Two-time Ryanair Chase hero Allaho ruled out of Cheltenham Festival through injury

Dual Ryanair Chase winner Allaho has been ruled out of this year's Cheltenham Festival after picking up an injury when winning at Thurles on Sunday.

A brilliant winner of the Ryanair Chase in 2021 and 2022, Allaho missed the race last year after suffering with a rare abdominal condition but returned from 561 days off the track to win at Clonmel in November.

Ryanair Chase tips:

• Allaho's out - but who do we fancy for the Ryanair Chase instead?

After finishing third in the King George at Kempton over Christmas, Allaho beat his Willie Mullins-trained stablemate Stattler by 13 lengths in Sunday's Grade 2 Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase and had been a general 5-2 favourite to register a third win in the Ryanair before injury struck.

Following the news, bookmakers now make Banbridge the new favourite for the Ryanair with bet365 going a best-priced 3-1.

Allaho: won at Thurles on SundayCredit: Patrick McCann

Chris Richardson, racing manager to Allaho's owners Cheveley Park Stud, told the Racing Post: "Allaho was found to be lame after his win at Thurles, which has been diagnosed as a strained hock. The advice is that he will need a period of rest and recuperation, which very sadly means he will miss the Cheltenham Festival. We hope that he might be back for Punchestown in April but investigations are ongoing.

"It's frustrating having seen him run so well at Thurles and rekindle hope after his previous run in the King George. Back over his favoured two and a half miles got us all excited but he's still going to be a major force going forward and we've just got to be patient."

As well as his Cheltenham Festival heroics, Allaho was an impressive winner of the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup in 2022 and has won ten of his 20 starts and almost £800,000 in prize-money.

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