
See the
latest news on the Ryanair Chase here via the OLBG forum.
The next race on Day 3 is the Stayers Hurdle
Check out the tips and race preview for that race here.