And if these shenannigans continue we have plenty more of this nonsense to look forward.

and i can think of many examples of horses that didnt run in the ryanair because they werent quick or good enough at that trip- the quality of the ryanair is going up and if it continues too it will soon be on a par with the cc and gc if it doesnt continue to it wont how difficult is this to undrstand omg

Genuinely can't believe this subject has sparked so many strong feelings either way.

And that so many people have an issue with a top class race at the Festival. Pretty sure if any of the people anti the race owned a Grade 1 horse who excelled at this distance they would be very, very excited to be running in this race.

For me, I can't see a counter argument to The Headmasters post. The gap between Championship races at the Festival at 2m and 3m2f would just be too much. just because it used to be that way isn't an argument to me.

i used rprs to show how the ryanair is improving and to state that the gap between the ryanair and the cc and gc is closing - and that this could suggest that if this improvement continues then the ryanair will be a serious race in its own right and not a mish mash hybrid or whatever the phrase was - not to prove any other point - i never once implied that a horse can only post a g1 rating in a 2 1/2 race i have consistently talked about the possibility of a horse posting its HIGHEST rating at 2 1/2 mile and if there are a few top class horses like this then i for one will be grateful that the ryanair exists - now either you are too lazy to read all my posts or you are just trying to wind me up - either way fair play to you

they dont have to be 2 1/2 specialists just better at 2 1/2 miles than 2 or 3m 2 - for me the recent winners of the ryanair are good/very good/excellent horses (uxizandre, cue card, dynaste and riverside) and at the time they won it were imo better at 2 1/2 than 2 or 3 m 2 and if this trend continues then the ryanair will establish itself as much more than a mish mash hybrid - i am happy to see a horse post a rating of more than 170 which 3 of the 4 i mentioned did while also knowing they did not stay 3m2 or have speed for 2m (though think uxi would have been a massive runner in cc with that performance) - so i am not sure (again with exception of uxi - what harm these horses running in ryanair did to cc or gc

The Chump Change Championship?

It's a Grade 1 race at the greatest meeting in the world. Clearly it doesn't have the prestige of the CC or the GC as they have been around forever. A bit of a ridiculous comment.

tbh i am angry with myself for bothering when it doesnt really matter - i am just trying to be positive and optimistic about a race that i feel is showing signs of life and real promise when clearly some are so firm on their view. good luck to all those that dont like the race maybe time will prove you right, maybe not and if not maybe some of you will change your mind - i cant believe i have wasted so much of my time - note to self - stop being a moron

I just can't have the CC as a viable alternative. They clearly think the horse stays... They've just run him in the KG and talk of him as a future GC horse. They have a crack two miler in the yard (albeit in a different ownership), they refused to take him on last year to win the more prestigious novice race. So while they have a Grade 1 race tailor made for the horse over 2m5f, why would they choose to take on speed merchants when the horse hasn't run over 2m for ages?

Seems inconceivable to me tbh.

Of course Vautour taking in the Champion isn't inconceivable. There's an old and very true adage that it often takes a horse which gets two and a half to emerge the best over two miles at that course in championship races. It's been proven so many times as to be incontrovertible to those of us who have followed the game for many years. Just trawl through the list of the winners of the top 2 mile races. Don't let Mullins the farmer muddy the water.

wow!! Can't believe this is still going on

Next season will be worse You ain't seen nothing yet! What happens if UDS, Vautour, Djakadam somehow all win? Does Douvan, Shaneshill, Killultagh Vic all need to go to Aintree? Perhaps Willie Mullins wakes up one morning trying to figure just who exactly is the best, goes bonkers and they all go Ryanair or campaign for 2m2f, 2m6f, 3m

sorry cause i get this is tedious - i am actually boring myself so forgive me - eternal - so in the ideal world you put a condition on the race so that horses rated say 165/170 or over could not enter. that way you keep a race you like but force the horses you want either to the cc or gc or out of cheltenham. Cant remember who it was that talked about people in racings less than favourable attitude to the ryanair - so if you and they are right racing would welcome such a move with open arms.

the thing is without a condition like that it becomes a free market and if the ryanair starts attracting better horses which imo it is starting to do it is because people in racing (I am not talking about mullins and vautour) are entering their horses whether you like it or not - i posted stuff about rr not running his horses together in the vain hope it might influence him - why dont you campaign for a rating ceiling on the ryanair in the vain hope it will influence somebody

In a parallel universe 10 trillion light years away there is a National Hunt Festival, the feature of which is the Universal Chase over 2.5 miles.  It decides the Inter-Galactic Chaser of the year.  All the best 2 mile chasers and 3 mile chasers converge at this classic, championship distance to fight for top honours. It is difficult to get form books, being as they're so far away..but think Arkle v Flyingbolt v Dunkirk v Mill House....Badsworth Boy against Burrough Hill Lad, Pearlyman and Dawn Run.  How about Remittance Man and Viking Flagship versus Jodami and The Fellow?  Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded and Moscow Flyer?  Or maybe Un De Sceaux, Sprinter Sacre, Cue Card and Vautour.  Still think 2.5m is an Intermediate trip lads?  Bit of a mish-mash hybrid? Sounds pretty tasty to me.

Unfortunately, back on Planet Earth, our forefathers missed this golden opportunity and we rarely, if it all, get to see these epic battles take place.  But fear not!  There is a new race in the programme that is steadily bedding in and might, one day, come close to giving us those stellar shootouts our alien friends have been enjoying for years.

Unfortunately though...some clown decided to call it the Ryanair Chase

It's a shame the race in space has as daft a name as it has down here on earth......why don't they split those horses up in the inter-galactic cup to see which ones are the quickies and which ones are the stayers , they could call it the Gold Cup and Champion Chase.

Not at all miltons. I respect the right of greedy trainers and owners to deprive racing enthusiasts, whose money keeps the sport going, of they want to watch in order to farm as many races as they can. That's their prerogative. As one of those enthusiasts I'm just pointing out that depriving people of what they want isn't really a recipe for growing a sport. In fact there are examples from other sports where the best don't take on the best thus depriving the sport of the oxygen of publicity and consequently the sport diminishes.

If you want to see the sport diminish and the top races farmed by super trawlers again that is your prerogative. Count me out.

EO. You really think 'racing enthusiasts' keep racing going?!

I always assumed they were upgraded for money reasons but happy to be educated otherwise

I always assumed they were upgraded for money reasons but happy to be educated otherwise

Nope.  The only race I can recall being parachuted in to the Pattern cos of £££s was the Betfair Chase - and even then Haydock had to give up two Grade 2s to get there.  If it was down to cash that abomination of a 100K Hurdle on the same card as the Betfair would be a Grade 2 rather than a lowly Class 2.

If anyone's interested I can post how it works?  It might take tedium to a new level though

No CCM I'm definitely giving my own opinion. I appreciate, the force, eloquence and wit can sometimes carry all before me but I can assure you that is as much curse as it is blessing.

Of course I respect your right to choose not to see the best take on the best. That's your prerogative. However, for those with a sense of the romance of sport I ask, rhetorically of course, what would sport have been without Ali/Frazier, Borg/Supermac, Botham/Lillie, Moore/Pele, and all the rest?

There's a simple recipe. Find ot what the fans crave and give it to them. Great horses farming big prizes against three runner fields doesn't set anybody's pulse racing. We saw it today. The Challow hurdle. A fixture in the Christmas programme with four runners. The four runner novice in Ireland with three of the runners owned by the same owner. It's simply not good enough and it isn't even that big a problem. I could fix it tomorrow.

However, I digress. I want to see the best face off against the best I appreciate 2 miles to gold cup is a leap. 2 miles 5 isn't and what else will get people enthused ore than the question which would be on many racing enthusiasts lips more than will Vautour get home?

Whats wrong with handicaps?? gets the brain working and nice price winners are a regular thing.
Seems fine to me.

EO. You really think 'racing enthusiasts' keep racing going?!

For sure CCM. I'm no elitist. The ten bob or ten pound flutterer is as much an enthusiast in my opinion as the super rich Ricci's and collectively the punter has put billions more into the game over the years than even the most keen owner. Without the punter you've got little more than the old days of toffs racing for match bets away from the pblic gaze. No huge prize money. No fancy courses. No bookies. Probably a tenth of the stables. No TV. Somewhere along the line they forgot to crown the true kings of the sport and also forgot what it is they want.