Ryanair Chase Stats & Trends 2025

Date: Thursday 13th March

Time: 3.20PM

The middle distance championship race at the Cheltenham Festival is the Ryanair, which is run on day three. The field will compete over two miles and four and a half furlongs on the New Course in the Grade One.

There have been some memorable renewals of the race in recent memory, including Frodon’s emotional victory with Bryony Frost aboard in 2019, and Protektorat landing the spoils for Dan and Harry Skelton in 2024.

The stats and trends to consider when finding the most likely winner of the race in 2025 can be found here.

Recent winning experience isn’t essential when considering the leading Ryanair contenders, as only five of the last 12 winners have won on their latest start before heading to Cheltenham.

However, interestingly, ten victors since 2013 have lined up within the last 77 days. An interesting prep for the Ryanair is the Boxing Day feature - the King George VI Chase.

Three winners of the Ryanair since 2013 have lined up at Kempton.

Previous Cheltenham experience is a key consideration when examining the Ryanair contenders.

All 12 winners of the race since 2013 have had at least two previous runs at Cheltenham, with nine victors over the same period having winning experience at the track.

The bodes well for a lot of the leading contenders in 2025, with Fact To File, Banbridge, and El Fabiolo all having Cheltenham wins to their name.

The Ryanair is typically a race in which high-quality jumpers are able to take advantage. That is reflected in the stats, which shows ten of the last 12 winners have made at least seven previous starts over fences.

Meanwhile, ten winners over the same period have recorded at least four wins over the bigger obstacles. That would leave a slight question-mark surrounding Fact To File’s chances, as the eight-year-old has made just six starts over fences.

The ratings of the horses are also important reading when considering the chances of runners in the Ryanair. All but one of the last 12 winners of the Grade One was rated 162 or higher.

Allaho was the highest rated winner of the race off 174 in 2022. Meanwhile, the lowest-rated winner was Uxizandre off 161 in 2015.

High-quality performers should also take high rank, with eleven of the winners since 2013 winning in graded company. Nine winners over the same period have previously landed a Grade One.

British success in the Ryanair has been a rarity in recent memory, with Dan Skelton success with Protektorat in 2024 ending a four-year winning sequence for the Irish.

Meanwhile, Irish trainers have won seven of the last nine editions of the Ryanair. The only other British success over that period was Frodon for Paul Nicholls and Bryony Frost in 2019.