The Ryanair Steeple Chase takes place on Day Three of the Cheltenham Festival. This year, the chase looks one of the most competitive over the four-day event. Don’t miss the 15:20 race start as this event could be a show-stealer on St. Patrick’s Thursday.
The Ryanair Chase is a Grade One National Hunt steeplechase held annually during the Cheltenham Festival in March. Initially a Grade Two race, it gained Grade One status in 2008. It is one of the most prestigious events at the Cheltenham Festival with a prize purse of over £350,000. Willie Mullins is the leading trainer with five wins and is bidding for a record-extending sixth with favourite Fact To File.
Ryanair Steeple Chase Preview
The Cheltenham Festival schedule has many thrilling races, but this is not one to miss. Ran over 2m4f, the Ryanair Steeple Chase was birthed when the Cheltenham Festival added a fourth day in 2005. It has held Grade One status since 2008, welcoming the best middle-distance horses in the UK and Ireland. This year promises to be an exciting race with some excellent runners ready to tackle 17 fences on the New Course.
The field has a handful of talent from Willie Mullins’ stable and Fact To File opens as the favourite. He won the Browns Advisory here last year but the step back in trip will not hinder the eight-year-old. He triumphed in a middle-distance at Punchestown in November, in front of the likes of Fastorslow and Galopin Des Champs.
Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm have confirmed Il Est Francais for this race, opting for the Ryanair over the Champion Chase. His training has been geared toward this race all season, starting with a Grade Three win over 2m6f at Auteuil in September. His lack of experience in Grade One middle-distance races could prove a stumbling block. However, he was electric in the King George, picking up an eye-catching second-place finish in December.
Protektorat won this race last year and is going for his second in this renewal. An excellent middle-distance runner, he has gone from strength to strength this season. Dan Skelton’s charge won a Class Two GBB race at Windsor over 2m6f in January. He finished 26L in front of fellow Ryanair entrant Djelo.
Gaelic Warrior is another to have been confirmed for this race by trainer Willie Mullins. That had a noticeable impact on our Champion Chase predictions. Last year’s Arkle winner has struggled to find his feet this season. This move could hand him a much better chance of back-to-back Cheltenham triumphs. Splitting him up from Energumene could mean Paul Townend rides, after opting for the latter in the Champion Chase. That would be an enormous boost to connections for the seven-year-old’s chances.
Henry De Bromhead has two impressive horses in this race, beginning with Jungle Boogie. He was very impressive at Ascot in his most recent outing and is the most unexposed in this race. Our online bookmaker has overlooked Jungle Boogie as he is one of the eldest runners. However, we are yet to see him run on anything harder than good to soft and the drying conditions could make him an unknown heading into this race.
Envoi Allen is De Bromhead’s other saddle. He was disappointing last time out when unseating Rachael Blackmore five out in the King George VI Chase. However, he had a poor run in the King George in 2022 before winning this race in his next run, and he loves it here. He finished second behind Protektorat last year. They have not confirmed Blackmore for any races on day three yet, but it would be a surprise to see anyone but her booked.
Of the rest of the field, Djelo has slipped under the radar in the betting here after an excellent season so far. He finished 6L in front of Protektorat in a Grade Two event at Huntingdon in December and second behind him a month later. Heart Wood wasn’t disgraced when taking home fourth in the Savills Chase at 18/1 in December. He finished behind Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs. However, he would probably prefer softer going here.
Ryanair Steeple Chase Predictions
Winner: Il Est Francais
Fact To File will be the favourite here but Il Est Francais is built for this race. The speed he built up in the King George was astounding and his second-place finish over 3m proved that middle-distance is his calling. That Kempton track is extremely sharp, but you must be a stayer as well. He was leading comfortably until a tired leap on the last fence and a similar run here would surely see him trounce the opposition. Our Cheltenham Festival prediction is for Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm’s saddle to win the Ryanair Chase.
Fact To File is an excellent horse and a deserved frontrunner in the racing betting markets. In truth, it would be no surprise to see him beat Il Est Francais despite our prediction. However, we just cannot get away from that run in the King George. That proved that Il Est Francais is tailor-made for this race.
The better ground will be in favour of both horses but will probably be against Protektorat. His previous four wins have been on soft ground and his last entry on anything better ended in a sixth-place finish. He did not have the pace approaching the last and fell off over this distance in November.
It wouldn’t be right to think of Gaelic Warrior going from entry to the Champion Chase to being confirmed for this one as a demotion, but it is certainly an indictment of where he is right now. Paul Townend opted to ride Energumene in the Champion Chase while Gaelic Warrior was still an entrant. That says a lot. He has jumped right often and been outpaced and outstayed on shorter trips.
Racing fans welcomed the Cheltenham Festival changes but we won’t know the full extent of their impact until after the event. Remember to read what has changed in 2025 to avoid any nasty surprises.
Ryanair Steeple Chase Betting Tips
Il Est Francais is a great bet at 3/1 right now and with the field still to be confirmed, he could go off shorter. Fifteen of the previous sixteen winners were aged between seven and nine and he is the best seven-year-old in this race. Fact To File is the only runner in that age group competing with him right now. We like a bet on Il Est Francais to win this race. You can wager on him using our Cheltenham Festival promotion, in which we are offering any members a €10 free bet on every day.
Despite his age working against him according to the stats, Jungle Boogie takes our eye here. No 11-year-old has ever won this race in its 20 renewals. However, he is unlike most of his agemates. Henry De Bromhead’s saddle is the most lightly raced horse in this race, and the unexposed runner could benefit from that. Jockey booking will tell us more, but an each-way bet at 12/1 is worth it even without a confirmed rider.
Djelo is another standout in the each-way betting. He has a win over Protektorat this season and loves this trip. The ground should not be too much of a problem for Venetia Williams’ charge, who has previous victories on good to soft going.
Gaelic Warrior is a talented horse but has back-to-back-to-back losses as a favourite over middle-distance. One thing to note, however, is that his tendency to jump right should be less of an issue on this track, where he has a strong record. He is the type who can turn on the class out of nowhere and his uninspiring form has him worth 7/1 for anyone betting on horse racing. His debut in 2021 was the only time he has entered a race with odds this high. This is the first time he will go off over 2/1 in eight starts. Taking advantage of a slight dip in form could pay off here.
Don’t miss out on our Queen Mother Champion Chase predictions for Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival. We will have fantastic betting tips for all the major events during the 2025 festival. Plus, remember to revisit this page to find out if there are any changes to the field before race day.
