Cheltenham Festival, Ryanair Chase Preview 2026
Cheltenham Festival 2026 is officially underway! Four days of non-stop betting lies ahead, but many punters are already turning their attention towards one race in particular: the Ryanair Chase, which takes place on day 3 - St Patrick’s Thursday.
Throughout its 20-year history, this competitive alternative to the festival’s longer races has inspired drama and tension, and witnessed many unexpected victories and defeats.
Since 2005, this race has established itself as the middle race for horses that are too slow for the Queen Mother but too fast for the Gold Cup. The Grade 1 National Hunt Steeple Chase is two miles long and boasts four and a half furlongs, taking place on the New Course.
Top-class, middle-distance chasers tend to fit the profile of winners of this race - a point proven by last year’s winner, Fact to File. But how's this year's ante-post market shaping up? Let’s take a look:
The Definite Runners Have Been Announced
The nine horses that will partake in the Ryanair Chase were confirmed on Tuesday (10 March). Fact to File is set to defend his crown against Jonbon, Croke Park, Banbridge, Heart Wood, JPR One, Impaire Et Passe, Matata, and Master Chewy.
Notable absences from the declaration stage include Firefox and Gaelic Warrior, who are both instead competing in the Gold Cup. The presence of the Gaelic Warrior would have certainly made the upcoming Ryanair Chase more interesting, given the fierce rivalry between the accomplished chaser and defending champion.
Il Etait Temps and Romeo Coolio have also been removed from the lineup, with both set to race on Wednesday instead.
The Defending Champion
With Gaelic Warrior out of the question, Fact to File remains as the predicted winner. Last year, he won through a dominating performance as a 6-4 favourite. The Willie Mullins-trained and Mark Walsh-jockeyed thoroughbred won the 2025 edition by nine lengths.
But how has the horse performed over the last 12 months? In February, Fact to File won the 2026 Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown by five lengths. - notably, beating the favourite Galopin Des Champs.
However, Fact to File did not perform as well at the King George VI Chase in December 2025, finishing in 6th place and far behind his key rivals.
Despite this, Fact to File still looks to be the most promising. Not only did he win this same race last year, but he also has another Cheltenham victory under his saddle - 2024’s Brown Advisory’s Novices’ Chase.
With 1/2 (1.50) odds from bet365, Paddy Power, and Sky Bet, bookies obviously have a lot of faith that Fact to File will repeat last year’s performance.
Bambridge or Jonbon for 2nd Place?
Without clear opposition, it becomes difficult to predict which horse will make runner-up positions. Out of all of the competitors, Bambridge probably poses the most promise. The horse has certainly proven its worth recently, having achieved second place at the King George VI Chase - the same race that left Fact to File humiliated.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained horse has succeeded previously at Cheltenham, having won two races in 2022. However, the horse hasn’t performed well here in recent years, and generally doesn’t do well on softer ground. While Thursday’s forecast of all-day rain could smite the horse’s chances, we still consider Bambridge to be the most likely to take second place. Some bookmakers are currently placing odds for Banbridge at 7/1 (7.0).
Jonbon, on the other hand, is a seriously talented two-mile chaser. However, the horse has sustained some crushing festival losses throughout his 10 years. Most notably, the horse was beaten by Constitution Hill in the 2022 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle by 22 lengths. Odds for Jonbon are currently around 15/2 (7.5). It’s worth noting that the horse is owned by JP McManus, who also owns the favourite.
Each-way selection
The likes of Protektorat and Firefox would have made great each-way selections for this race. Both have proven themselves capable of winning major races, with the former winning the Ryanair Chase in 2024. However, with them now no longer competing, the selection becomes slimmer.
Impaire Et Passe could be a good option, having won the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle in 2023 by 6 and a half lengths. Recently, this horse made an impressive victory at the Grade 2 Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park - a race of a similar distance to that of the Ryanair Chase. With odds currently at 9/1 (10.00) with 10bet, Impaire Et Passe could be the best each-way selection option.
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