Monalee and Shattered Love among 14 Pointers in Ryanair

A strong team of 14 former Irish point-to-pointers feature among the 44 initial entries for the Ryanair Chase, one of the feature races on day three of the Cheltenham Festival which was last won by a pointing graduate when Imperial Commander returned victorious in 2009.

Henry De Bromhead’s Monalee heads the 14, with Kevin O’Sullivan’s Templencarriga winner having chased home Presenting Percy in the three-mile RSA Chase at last year’s Festival, and the eight-year-old son of Milan will be sure to have plenty of supporters over the shorter trip having chased home Kemboy in the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Bellhshill, who was fourth in that same race, and is a Grade 1 winner from last season’s Punchestown Gold Cup, is a general 14/1 shot, and Wilson Dennison’s former charge could be joined in the race by stable mate Yorkhill, who also carried Dennison’s black and white silks when winning his point-to-point at Tattersalls Farm.

Total Recall, Invitation Only and Killultagh Vic are other former pointers that feature in the Ryanair field from the Willie Mullins yard.

Monksgrange winner Road To Respect is a leading contender for this and the Gold Cup, alongside a number of fellow Gigginstown House Stud-owner former point-to-pointers, that also includes the winner of last year’s JLT Novice Chase Shattered Love, Outlander, Petit Mouchoir and Alpha Des Obeaux.

The potential point-to-point representatives in the £350,000 Grade 1 contest are the long-absent Black Hercules and Castlegrace Paddy and Doctor Phoenix, who filled the first two places in the Grade 2 Hily Way Chase at Cork in November.