Festival Focus - Ryanair Chase 2015

A-Ma-zing - Ma Filleule looks to have a great chance in the Ryanair.

The half way house that is the Ryanair once again looks like being the destination of choice this year for the waifs and strays that aren’t quick enough for the Champion Chase or quite capable of staying the gruelling Gold Cup trip.

However with a couple of second season chasers proving themselves high class performers over the interim distance this season, the race is far from merely just an afterthought of an event for those not capable of cutting it in the championship contests.

With Al Ferof and Dynaste now out of the festival and Champagne Fever seemingly aiming at the Champion Chase the top of the market for this year’s Ryanair now has a very different complexion to a few weeks back.

The reformed Don Cossack rightfully sits at the head of the betting, as he has for much of the season having finally fulfilled the potential we all knew he had.

He’s won four Graded races this season including the Grade 1 John Durkan and has looked impressive each time in doing so.

Betfair Chase Preview 2014

Taq To The Future - Taquin Du Seuil can announce arrival in the big leagues in the Betfair Chase

The first Grade 1 race of the national hunt season will be upon is this Saturday as the Betfair Chase takes place at Haydock.

Responsible for some fabulous races since its inception a little under a decade ago, this year’s renewal looks set to be one of the most informative in a while given how open the staying chase division looks this season.

Won last year by Cue Card in tremendous style, the reigning champ and the two placed horses from last year look set to lock horns again in 2014 with all three currently heading the betting.

It’s the new kid on the block that I like this year though and much like Silviniaco Conti two years ago, the time looks right for a pretender to grab a table with the big boys.

JLT Novices' Chase Preview - Festival Focus

Yong Gun - Felix Yonger is the selection in the JLT

This race sprung a little bit of a surprise last year as Benefficient ensured Irish dominance of the race continued with a 20/1 victory.

Now sponsored by JLT the race formerly known as the Jewson will enjoy Grade 1 status this year for the first time but though some things change I expect others to stay very much the same and for Ireland to once again emerge victorious.

Willie Mullins has already taken this race once – with Sir Des Champs in 2012 – and he looks poised to land the spoils again this year with Felix Yonger.

The son of Oscar was one of several horses under the ownership of the Wylies that joined Willie Mullins after the Howard Johnson shenanigans.

He’d been a decent Bumper performer for Johnson, albeit trailing in almost last in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in 2011.

Festival Focus - The Neptune

Part Puffin, Part Machine - Puffin Billy can win the Neptune on the way to superstardom

This years’ renewal of the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (henceforth for the purposes of this piece ‘The Neptune’) has the potential to arguably be the race of the festival given some of the likely combatants.

Of course, as is the case with most of the novice hurdles at the festival some horses at the head of the betting may end up tackling further in the Albert Bartlett or shorter in the Supreme.

One thing is for certain though, even if we do lose one or two of the potential runners in this year’s Neptune we still look set for a truly vintage renewal of the race won so impressively last year by arguably the next big thing in chasing Simonsig.

The best place to start is probably with the most aptly named horse in a novice race – The New One. The Nigel Twiston-Davies inmate’s price has collapsed since his Warwick stroll the weekend before last and although he was undoubtedly impressive that day I’m not quite convinced that in a race with as much strength in depth as this year’s Neptune has that his current price quite reflects his chance.