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Ryanair Chase Odds: Albertas Run and Poquelin to battle it out again in 2011

The Ryanair Chase is a Grade 1 two and a half mile chase which immediately preceeds the Ladbrokes World Hurdle on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival. 2011 is the seventh running of this race and is a tricky one to call, becuase so many of the runners contest races at either shorter or longer trips than this. For horses who fall inbetween the Champion Chase and Gold Cup, previous winners include Imperial Commander and Our Vic whilst last year's winner Albertas Run returns for another crack in 2011. It is last year's runner-up Poquelin who heads the betting however, at 5/2 with Paddy Power.

There's a very strong trend in this race for winners to have previously performed well in either the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November or the December Gold Cup, both raced at Cheltenham. In fact, five of the six winners in this race to date have won either of those races in the past, with just Albertas Run the horse who typically bucked the trend. Paul Nicholls' eight year old Poquelin won the December Gold Cup (called the Vote AP Gold Cup) for the second successive year this season, carrying top weight on good to soft going to land the spoils by one length. Poquelin had also gone close finishing fifth in the Paddy Power, a race in which he finished second the year previous. Add to this last year's second place in this race and you're almost sure to get a run for your money. That saying, at 5/2 you'd have to back him to win on ground he's not won on since October 2008, although he did score over course and distance on good to firm ground three years ago.

The positives certainly seem to outweight the negatives when looking at the market leader, especially as the rest of the field have a number of question marks on their form. Kalahari King for example has been well backed in to 4/1 second favourtism with PaddyPower, but he has no winning form at Cheltenham, nor does he have any winning form over the trip. He was staying on in both the Arkle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase the last two season's at the Festival but whether he'll get the trip is still in some doubt. Then there's the going, with race winning form on good ground but not since the Grand National meeting at Aintree two years ago. In fact, he's only won once since then and his form this season reads 3 7 5 4 and he was well beaten in the Tingle Creek when run at Cheltenham in December. The odds look a little skinny to me at 4/1.

Last year's winner already has a reputation for being a bit of a monkey and hugely unreliable as a banker. I was amongst many punters twelve months ago who were aghast to see AP McCoy ride Albertas Run to a four and a half length win in this race. Not because of any dislike of the horse, but more that it had been so easy to put a line through when studying the race form. So, twelve months later, bar a win in the Grade 1 Melling Chase in the Spring, this season's form has once again been hugely erratic, beaten 45 lengths first time out in the Old Roan Chase, falling for the first time in his career in the Amlin 1965 Chase and pulling up in the King George VI Chase, a race he'd previously run well in. You can imagine the dismay then when coming to have a bet in this race, I'm wavering between Jonjo O'Neill's mercurial ten year old and the 5/2 favourite he beat into second place last year! It's a leap of faith but here's hoping the ten year old gets up on the right side of his stable and repeats the win of the 2008 RSA and last year's RSA at odds of 6/1. It might also be worthwhile having a reverse forecast bet on Poquelin and Albertas Run to occupy the first two places.

Elsewhere, 6/1 chance Jy' Vole will look to better her third place finish in this race last season and has placed in two graded chases in Ireland this season. 12/1 shot Gauvain started the season so brightly winning the Sinbad Testimonial Chase here in November but offering up very little since. Voy Por Ustedes has been off the course since the April meeting at Cheltenham where he was a well beaten fifth in a modest chase and could only finish fifth in this race last season.

At bigger odds, Tartak is enjoying his best season, having won the Peterborough Chase at Newbury he followed that up with a win in a Grade 3 chase here on New Year's Day, beating Carole's Legacy by three quarters of a length. Nicky Henderson's mare went down fighting in Tuesday's Spinal Research Handicap Chase to frank the form, so there are worst bets out their than backing Tom George's eight year old each-way on Thursday.

Ryanair Chase Odds

5/2 Poquelin
4/1 Kalahari King
6/1 Albertas Run
6/1 J'y Vole
12/1 Gauvain
14/1 Voy Por Ustedes
16/1 Tartak
16/1 Roberto Goldback
20/1 Rubi Light
33/1 Hey Big Spender
50/1 Breedsbreeze
50/1 Rare Bob

Odds supplied by Paddypower.com, with best odds guaranteed on all UK and Irish horse racing.

Posted: Wednesday, 16th March 2011
Author: Russell Lloyd
Tags: cheltenham festival, ryanair chase, poquelin, albertas run, paddypower,

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