Entries have been made for the 2025 Ryanair Chase, one of two showcase races on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival. Run this year on Thursday, 13th March, 34 horses have been entered at the first stage for the middle distance championship.
A 2m5f Grade 1, it can often be a race for horses who do not quite stay in the Gold Cup, but do not have the pace for the Champion Chase. One horse who could fit the bill of the former this year is Fact To File, previously favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup but given an option here after his comfortable defeat by Galopin Des Champs at Leopardstown over Christmas. The dual Gold Cup champion is not entered here.
He will be hoping to emulate Protektorat, who twice ran in the Gold Cup before winning this race in 2024. Dan Skelton’s charge is entered in an attempt to win back-to-back renewals, while the yard’s Grey Dawning, who is their main Gold Cup hope, is also entered in the Ryanair just in case. He won the discontinued Turners Novices’ Chase over course and distance last season in which he overcame Paul Nicholls’ Ginny’s Destiny. Nicholls’ 2023 Turners winner Stage Star joins that runner-up in the early field here, as do that season’s Ryanair third Hitman and Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Il Ridoto.
The 2023 winner Envoi Allen is also among the entries in what could be his Cheltenham Festival swansong at the age of 11. Trainer Henry De Bromhead is well represented overall though with Heart Wood, Journey With Me and Jungle Boogie all among his potential participants.
Fact To File could be joined by further Closutton luminaries such as El Fabiolo, Energumene and Gaelic Warrior, all of whom are also entered in the Champion Chase. The same can also be said of Blood Destiny, Blue Lord and Gentleman De Mee, although Embassy Gardens and Grangeclare West are others with dual entries in the Ryanair Chase and Gold Cup for the yard.
It had been mooted that Gold Cup fourth and Grade 1 winner L’Homme Presse might run here, but he was a surprising omission from the Ryanair entries. Stablemates Djelo and Martator could represent Venetia Williams, however.
Grade 1 winners abound throughout the field, with Conflated and Found A Fifty involved for Gordon Elliott, while the exciting Il Est Francais could look to bounce back from his King George heartache at the hands of Banbridge, another who looks a likely type for this if the ground is good. That race’s disappointing favourite Spillane’s Tower could attempt to refind the form of his John Durkan second here too, while old boy Ahoy Senor and progressive Le Patron are the other top level winners in the line-up.
Fil Dor is another of the entrants for Ireland, while the rest of the British-trained possibles are Ga Law, Hang In There, JPR One, Master Chewy and Springwell Bay.
Ryanair Chase Entries 2025
| Number | Horse | Trainer |
| 1 | Ahoy Senor | Lucinda Russell |
| 2 | Banbridge | Joseph O’Brien |
| 3 | Blood Destiny | Willie Mullins |
| 4 | Blue Lord | Willie Mullins |
| 5 | Conflated | Gordon Elliott |
| 6 | Djelo | Venetia Williams |
| 7 | El Fabiolo | Willie Mullins |
| 8 | Embassy Gardens | Willie Mullins |
| 9 | Energumene | Willie Mullins |
| 10 | Envoi Allen | Henry De Bromhead |
| 11 | Fact To File | Willie Mullins |
| 12 | Fil Dor | Gordon Elliott |
| 13 | Found A Fifty | Gordon Elliott |
| 14 | Ga Law | Jamie Snowden |
| 15 | Gaelic Warrior | Willie Mullins |
| 16 | Gentleman De Mee | Willie Mullins |
| 17 | Ginny’s Destiny | Paul Nicholls |
| 18 | Grangeclare West | Willie Mullins |
| 19 | Grey Dawning | Dan Skelton |
| 20 | Hang In There | Emma Lavelle |
| 21 | Heart Wood | Henry De Bromhead |
| 22 | Hitman | Paul Nicholls |
| 23 | Il Est Francais | Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm |
| 24 | Il Ridoto | Paul Nicholls |
| 25 | JPR One | Colin Tizzard |
| 26 | Journey With Me | Henry De Bromhead |
| 27 | Jungle Boogie | Henry De Bromhead |
| 28 | Le Patron | Gary & Josh Moore |
| 29 | Martator | Venetia Williams |
| 30 | Master Chewy | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 31 | Protektorat | Dan Skelton |
| 32 | Spillane’s Tower | James Joseph Mangan |
| 33 | Springwell Bay | Jonjo & AJ O’Neill |
| 34 | Stage Star | Paul Nicholls |