Waiting Patiently to Aim for Ryanair at Cheltenham Festival

When Waiting Patiently lined up for the King George on Boxxing Day we were supposed to find out a lot about the horse, and whether he would stay three miles and further. Unfortunately after being brought down by Bristol De Mai, who fell in front of him, we found out very little about the horse, leaving the Ruth Jefferson yard wondering what steps to take next with him.

We have now had the news from them that it is likely that the horse will run in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival instead of aiming at the Gold Cup. They have not ruled out the Gold Cup in the future, but right now, in 2019, the Ryanair is the aim for this horse.

Prerparations for the race could start very soon as the horse is entered in a listed chase at Kempton on Saturday. The Ryanair is ran over a distance of two miles and five furlongs, one that we have seen him over before successfully. With the King George unable to tell us anymore about the horse, this is probably the right decision and there is no doubt that he would arrive at the Ryanair with a great chance, especially if he puts in a good winning performance on Saturday at Kempton.

Bookmakers are split on whether they fancy Waiting Patiently for the Ryanair or not, and we can see that in the priced on offer. They range from 5/1 with some firms all the way up to 12/1 with others, though those at the bigger end of the scale may change things when the official entries are revealed for the race on Thursday.

It is worth noting that there is a chance we may not see Waiting Patiently this weekend, and that will all depend on the weather. The horse needs a bit of cut in the ground and to get that we need to see some rain at Kempton. If we don’t have any rain he won’t run, but the yard are looking to get him out once more before the Cheltenham Festival, so we will get a chance to see him before the Ryanair.

When we see him, many people will have their eye on Waiting Patiently. He was strongly fancied before the King Geroge and that was a top quality race so there is no doubt that many people believe that this is a horse that can compete with the very best. The Ryanair is sometimes seen as a lower quality Gold Cup, and if the horse can get there in one piece and fit then there is every chance that Waiting Patiently could be a class above the rivals he takes on at the festival.

The next chapter of this horse’s career is unknown yet, but we do know the longer term he is very likely to head to the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham. He was very unlucky in the King George, and hopefully he can have better luck over the coming weeks and bring festival glory to the north.