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Horse Racing Betting Tips - Antepost - 2027 Cheltenham Festival - Ryanair Chase

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Publish Date: 04/11/2026

Fact checked by: Jordan Noble

Key Points

Today’s betting tip is already a C&D winner
He is very unexposed and open to improvement
His price will shorten significantly if he wins later this month

I’m RacingGav, the resident horse racing expert here at Betting.co.uk. I publish free horse racing tips every week, which are a combination of daily betting tips, and antepost selections, plus a Lucky 15 for the ITV Racing action on Saturdays. I also produce non-tipping content like horses and trainers to follow each month, big race trends, and educational guides.

I have recently been working my way through the championship races at the 2027 Cheltenham Festival. I’ve already covered the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase, the Stayers’ Hurdle and the big one, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Ryanair Chase is the final piece of the puzzle, and I think I have found a horse that is underestimated and overpriced at odds of 25/1.

Incidentally, the Stayers’ Hurdle is run on the same day as the Ryanair Chase, and it shares feature race status. As my selection for the Stayers’ Hurdle has been live for a while, the original 18/1 I advised is gone, but you can still get 14/1, which is worth taking before he shortens further.

Betting advice

18 March 2027 - 2027 Cheltenham Festival - Ryanair Chase - Meetmebythesea - @ 25/1 - 0.5pt Win

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I’ve opted for an unexposed horse at a big price!

The Ryanair Chase market is an interesting one, with different levels to it. Fact To File heads the market at prices from 7/2 to 5/1, with Lulamba not far away at 6/1 or 7/1. Both deserve to be at the top, but neither is definitely coming to this race. Grey Dawning and Heart Wood are next in line, but I’ve decided on one further down.

Meetmebythesea is a C&D winner

When you consider that 17 out of 22 previous Ryanair Chase winners already had winning form at the track, it shows just how crucial previous Cheltenham form is. Meetmebythesea actually ticks two boxes in this regard, by winning over 2m 4.5f at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

Meetmebythesea proved he can deliver on the big stage with his victory in the Grade 2 Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, which he won easily, by almost five lengths. With a win like that on his CV already, it all comes down to whether he can make the step up from Novice and Handicap races, and remain competitive in Grade 1 company.

Meetmebythesea is very unexposed and open to improvement

Meetmebythesea is a six year old, with just eight starts under Rules. He has only had four runs over fences to date, and only one of those was over an intermediate trip. While he is proven over course and distance, he is still completely unexposed, and could have plenty more to come.

After Cheltenham Festival glory, Meetmebythesea is already rated 151, up 12lb from his previous mark of 139. The 12lb rise just highlights how dominant his performance was back in March. He was ridden on the pace throughout, near enough making all. If anything, I think taking a lead from classier horses in the Ryanair Chase could bring out more from him.

If Meetmebythesea wins later this month, his price will shorten significantly

Meetmebythesea currently heads the market for the Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase which is scheduled to run on 14 November 2026. This race has long been touted by Ben Pauling as the target for Meetmebythesea, and he looks to have every chance. The one concern I have is that so far this season Ben Pauling’s runners have shaped as though they needed the run. That said, Vanderpoel was certainly fit enough to win a £100,000 Handicap Chase at Ascot on Saturday.

Hopefully it will be the same scenario with Meetmebythesea in the Paddy Power Gold Cup later this month. If he wins that, or even just runs a big race, I don’t think his 25/1 price tag for the Ryanair will last. I spoke with Ben Pauling back in August, and his plan was the Paddy Power Gold Cup, the Peterborough Chase, and then the Ryanair Chase. If Meetmebythesea does win the Paddy Power Gold Cup with authority, the King George would also be an option for him, especially with stablemate The Jukebox Man on the sidelines for now.

Can Meetmebythesea win the Ryanair Chase?

I think there are a lot of positives for Meetmebythesea in the Ryanair Chase. He has previous Cheltenham Festival form over the same distance and on the same course as the Ryanair Chase. He is also unexposed and open to plenty of improvement, and the Paddy Power Gold Cup could be the perfect stepping stone.

In terms of negatives, he needs to step up to be competitive enough to win a Ryanair Chase. While he has the potential to get there, he also has plenty to prove. Arguably, the biggest negative of all is the fact that JP McManus has so much ammunition in these big races, that Meetmebythesea could get diverted elsewhere. As such, Fact To File, Majborough, or even Jonbon could end up here again. Logically JP McManus will want to spread his horses around, and Meetmebythesea could be affected by that.

However, with all facts considered, Meetmebythesea is overpriced for the Ryanair Chase at 25/1. I believe that price will collapse if he wins the Paddy Power Gold Cup later this month, and even if he runs a big race in defeat, especially if he shapes in need of the run. I certainly want to lock in the 25/1 now, but given the negatives and risks attached, I’m only prepared to play half stakes, and win only, for the moment.

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