2018 Ryanair Chase

With the Cheltenham Festival right around the corner all eyes are turning to the Cheltenham preview shows and all of the individuals looking to get a better gauge on how this year’s festival are going to shape up makes this a fascinating time to be placing your wagers.

Taking a look at the Ryanair Chase - always an extremely popular wagering contest at the de facto world championships of Steeplechasing - we have a clear favourite emerging in the race in the likes of Un De Sceaux and you have to like his ability to get the job done here.

The talented ten-year-old comes out of the Willy Mullins barn and he is trading as the genuine favourite to get the better of his competition - a fact made all the easier now that Thistlecrack has withdrawn from the race. There are a few solid contenders who look set to take him on here and a few of them trade at prices lower than where you would normally want to back an each-way bet, so that makes this contest an especially interesting one.

The main challenger is Balko Des Flos, who lines up for Henry De Bromhead’s yard this time around. De Bromhead has had plenty of success in this race - the most notable recent jumper being the popular Sizing Europe. He finished second in the Grade 1 Leopardstown Christmas Chase and you can bank on him making a real move here late on.

The other big contenders in the mix include the likes of Min and Cue Card - who both maintain cross entries into other contests but both look capable of making an impression here.

You’ll also find that Douvan, Yorkhill and Cloudy Dream are all priced at very plausible listings and could be set to scoop victory over Un De Sceaux.