I'm not 100% certain that you can call the Ryanair Chase a ‘Champion' race, but it's a Grade 1 and a lot of smart horses turn up.
When I mentioned that the Stayer's Hurdle isn't for everyone, this race grinds a lot of gears of the racing purists. A lot of people feel like it takes away horses from the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup, as it's an ‘easier' route to get a Grade 1 and Cheltenham Festival victory.
This race offers £211,013 to the winner and is run one race behind the Stayers' Hurdle at 4.00 pm on Thursday, 12th March. It is run over 2m 4f over fences.
Cheltenham 2026: Ryanair Chase history
Unlike the other race previews over the last three days, this race has little history, as it was inaugurated in 2005.
The main reason this race was added to the Cheltenham Festival calendar was that it had previously been a three-day festival. When they changed it and added an extra day, they had room to add further races, with the Ryanair Chase being one.
When it was first introduced to the festival, it was known as the Festival Trophy and was a Grade 2. Since the second running of the race, it has been backed by Ryanair, and the event got a Grade 1 status in 2008.
Two horses have won it twice, those being Albertas Run in 2010 and 2011, as well as Allaho in 2021 and 2022.
Willie Mullins is the most successful trainer of the race in a short span of time, with six victories.
Cheltenham 2026: Ryanair Chase top picks
This could sound ridiculous, as we have seen odds-on favourites get toppled over all the time at the Cheltenham Festival, but surely this is a one-horse race.
Fact To File is the best horse in this race by a country mile, and at the time of writing, he is the 4/6 red-hot favourite. He won this race last year in impressive style, and there's no reason to believe that he won't land a second.
You can understand why he is in this race, as he can retain his title. However, he ran a blinder at the DRF and must have been a key player in the Gold Cup if he was in that race. This is why a lot of people have a problem with this race.
I won't be backing him at his odds, but I think he's a safe bet for a multiple. The only thing that should beat him is the fences, and if he makes a mistake. I don't think it's likely, as he is a two-time Cheltenham Festival winner.
Cheltenham 2026: Ryanair Chase outsiders
If the ground is to remain quick, and the rain doesn't come, or there isn't a lot of rain, Banbridge will be fancied in the w/o fav market. He is a course winner and is a very good horse on his day. The main problem is that we don't see that level too often. He has finished second in the most recent King George and won it the year before, so we know he's classy. He needs good ground to be at his best.
A horse many have fallen in love with over the years is Jonbon. Could he win this race? sure. Do I think he will? I doubt it. He doesn't look like the force of old, but maybe the trip will help him in his old age. He has a fantastic record of never being outside the top two in any of his races from 27 outings, so we know he is consistent. My main gripe with him is that he has struggled with the Cheltenham fences a lot in recent times, and he can't afford to make mistakes against Fact To File.
Impare Et Passe has been one of the horses that has won the Ballymore hurdle (no longer called the Ballymore) and then didn't go on to the level we thought they would. Samcro is another, and there's something about that race. We see horses being emphatic in that novice race, and we all get too excited, and then they don't progress as we thought they would. Don't get me wrong, he has been a very good horse since that race in 2023, but they have messed around with different trips, and he hasn't kicked on. He won a Grade 1 at Aintree last year, but the form doesn't look good enough.
Cheltenham 2026: Ryanair Chase ground
This will be a carbon copy of the Stayers' Hurdle ground prediction.
The track is expecting a little bit of rain, so I think it will be riding at good to soft. If there is more rain than anticipated, then this race could be a little worse to the one before it.
GambleAware