Many would argue that the Cheltenham Festival should be three days and not four. It would make the racing better and races like The Ryanair Chase certainly wouldn’t exist.

In some ways, it is a race that has been introduced as almost a ‘get out clause’ for those horses that want to swerve the Champion Chase or the Cheltenham Gold Cup. This year however it looks the perfect fit for one horse in particular and if they do opt for it then watch his odds tumble and I’ll be amazed if he is beaten – this is my 2025 Cheltenham Festival NAP.

My 1st Cheltenham NAP:

Fact to File to win the Ryanair Chase at 6/4 with Betfred

• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Jockey: Paul Townend
• Form: 1-22-2111-123
• Age: 8 yo
• Weight: 11-10

Cheltenham (Thursday) 3.20 Ryanair Chase – Key Trends

• 5 of the last 9 winners were trained by Willie Mullins
• 14 of the last 17 winners had won or been placed at the Festival before
• 16 of the last 20 winners had won at Cheltenham previously
• 19 of the last 20 winners had already won over at least 2 and a half miles
• 17 of the last 20 winners were in the top 3 in the betting

Race preview

The Ryanair has been a stepping stone for future Gold Cup horses down the years. Imperial Commander won it back in 2009 before going on to beat Denman and Kauto Star in the Gold Cup in 2010. Don Cossack finished third behind Uxizandre in 2015 before going on to Gold Cup glory the following year. In more recent times A Plus Tard finished third behind Min in 2020 before putting in one of the most impressive displays en route to winning the Gold Cup in 2022.

I still feel like FACT TO FILE has the potential to be a Gold Cup horse but the switch to this race makes complete sense with stablemate Galopin Des Champs eyeing up a famous ‘3 Gold Cups’.

This 8yo has done very little wrong winning the John Durkan at the start of the year before finding Galopin Des Champs too strong in the Savills Chase and then finishing a creditable third at the Dublin Racing Festival. It felt like he was the only horse that actually tried to beat Galopin Des Champs and that is a credit to him.

He is a strong stayer over this trip and with the French horse Il Est Francais potentially heading for the Champion Chase it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Mullins hotpot odds-on come the day of the race. His main danger might turn out to be Protektorat who obviously won the race last year but isn’t getting any younger and would be susceptible to this improving chaser who I expect to be a cut above.

Fact to File to win the Ryanair Chase at 6/4 with Betfred

About the author

Joe Norris

I’m Joe Norris, co-founder and Director of GetYourTipsOut (GYTO), which I launched in 2009 to provide daily sports betting tips, with the main focus on horse racing. Over the years, I’ve earned a reputation for offering reliable and profitable tips, which led to being named “Best Sports Betting Tipster” in 2023. Alongside my work at GYTO, I also contribute predictions to platforms like Oddschecker, allowing me to share my insights with a wide community of sports enthusiasts and bettors.

Find Joe on X: @JoeNorrisGYTO

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