The Road to the 2019 Ryanair Chase

Entries for Ryanair Chase

Record number of Irish entries in Ryanair Chase​

Northern chasing star Waiting Patiently is among 44 entries, including a record 29 from Ireland, for the £350,000 G1 Ryanair Chase over an extended two and a half miles of the New Course at Cheltenham on day three of The Festival™ presented by Magners, St Patrick's Thursday, March 14.

Waiting Patiently, trained by Yorkshire-based Ruth Jefferson who had the 2018 Ryanair Chase third Cloudy Dream, has won six of his seven starts over fences, with his most notable success coming in the G1 Ascot Chase at Ascot in February.

The lightly-raced eight-year-old, owned by Richard Collins, met his first defeat over fences last time out when hampered and unseating regular partner Brian Hughes at the ninth fence in the G1 32Red King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on December 26.
10-time champion Jump trainer Paul Nicholls has two leading contenders in Frodon and Politologue, who is also entered in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. Frodon has taken his form to a new level this season, winning the G2 Monet's Garden Old Roan Chase at Aintree and the G3 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup for the second time at The International in December.

13 of the record 29 Irish-trained entries are from the stable of Willie Mullins, Ireland's champion Jump trainer. The pick of the Mullins' contenders are Al Boum Photo, Footpad, impressive G1 Savills Chase victor Kemboy, 2017 winner Un De Sceaux, who was also second last year, and Min, who proved himself over two and a half miles with a decisive success in the G1 John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown in December.

Fellow Irish training behemoth Gordon Elliott's has six contenders including Shattered Love and The Storyteller, both of whom were successful over course and distance at The Festival™ presented by Magners in 2018 - Shattered Love impressed when taking the G1 JLT Novices' Chase, while The Storyteller captured the G3 Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase.

G1 Ryanair Chase​
Grade 1, £350,000 Total Prize Fund. 2.50pm, Cheltenham, Thursday, March 14, 2019, two miles & five furlongs (2m 4f 166y). For 5yo+ who are allotted a rating of 130 or more by the BHA Head of Handicapping following a review of the horses entered and after taking account of races run up to and including the day prior to confirmation - horses who are not qualified for a rating in Great Britain, Ireland or France may also be entered & such horses may be eligible providing the Handicapper is satisfied that the horse's racecourse performances up to and including the day prior to confirmation would merit a minimum rating of 130 (the decision of the BHA Head of Handicapping shall be final). Weights: 5-y-o 11st 9lb, 6-y-o and upwards 11st 10lb. Allowances: mares 7lb. Entries closed January 8, entries revealed January 10 (44 entries), scratchings deadline February 12, £17,500 supplementary entry stage and six-day confirmation stage March 8. Final 48-hour declaration stage, 10.00am, March 12. Maximum number of runners - 24.

Horse Age Owner Trainer
A TOI PHIL (FR) 9 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE
ACAPELLA BOURGEOIS (FR) 9 Slaneyville Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE
ACTIVIAL (FR) 9 Roger Brookhouse Tom George
AL BOUM PHOTO (FR) 7 Mrs J Donnelly Willie Mullins IRE
ALPHA DES OBEAUX (FR) 9 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE
ASO (FR) 9 The Bellamy Partnership Venetia Williams
BACHASSON (FR) 8 Edward O'Connell Willie Mullins IRE
BALKO DES FLOS (FR) 8 Gigginstown House Stud Henry de Bromhead IRE
BELLSHILL (IRE) 9 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE
BLACK HERCULES (IRE) 10 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE
CASTLEGRACE PADDY (IRE) 8 Clipper Logistics Group Ltd Pat Fahy IRE
CHARBEL (IRE) 8 Julie and David Martin Kim Bailey
CONEY ISLAND (IRE) 8 J P McManus Eddie Harty IRE
DOCTOR PHOENIX (IRE) 11 Nick Bradley Racing Club Gordon Elliott IRE
FOOTPAD (FR) 7 Simon Munir/Isaac Souede Willie Mullins IRE
FOX NORTON (FR) 9 Ann & Alan Potts Limited Colin Tizzard
FRODON (FR) 7 P J Vogt Paul Nicholls
HELL'S KITCHEN 8 J P McManus Harry Fry
INVITATION ONLY (IRE) 8 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE
JANIKA (FR) 6 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Nicky Henderson
KEMBOY (FR) 7 Supreme Racing/Brett Graham/Ken Sharp Willie Mullins IRE
KILLULTAGH VIC (IRE) 10 Rose Boyd/B Anderson/Mrs M Armstrong Willie Mullins IRE
MIN (FR) 8 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE
MISTER WHITAKER (IRE) 7 Tim Radford Mick Channon
MONALEE (IRE) 8 Barry Maloney Henry de Bromhead IRE
OUTLANDER (IRE) 11 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE
PETIT MOUCHOIR (FR) 8 Gigginstown House Stud Henry de Bromhead IRE
POLITOLOGUE (FR) 8 John Hales Paul Nicholls
ROAD TO RESPECT (IRE) 8 Gigginstown House Stud Noel Meade IRE
SAINT CALVADOS (FR) 6 Kate & Andrew Brooks Harry Whittington
SHATTERED LOVE (IRE) 8 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE
SIZING JOHN 9 Ann & Alan Potts Limited Jessica Harrington IRE
SNOW FALCON (IRE) 9 Patricia Hunt Noel Meade IRE
SUB LIEUTENANT (IRE) 10 Gigginstown House Stud Henry de Bromhead IRE
TERREFORT (FR) 6 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Nicky Henderson
THE STORYTELLER (IRE) 8 Mrs Pat Sloan Gordon Elliott IRE
TOP NOTCH (FR) 8 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Nicky Henderson
TOTAL RECALL (IRE) 10 Slaneyville Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE
TOUT EST PERMIS (FR) 6 Gigginstown House Stud Noel Meade IRE
UN DE SCEAUX (FR) 11 Edward O'Connell Willie Mullins IRE
VALTOR (FR) 10 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Nicky Henderson
WAITING PATIENTLY (IRE) 8 Richard Collins Ruth Jefferson
WILLIE BOY (IRE) 8 Kate & Andrew Brooks Charlie Longsdon
YORKHILL (IRE) 9 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE

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44 entries
29 Irish-trained
Breakdown of Ryanair Chase Entries by Trainer​

13 entries
Willie Mullins IRE - Acapella Bourgeois, Al Boum Photo, Bachasson, Bellshill, Black Hercules, Footpad, Invitation Only, Kemboy, Killultagh Vic, Min, Total Recall, Un De Sceaux, Yorkhill

6 entries
Gordon Elliott IRE - A Toi Phil, Alpha Des Obeaux, Doctor Phoenix, Outlander, Shattered Love, The Storyteller

4 entries
Henry de Bromhead IRE - Balko Des Flos, Monalee, Petit Mouchoir, Sub Lieutenant
Nicky Henderson - Janika, Terrefort, Top Notch, Valtor

3 entries
Noel Meade IRE - Road To Respect, Snow Falcon, Tout Est Permis

2 entries
Paul Nicholls - Frodon, Politologue

1 entry
Kim Bailey - Charbel
Mick Channon - Mister Whitaker
Pat Fahy IRE - Castlegrace Paddy
Harry Fry - Hell's Kitchen
Tom George - Activial
Jessica Harrington IRE - Sizing John
Eddie Harty IRE - Coney Island
Ruth Jefferson - Waiting Patiently
Charlie Longsdon - Willie Boy
Colin Tizzard - Fox Norton
Harry Whittington - Saint Calvados
Venetia Williams - Aso





Henry de Bromhead saddled the latest Irish winner of the Ryanair Chase in 2018 with Balko Des Flos, who triumphed by four and a half lengths under Davy Russell, but has yet to hit top form in three runs so far his season. The trainer has also entered 2018RSA Insurance Novices' Chase runner-up Monalee, 2018 Racing Post Arkle Novices' Chase third Petit Mouchoir and 2018 Ryanair Chase fourth Sub Lieutenant.

Venetia Williams, who trains in Herefordshire, is hoping Aso can improve on his third behind Un De Sceaux in the 2017 Ryanair Chase.

Now a nine-year-old, Aso has only been lightly-raced since due to injury, but has returned as good as ever this season.

He routed the opposition by 13 lengths in a two and a half-mile handicap chase at Newbury on November 30 and defied top-weight to win the G3 Download The Betbright App Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on New Year's Day, taking his rating to a career-high 163.

Williams said: "Aso has come out of his win at Cheltenham in good form.

"The Ryanair Chase is the target. He deserves his place in the race and it was a great performance to finish third in the Ryanair a couple of seasons ago and that is again where we will go.

"He will have possibly have one or even two runs before The Festival. We could take him back to Cheltenham for Festival Trials Day (January 26) or go to Ascot for the G1 Ascot Chase (February 16).

"Aso has now got another string to his bow as by accident, he made much of the running on his last two starts and he did it very well. We used to think he is a horse that needed holding on to, but that is not the case anymore."
 
 
I’ve followed racing for nearly 30 years now, and Vautour is the only horse who makes me feel me melancholy, when I think about him.

Maybe I’m going weird.
 
Cyrname doesn't hold an entry for this. He jumped just like his dad on Saturday

He seems to prefer going right handed but is a very interesting horse now.

Looks like Ascot next
 
I too think Monalee is the most likely winner. What do we all make of Waiting Patiently for this though?

I'm torn. It's his only target, and he's clearly a class act, but two things bother me.

Firstly after his fall at Kempton after an injury layoff I'd want to see some evidence that wheels aren't coming off. The combination of an injury and a fall is not great prep. She has time to get another run in to him, but she's already ducked one opportunity, and the clock is ticking now.

The other thing that looms large in my mind is how adamant Ruth Jefferson was that she didn't think Cheltenham was his course. Trainers are usually right about this kind of thing despite often trying to change their mind, presumably at the behest of owners.

For what it's worth, if there's no lasting effects from his injury and he acts at Cheltenham I think he's the winner, but I just can't somehow press the button.
 
I see Waiting Patiently is lined up for Ascot at the weekend. Given that's less than four weeks from the Ryanair or Gold Cup I presume Ruth is going to against her previous statements that he needs plenty of time between races?!

Either that, or we'll get the news a week before the Festival that he's not recovered and he heads to Aintree for the Bowl or Melling Chase instead.
 
Maruco said:
I see Waiting Patiently is lined up for Ascot at the weekend. Given that's less than four weeks from the Ryanair or Gold Cup I presume Ruth is going to against her previous statements that he needs plenty of time between races?!

Either that, or we'll get the news a week before the Festival that he's not recovered and he heads to Aintree for the Bowl or Melling Chase instead.
Click to expand...

Hit the nail on the head with the second part of your post I think.

I too am in the Monalee camp, his batting back in last years Flogas was fantastic (looked like he was getting swamped by the others but just pulled away again when they came close to him) and he’s ran into one in Presenting Percy in the RSA last year.

8/1 looks too big even if Min and Waiting Patiently run.
 
Maruco said:
I see Waiting Patiently is lined up for Ascot at the weekend. Given that's less than four weeks from the Ryanair or Gold Cup I presume Ruth is going to against her previous statements that he needs plenty of time between races?!

Either that, or we'll get the news a week before the Festival that he's not recovered and he heads to Aintree for the Bowl or Melling Chase instead.
Click to expand...

Maybe he won't run this weekend, hope he's been vaccinated in the last six months ?
 
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