Key Points
- This horse was undeniably fantastic in the King George at Kempton
- He has two course wins to his credit and excuses for two other runs at Cheltenham
- I think this race will cut up and my betting tip will shorten fast, grab him at 5/1 now
I’ve covered a number of upcoming Cheltenham Festival races over the last few weeks, which I’ll list for you shortly, together with links to see them. But today, it’s time for me to tackle the Ryanair Chase. It seems to me that many people think that Fact To File is a banker here, but I’m ready and willing to take him on!
If you’re just coming across my content for the first time as you hunt for Cheltenham Festival betting tips, then welcome! I’m RacingGav and I’m the resident horse racing expert here at Betting.co.uk. Bringing you
free horse racing tips, like this one, is my primary focus, but I also publish big race trends and educational guides too.
If you want to check out my tipping history before you back my Ryanair Chase selection today, you are welcome to review my 2025 results. And if you’d like access to all of my betting tips, rather than just the free tips here, the details for my Discord server are available at the bottom of this article!
Check out all of my current Cheltenham betting tips
As already mentioned briefly, I have already published a number of betting tips for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, and here is the list:
Betting advice
- Thursday 12 March 2026 - Cheltenham Festival - Ryanair Chase -
Banbridge
@ 5/1 (3 places NRNB) -
1pt each way
Place your bet with Unibet and lock in ÂŁ40 of free bets!
At the time of writing, 5/1 is widely available across the NRNB (Non Runner No Bet) markets for Cheltenham. So with no standout
horse racing odds, I’ve searched for the best value sign up offer instead. And I have landed on Unibet, who are offering a generous deal that’s perfect for Cheltenham. If you bet £10, you’ll get £40 of free bets. Don't miss out, those free bets are sure to come in handy during Cheltenham Festival week!
Banbridge looks like the ideal horse to take on the favourite!
Horse racing and betting on it, is a game of opinions. However, backing a horse as short as 1/2 for a race at the Cheltenham Festival, isn’t my idea of betting! At that price, I simply have to take the Ryanair Chase favourite on, regardless of how solid he looks. Slips, trips, falls, off days, anything can happen in horse racing! In this article, I’ll explain why I've landed on Banbridge to take on Fact To File!
Banbridge was fantastic in the King George at Kempton
More often than not, certain races get hyped up to high heaven, and they don’t deliver half the race that everybody had hoped for. So when a race does deliver, you certainly need to cherish it! One race that certainly did lived up to expectation was this season’s King George. Fact To File flopped (see, it can happen!) but all of the other principals turned up! In fact, Jango Baie, Gaelic Warrior and The Jukebox Man were all fighting out the finish from the last fence to the line. Leading them narrowly at the last was Banbridge who was only just nabbed by a nose at the line!
I was delighted to see him denied on the line as I had tipped the winner, The Jukebox Man, as a 20/1 antepost pick back in the August prior. Nevertheless, it was a huge performance from the Joseph O’Brien gelding and one that earned him a RPR of 174. That was one of the races of the season to date and likewise, it was one of the performances of the season to date. After the race, Joseph said: “I don’t think we will work back from a Gold Cup”, which is unsurprising given he didn’t stay in last year’s renewal. However, with conditions looking ideal, I think they’ll have a crack at the Ryanair Chase, which looks far better suited to Banbridge!
Banbridge has two course wins on his record and excuses for two other runs at Cheltenham
Banbridge has four runs at Cheltenham on his record to date with mixed results. His first experience of Cheltenham came in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival where he came out on top! He came back for the Arkle Trial at The November Meeting the following season and absolutely bolted in by six lengths.
His second two runs at the track sadly don’t read as well. The third run came in the 2024 running of the Ryanair Chase where he could only finish ninth, beaten nearly 75 lengths. However, that run came on Soft ground, which doesn’t suit Banbridge. It was subsequently given as the reason for the poor run by Joseph O’Brien when asked by the stewards. On the basis of the ground, I’d draw a line straight through that run. His fourth and final run here to date came in last year’s renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Banbridge made a mistake at the seventh, which didn’t help his cause. Likewise, he was not fluent at four out and he then weakened after three out, looking a non-stayer over the gruelling trip.
Given he has excuses for two poor runs , but won the other two, I don’t think Cheltenham is an issue for him. He just simply doesn’t want it soft and he isn’t a dour stayer. If the ground was on the better side, which looks likely given the weather forecast, then the Ryanair Chase over an intermediate trip will suit him perfectly. At that trip, he would stay strongly and have tons of tactical speed too, so I think he will give Fact To File plenty to think about.
I think this race will cut up and Banbridge will shorten fast, grab him at 5/1 now
As it stands, 14 horses are confirmed to run in the Ryanair Chase but that doesn’t mean that they will be there on the day. Last year we had a field of nine. It was the same two years prior and back in 2022, only had seven lined up. Those with speed tend to go for the Champion Chase, those that stay tend to head for the Gold Cup and this race is left for those who fall in between and/or are frightened of rivals in the other races.
I think a few of the 14 confirmed won’t actually turn up. Gaelic Warrior is confirmed, but expected to run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Jonbon is also confirmed, but I expect him to bypass Cheltenham altogether and be freshened up, especially as his owner alrwady has Fact To File running here. Firefox is more likely to run in the Gold Cup, Il Etait Temps is more likely to run in the Champion Chase, and Romeo Coolio's connections have already stated that he’ll run in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
There is a chance that Impaire Et Passe runs, but Aintree is his Plan A, and I would expect them to keep him fresh for that. We are also unlikely to bump into Energumene. If it’s better ground, he won’t run, and if it’s Soft/Heavy, then Banbridge won’t run! Finally Croke Park and Master Chewy might run but off marks of 150 and 154, they’re more likely to head to Handicaps as they’d be looking at minor place money here at best.
Now is the time to back Banbridge each way!
As you can see, this race could cut right up. I wouldn’t be shocked if we were to end up with between five and seven runners. I certainly think we’ll have far less than the 14 currently confirmed. If this happens, you won’t be seeing 5/1 for Banbridge, and if there are seven, or less, on the day, you won’t be seeing three places for an each way bet either! So now is the time to back Banbridge!
He may be 10 but he hasn't been raced heavily for his age, and the King George performance at Kempton on Boxing Day was a career best performance from him. He has Cheltenham form on his record and excuses for the days he didn’t perform at the track. With the race almost certain to cut up, I think he has a better chance in reality than his current odds suggest!
In terms of the negatives, he won’t run if the ground is Soft/Heavy but with the NRNB markets in place, that isn’t a real concern, as we will just have our stake returned. I’m well aware that Fact To File will be a tough nut to crack, but as they say, never be afraid of one horse and nothing else besides him would frighten me with Banbridge on our side.
All aspects considered, I think 5/1 with three places on offer is a great each way bet at this stage. At the declaration stage, I expect the race to cut right up and I think you won’t be seeing an each way price or three places on the day. I think we’ll have value secured come race time, and that is the key. Whether or not we can beat Fact To File remains to be seen, but I’m certainly up for having a go.
Fancy some free bets? Then check out these deals!
Here are five of our recommended bookmakers and their superb
free bet offers for horse racing. Make sure you take a look as there is plenty of value to be obtained from these offers!
Want more RacingGav content? Join my Discord!
While I produce several articles per week for Betting.co.uk, the vast majority of my content is exclusive to members of my Discord server. It’s the only place where you can access all of my betting tips and much more!
The Discord launched back in January 2024 and it’s still going now, so I must be doing something right!
February 2026 was a great month for the Discord, with twelve winners on the board at 14/1, 7/4, 10/3, 3/1, 7/4, 11/4, 7/1, 9/4, 9/2, 10/1, 5/1 & 5/1!
I’m sure you are wondering how much all of this will cost you? Well, it’s just £14.99 per month - less than 50p per day!
Alternatively, you may prefer a longer-term commitment for savings:
- Quarterly: ÂŁ34.99 (saves ÂŁ9.98)
- Bi-Annually: ÂŁ74.99 (saves ÂŁ14.95)
- Annually: ÂŁ149.99 (saves ÂŁ29.89)
I’m confident that you’ll
enjoy the Discord, and I’m also confident that my tips will make a profit, so if you join and don’t make a profit across your first 30 days, I’ll refund your subscription fee!
If you want to know more, my DMs are always open on X – @RacingGav
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
by Racing Gav
4 hours ago
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
by Racing Gav
4 hours ago
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
