Ryanair or Champion Chase for Il Est Francais? One of a handful of big questions we tackle as the festival looms

The 2025 Cheltenham Festival is only two weeks away and most of the jigsaw pieces have fallen into place – even the usual uncertainty around which races Willie Mullins’ best novices will run has largely been resolved. However, there are still plenty of unanswered questions as the big week looms

Will Brighterdaysahead run in the Champion Hurdle or the Mares’ Hurdle?

This one decision could define the Tuesday afternoon of the Cheltenham Festival.

After two defeats of defending champion State Man – including arguably the performance of the season at Leopardstown over Christmas – will star mare Brighterdayshead take on Constitution Hill and Co in the Champion Hurdle, or go the softer route in the Mares’ Hurdle, a race she would be long odds-on for?

The vibes coming from her trainer Gordon Elliott certainly seem to indicate he favours the more ambitious Champion Hurdle route. In his Racing Post stable tour he said: “I'd love to win a Champion Hurdle, I've never won it before, and she would be my best chance if we run her in it.”

However, Gigginstown supremo Michael O’Leary will have the final say.

• The Brighterdaysahead conundrum - will the star mare take on Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle? 

If Brighterdaysahead does run in the Champion, would that tempt Willie Mullins into switching targets with Lossiemouth? She won the Mares’ easily last year and has had this year’s Champion Hurdle as her big aim for the best part of two years, but was beaten by Constitution Hill at Kempton and suffered a crashing fall in the Irish Champion Hurdle.

If both run in the Champion, the Mares’ Hurdle market would undergo a major transformation, with Mullins’ Jade De Grugy possibly being the main beneficiary.

Il Est Francais and Gaelic Warrior – Champion Chase or Ryanair?

The Champion Chase and Ryanair Chase pictures will be strongly defined by plans for these two extremely talented but often unpredictable chasers.

Ever since his gallant effort in the King George VI Chase, when just denied in his bid to make all by Banbridge, Il Est Francais’s connections have been weighing up their Cheltenham options, keeping a keen eye on the potential opposition in each race.

Seeing him take on Jonbon and attempt to run the field ragged from the front in a Champion Chase would be some sight, although he is notably much shorter for the Ryanair on the Betfair exchange rather than the two-mile championship.

Il Est Francais: shorter for the Ryanair than the Champion Chase on the Betfair exchangeCredit: Edward Whitaker

Gaelic Warrior has been far from his best in two defeats to Solness at Leopardstown this season, but did rebound from a disappointing run at last year’s Dublin Racing Festival to win the Arkle. 

The Champion Chase has been mooted as his primary target for much of the season, but Willie Mullins admitted the Ryanair would be factored into considerations following the Dublin Chase. He is a general 6-1 for the Champion Chase and 7-2 for the Ryanair, but his participation may also hinge on how Mullins plans to split up his team of senior chasers.

Who is going to take on Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup?

Speaking of Mullins and his older chase stars, it looks likely Galopin Des Champs will face a more reduced challenge in his bid for a third consecutive Gold Cup than was once expected.

At the beginning of the season the staying chase division was talked up as being at its most competitive for years, with a strong batch of novice chasers emerging to challenge established stars.

A brilliant John Durkan Chase in which new kids on the block Fact To File and Spillane's Tower battled out the finish further whetted the appetite, but fast forward three months and Galopin Des Champs has sent his potential opposition scattering with two dominant victories in the Savills Chase and Irish Gold Cup.

Galopin Des Champs and Paul Townend win the Grade 1 Paddy Power Irish Gold CupCredit: Patrick McCann

Stablemate Fact To File is still around 6-1 for the Gold Cup but is a short-priced favourite for the Ryanair and, judged on their last two clashes over 3m, there is little evidence to suggest he can reverse form with Galopin Des Champs over the two-furlongs-longer Gold Cup trip.

Injuries to Gerri Colombe and Fastorslow have ruled them out for the season, while the potential British challenge looks to have hit a new low. Grey Dawning looks like he is heading to Kelso and then Aintree, L'Homme Presse must bounce back from being pulled up in the Ascot Chase and there is no other home contender shorter than 50-1.

King George winner Banbridge could emerge as Galopin Des Champs's biggest threat, although he has never raced further than 3m and will need the ground to be no deeper than good to soft.

Plenty have yet to commit one way or the other and there is still time for supplementary entries, but we could be heading towards the first single-figure Gold Cup field since 2016.

More decisions for Elliott

Once the Brighterdaysahead dilemma is out of the way, Gordon Elliott has plenty more to ponder for two of his biggest festival contenders.

The Wallpark has won seven of his last 11 starts and earned his spot in the Pertemps Final with an impressive qualifying win at Cheltenham in October over Gowel Road, form which has been boosted since.

He is 6-1 favourite for the festival handicap hurdle, but is also just 12-1 for the Stayers' Hurdle. Elliott also trains the overwhelming Stayers' favourite Teahupoo, and much may depend on the handicap mark The Wallpark is allotted at Tuesday's weights reveal.

The Yellow Clay is unbeaten over hurdlesCredit: Patrick McCann

Then there is The Yellow Clay, who is a perfect four from four over hurdles and won the Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas in fine style in January to cement himself a leading player for the Turners or Albert Bartlett novice hurdles.

Elliott is “leaning” towards the Turners over 2m5f, but that is undoubtedly the hotter race with Final Demand and The New Lion heading the market, whereas The Yellow Clay is 3-1 favourite for the Albert Bartlett.

Read more:

How Paul Nicholls landed a £39,000 Cheltenham Festival gamble - plus he reveals his only ante-post bet for 2025 

The Brighterdaysahead conundrum - will the star mare take on Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle? 

'When he sets off to work he is easy, and every day he's like that' - behind the scenes with French star Il Est Francais

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