Nine horses have been declared for one of the two headline races on day three of the Cheltenham Festival, the Ryanair Chase. Run over an intermediate 2m4½f distance, it will take place at 3.20pm on Thursday, 13th March.
A significant name has been taken out of the race though as Gaelic Warrior was not declared at the 48-hour stage. Last year’s Arkle winner will now miss this season’s Festival altogether.
On the other hand, Fact To File, who won that John Durkan before chasing Galopin Des Champs’ tail the last twice, is declared. The eight-year-old won the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at last year’s meeting and has been redirected to this contest instead of the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Last year’s winner Protektorat remains in contention for Dan Skelton. He got back to winning ways in fine style at Windsor recently and the ten-year-old heads the home team’s line-up which also features the progressive Djelo for Venetia Williams, as well as Hang In There and Master Chewy.
For France, the debate around where Il Est Francais would run is over as he has been declared here. The King George runner-up will be dropping in trip after narrowly failing to hold on at Kempton.
Meanwhile, the hopes of Ireland extend beyond Closutton, as 2023 Ryanair hero Envoi Allen seeks his fourth Cheltenham Festival victory in his seventh appearance at the meeting. Henry De Bromhead may also saddle Heart Wood and Jungle Boogie, though the latter remains in the Gold Cup.
2025 Ryanair Chase Runners
| Number | Horse | Trainer |
| 1 | Djelo | Venetia Williams |
| 2 | Envoi Allen | Henry De Bromhead |
| 3 | Fact To File | Willie Mullins |
| 4 | Hang In There | Emma Lavelle |
| 5 | Heart Wood | Henry De Bromhead |
| 6 | Il Est Francais | Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm |
| 7 | Jungle Boogie | Henry De Bromhead |
| 8 | Master Chewy | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 9 | Protektorat | Dan Skelton |