Ryanair Chase favorite Allaho ruled out of Cheltenham in blow to punters
ALLAHO, the heavy favorite to win a third Ryanair Chase, has been ruled out of the Cheltenham Festival.
Trainer Willie Mullins revealed the shocking news to the dismay of punters – many of whom considered the horse a banker ahead of the March meeting.
Allaho was a hugely impressive winner for Ryanair in both 2021 and 2022, but missed out on the chance for a hat-trick last year after missing the season due to a problem with his spleen.
The ten-year-old has been in good form since returning to action this winter. He won on his return in Clonmel before finishing a close third in the King George on Boxing Day.
And on Sunday he was an easy winner of the Horse and Jockey Hotel Chase in Thurles.
But that Grade 2 win revealed he had overworked muscles, and Mullins says he hasn't recovered as quickly as hoped.
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He told sportinglife.com: “Unfortunately Allaho will miss Cheltenham this year.
“He came back with a back leg strain from Thurles and we gave it a few days to get it right but that didn't happen.
“There's not enough time to get him ready for Cheltenham and unfortunately we've had to pull the plug.
“We will overcome this hurdle first before we look at getting him back for Punchestown.”
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The news has led to a significant shake-up in antepost betting for the Ryanair Chase in March.
Banbridge are now the clear 11-4 favorites with Paddy Power and Betfair, with Envoi Allen next best at 4-1, ahead of Stage Star at 9-2.
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