| Location | Punchestown Co. Kildare, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Race type | Chase |
| Sponsor | Ryanair |
| Website | Punchestown |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2 miles (3,219 metres) |
| Track | Turf, right-handed |
| Qualification | Five-years-old and up |
| Weight | 11 st 5 lb (5yo); 11 st 12 lb (6yo+) Allowances 5 lb for mares |
| Purse | €90,000 (2010) 1st: €55,800 |
The Ryanair Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during its running there are eleven fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.
During the 1990s the event was sponsored by the Bank of Ireland and Tripleprint. It was promoted to Grade 1 status in 1998, and its sponsorship was taken over by Swordlestown Stud in 2000. The present sponsor, Ryanair, began supporting the race in 2010.
The field usually includes horses which ran previously in the Arkle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham, and the last to win both races was Captain Chris in 2011.
Contents |
Leading jockey since 1992 (2 wins):
Leading trainer since 1992 (2 wins):
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
| 1992 | Classical Charm | 9 | Ken Morgan | Al O'Connell |
| 1993 | Viking Flagship | 6 | Richard Dunwoody | David Nicholson |
| 1994 | Oh So Grumpy | 6 | Jamie Osborne | Jessica Harrington |
| 1995 | Strong Platinum | 7 | Conor O'Dwyer | Paddy Burke |
| 1996 | Ventana Canyon | 7 | Richard Dunwoody | Edward O'Grady |
| 1997 | Jeffell | 7 | Francis Woods | Arthur Moore |
| 1998 | Direct Route | 7 | Paul Carberry | Howard Johnson |
| 1999 | Sydney Twothousand | 9 | Norman Williamson | Noel Meade |
| 2000 | Tiutchev | 7 | Mick Fitzgerald | Nicky Henderson |
| 2001 | Alcapone [1] | 7 | David Casey | Mouse Morris |
| 2002 | Moscow Flyer | 8 | Barry Geraghty | Jessica Harrington |
| 2003 | Le Roi Miguel | 5 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2004 | Say Again | 8 | John Cullen | Paul Nolan |
| 2005 | War of Attrition | 6 | Conor O'Dwyer | Mouse Morris |
| 2006 | Accordion Etoile | 7 | John Cullen | Paul Nolan |
| 2007 | Another Promise | 8 | Graham Lee | Ferdy Murphy |
| 2008 | Big Zeb | 7 | Barry Geraghty | Colm Murphy |
| 2009 | Barker | 8 | David Casey | Willie Mullins |
| 2010 | Captain Cee Bee | 9 | Tony McCoy | Eddie Harty |
| 2011 | Captain Chris | 7 | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs |
1 The 2001 running took place at Fairyhouse.