Ruby Walsh - favours Gaelic Warrior again

Ruby Walsh gives his verdict on the Ryanair Chase

Ruby Walsh previews the 2026 Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Wed February 11, 2026 · 11h ago

Ruby Walsh feels one of Gaelic Warrior or Fact To File will run in the Ryanair Chase as it's 'too good an opportunity' for one of them.

Fact To File is even-money in Paddy Power's NRNB market for the Ryanair and Gaelic Warrior is 7/4, with the former also favourite for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup after his Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup win at the Dublin Racing Festival.

JP McManus' horse will have to be supplemented for the Gold Cup, however, and Walsh feels that Gaelic Warrior has the greater stamina of the pair.

Speaking on Paddy Power Media's ‘From The Horse’s Mouth’ podcast Cheltenham Countdown, the analyst said: "I think when you look at Florida Pearl, he had a great record at Leopardstown, didn’t quite ever get the trip in a Gold Cup and that’s probably the question mark for both Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File.

"Gaelic Warrior would need to settle to get it and Fact To File didn’t look like he got it last year, but looked like he got three miles at Leopardstown really well this year when aggressively ridden.

"But it’s still a question mark with both horses, will they get three and a quarter?

"It’s an unknown, but it’s a question mark and then when you sit down and toss it around and connections think about it, one of them is likely to think I’ll take the Ryanair – which one it is I don’t know.

"I suppose it’s not even your opinion as I think when you look back through both horses, Fact To File won a two and a half mile bumper as a five-year-old, whereas Gaelic Warrior was getting that sort of trip, won a three-mile Grade 1 novice hurdle as a five-year-old.

"So probably there’s always been more stamina in Gaelic Warrior, but I don’t know what it is, three miles and three and a quarter at Cheltenham, it sounds nothing those two furlongs and a couple of yards, they seem to make a huge difference.

Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File

"The more you go through it and go through it, it’s hard not to see either Fact To File or Gaelic Warrior turning up here, I think one of them will. It’s going to be too good an opportunity.

"There’s 27 other races - free bet in the Ryanair, I’m splitting my stake and having it on either one of those two, Gaelic Warrior or Fact To File, because I think either one will be a shade of odds-on if they run.

"If you think back to all of the races we’ve had this year – the standout race still in my mind is the John Durkan. As good and all as the King George was to watch, it became a dash down the straight with four horses.

"As actually a race to watch from the grandstand, the John Durkan, that was two and a half and it was these two horses. Now I know they both then contested the Irish Gold Cup and you’re talking about going an extra couple of furlongs with them, but it’s easy to argue both of them are off the charts at two and a half."

Ryanair Chase NRNB Paddy Power: Evens Fact To File, 7-4 Gaelic Warrior, 4 Jonbon, 6 Romeo Coolio, 7 Jango Baie, 8 Banbridge, Heart Wood, Impaire Et Passe, 10 Il Etait Temps, 14 Firefox, Panic Attack, 20 Found A Fifty, Protektorat, 25 bar

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