THE RYANAIR STEEPLE CHASE FA CT S AN D ST AT IS TI CS

The Grade 1 Ryanair Steeple Chase is a race for five-year-olds and upwards which are rated in excess of 130 and is run over the intermediate trip of two miles, four and a half furlongs. It therefore suits horses that perhaps find the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase on the sharp side and those that find the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup trip a step too far at this stage in their careers. Always a competitive race at The Festival – Shishkin will be looking to build on his win in the Ascot Chase.

Race Description

Horses rated 170+ are 4-5

Key Trends

The past 9 winners were French-bred

5 of the past 7 winners were trained by Willie Mullins

LAST YEAR’S WINNER

Allaho

Allaho wrote himself into the history books as only the second horse to win the Ryanair twice, the first being Albertas Run in 2011/12. The Cheveley Park owned eight-year-old had romped home the previous year and came here with a big reputation He once again went from the front under Paul Townend and had all his rivals pushing away two furlongs from home. He got in tight to the last but it didn’t stop his momentum as he powered clear to win by 14 lengths.

Grade 1

Run over two miles, four furlongs & 127 yards. 17 fences to be jumped

Total prize fund of £375,000 £211,012 to the winner

Winning Connections

Trainers and Jockeys with some of the strongest records in the race over the last 10 years. TRAINER Willie

The Ryanair Steeple Chase, or the Festival Trophy Steeple Chase to give it its registered name, was introduced in 2005 when a fourth day was added to The Festival. Some think that it is the reincarnation of the Cathcart Challenge Cup but that isn’t strictly true as that race was restricted to first and second-season chasers. Run over a distance of two miles, four and a half furlongs, the race was initially granted Grade 2 status and was sponsored by the Daily Telegraph.

Thisthatandtother had proven his liking for Cheltenham by finishing runner-up in that season’s BetVictor Gold Cup, December Gold Cup and re-scheduled Victor Chandler Chase. Memories of his fall when sent off favourite for the previous season’s Arkle were soon forgotten as the Paul Nicholls-trained gelding won out in a gripping battle with Fondmort in the hands of Ruby Walsh.

Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh became the first trainer and jockey to win the Ryanair twice when Taranis, the youngest winner of the race, beat the unfortunate Our Vic in a gripping dive for the line. A neck was the official verdict – the shortest winning distance in the race’s history. The David Pipe-trained Our Vic had been pulled-up in the inaugural race and finished 9th behind Fondmort before his narrow defeat in 2007 but twelve months later, the year the race achieved Grade 1 status, he gained compensation with a five length victory in the hands of Timmy Murphy.

In 2009 Imperial Commander gave us all a glimpse of what was to come when staying on gamely in the hands of Paddy Brennan to beat the 2006 Arkle and 2007 Champion Chase winner Voy Por Ustedes. Twelve months later, the Nigel TwistonDavies-trained Imperial Commander returned to Cheltenham to land the Gold Cup; beating Denman by seven lengths

Jonjo O’Neill’s Albertas Run proved the biggest priced winner of the Ryanair when dispelling his starting price of 14-1 to win under A. P. McCoy in 2010. He was sent off at 6-1 for the following season’s renewal but the result was the same. Under a typical McCoy drive Albertas Run became the first horse to win the race twice In fact, he went very close to a hat-trick of victories but at the age of eleven he was unable to handle the finishing kick of his younger rival Riverside Theatre. The Nicky Henderson-trained winner was a well supported 7-2 favourite and he became the first outright winning favourite of the race, thanks in part to jockey Barry Geraghty.

The 2013 renewal saw the widest margin winner of the Ryanair when Cue Card routed his rivals by nine lengths. After running well in defeat in the 2011 Supreme and 2012 Arkle, the 2010 Champion Bumper winner got back to winning ways for father and son team Colin and Joe Tizzard.

Dynaste gave his trainer David Pipe a second victory in the race in 2014 with a two-and-a-quarterlength success, some six years after Our Vic landed the spoils for the Pond House team. Uxizandre gave jockey AP McCoy the perfect Festival send off as he produced a fine front-running display to win the race four years ago.

Willie Mullins landed back-to-back Ryanair Chases in 2016 and 2017 courtesy of Vautour and Un De Sceaux. However, the master of Closutton was denied a hat-trick twelve months later as Henry De Bromhead’s Balko des Flos beat Un de Sceaux by four and a half lengths, but it wasn’t long for Mullins to wait to regain the crown as Min put in an exhibition of jumping to win the 2020 renewal of the race.

The 2019 renewal saw a brave performance from Paul Nicholls’ Frodon, who battled back bravely up the hill under Bryony Frost to defeat Aso, third in 2018, by just over a length to begin what came to be known as ‘The Golden Hour’. The pair returned to jubilant scenes in the winners’ enclosure with a first Grade 1 triumph for a horse that is very popular with the racing public

In 2021 we saw the emergence of a new superstar, Allaho. Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old proved to be one of the more popular bets of the week after a significant market support just before the off He returned last year to defend his crown and once more we were treated to another jumping exhibition, as he romped home by 14-lengths. It further extended Mullins as the record holding trainer, who now sits on five wins. This year there will be a new name on the roll of honour, after an unfortunate setback for the defending champion.

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