NEWS this week of Allaho’s absence from the Cheltenham Festival due to an abdominal bleed has blown the Ryanair Chase picture wide open, but progressive chaser French Dynamite remains a likely contender for the Grade 1 prize.

The Robcour-owned eight-year-old’s form will be put to the test when Fakir D’Oudairies, who French Dynamite finished second to last time in the Grade 2 Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase, bids for back-to-back wins in the Betfair Ascot Chase on Saturday.

However, there appears to be a fair deal of substance to the form of French Dynamite’s near miss in the Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last November, with both the third, Midnight River, and fourth, Il Ridoto, winning £100,000 handicap chases back at Cheltenham in January.

Priced between 10/1 and 16/1 for the Ryanair Chase, this season’s Savills Chase fifth is expected to rematch with Fakir D’Oudairies at the Festival provided the ground is sufficiently good.

It could set up a massive day three at the meeting for joint-breeder Francois-Marie Cottin, as French Dynamite’s half-brother Mighty Potter is a warm favourite for the Turners Novices’ Chase.

Morris told The Irish Field: “He ran a lovely race last time at Thurles. A big thing for him is getting decent ground. I think he’s quite ground dependent and likes it on the good side. Provided he gets his preferred ground, hopefully we’ll be looking towards Cheltenham with him. He’s been in good form.” up.”

Gentlemansgame an absentee

The same connections’ Gentlemansgame, who delivered an impressive display when winning on his chasing debut at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, was a notable scratching this week from the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.

Morris said: “Gentlemansgame has picked up a small setback. It doesn’t look to be anything too serious but he would have needed another run over fences in order to go to Cheltenham anyway so he wouldn’t have been running there this year.”

Still in contention for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase is the Noel Meade-trained Thedevilscoachman, who was promoted to first in the Grade 3 Finlay Ford At Naas Novice Chase at the expense of Ramillies last month.

However, the J.P. McManus-owned seven-year-old, generally priced between 10/1 and 14/1, is only likely to appear at Cheltenham if ground conditions are soft.

Meade told The Irish Field: “I’m not sure at this stage whether he’ll go. He’s very ground dependent and won’t go anywhere unless it’s soft. If it turned up soft, the Brown Advisory would become an option. He could get an entry for the Irish Grand National but there will be other novice chases between now and the end of the season that we can put him into as well.”

Meade expects to run lively outsider The Model Kingdom in the Jack de Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (sponsored by Ryanair) after the six-year-old’s latest second to Impaire Et Passe in the Grade 2 Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

Meade said of the top-priced 25/1 chance: “She’ll go for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. I’m not 100% sure she’ll get up the hill at Cheltenham because she’s a speedy mare but the owners are keen to go We’ll let her have a crack at it.”

LATEST fields for the Cheltenham Festival’s Grade 1 novice chases, novice hurdles, the National Hunt Chase and Triumph Hurdle were revealed earlier this week, and Irish-trained runners make up 53.4% of the total fields in these races.

The visiting team is most dominant in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase with 66.7% of the 24 entries, while the only three races in which Irish-trained runners do not hold the majority are the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (47.8% trained in Ireland), Triumph Hurdle (48.9%) and Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (48.4%).

Champ Kiely was among those scratched from the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, leaving the Ballymore his only entry at the meeting, while Henry de Bromhead’s Tolworth Hurdle disappointment Arctic Bresil was also taken out of the Festival opener.

The Albert Bartlett is now Three Card Brag’s only entry after being scratched from the Ballymore alongside Deep Cave and Tactical Move, who no longer hold any Cheltenham entries.

Gerri Colombe’s only entry for the meeting is the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase after being taken out of the National Hunt Chase alongside I Am Maximus and Kilcruit. Gaillard Du Mesnil remains in the Brown Advisory and National Hunt Chase having been scratched from the Turners.

Fields were also published for the Jack de Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase, which had a notable absentee in the shape of last year’s close third Scarlet And Dove.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained nine-year-old, owned by Gigginstown House Stud, impressed in the Grade 3 John & Chich Fowler Memorial EBF Mares Chase at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day but will not return again this season after a setback.

Of the 17 entries for the Mares’ Chase, 11 hail from Ireland (64.7%), while 24 of the 42 possible runners in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle represent the visiting team (57.1%).