The Cheltenham festival will be here sooner than you think and with that in mind we have picked out an ante-post selection for the Grade One Ryanair Chase on the penultimate day of the four day meeting.
Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post Ryanair Chase Selection 2023
Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post Tips
Blue Lord - 33/1 - Ryanair Chase
At odds of 33/1 Blue Lord for Willie Mullins represents big value at the Cheltenham festival in March looking sure to stay at 2m4f this term with the Closutton handler having plenty of superb horses at two miles and this gelding looks one of the more likelier ones to step up in trip.
A very smart hurdler for Mullins when second in the Grade 1 Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle behind Bob Olinger and then he was third at the DRF behind stablemate Appreciate It.
Set to finish second in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle again behind Appreciate It before falling at the last, he was then a close third at Punchestown behind another stablemate in Echoes In Rain.
Always bought to be a chaser he showed last season just how good he can be making his debut at Fairyhouse in December when seeing off stablemate El Barra with ease and then in January eased to a 20 length victory over Lifetime Ambition.
Sent to the Dublin Racing Festival he landed a hat-trick over fences and his first Grade 1 when taking the Irish Arkle narrowly from Riviere D'etel.
Running a valiant race at the Cheltenham festival in the Arkle he was third behind Edwardstone but he gave one of the best performances of his career when last seen winning in the Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at Punchestown.
At 33/1 he currently looks over priced in the market for the Ryanair with stablemate Allaho very much up in the air whether he will make it to the meeting.
He runs on Thursday in the Grade Two Clonmel Oil Chase and if winning that against three different runners his price of 33/1 will not be around for long.