Fact To File will have too many gears for French fancy in the Ryanair Chase

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FACT TO FILE (3.20) should have too many gears for this year’s French flavour in the Ryanair Chase.

Protektorat defends his title for Dan Skelton after bolting up in the Fleur de Lys Chase, but he’ll face competition for the lead with bold-jumping French rival Il Est Francais.

A jockey on a brown horse jumps a hurdle. — Fact To File should have far too many gears in the Ryanair

Having made most of the running in the King George, Il Est Francais drops back in distance here, but so too does Fact To File who is 3 lb above him in the Timeform ratings.

Fact To File should appreciate the shorter trip after good placed efforts behind Gold Cup hero Galopin des Champs at Leopardstown and can come out on top.

Another bidding for a repeat win on this card is TEAHUPOO (4.00) in the Stayers’ Hurdle.

Previous winners have a good record in the race, with Flooring Porter in 2022 becoming the most recent of four hurdlers this century to win the Stayers’ crown twice.

A clear 5lb topper in the Timeform ratings, Teahupoo goes well fresh and looks the one to beat again after following the same route as last year.

While he couldn’t win a third successive Hatton’s Grace Hurdle this time, there was no disgrace in finishing runner-up to the speedier Lossiemouth who had a 7lb mares’ allowance.

Home By The Lee was third last year and looks best of the rest after winning a Grade 1 at Leopardstown.

Finding winners among the huge fields elsewhere on the card won’t be easy but novice JAGWAR (4.40), owned by JP McManus, looks very interesting in the Plate Handicap.

The unexposed six-year-old tops the Timeform ratings by 1lb and also has a ‘p’, showing that he’s open to further improvement in a field of exposed rivals.

Jagwar always looked the type to take well to fences and he has done just that this season, making it three out of four over track and distance last time.