Dan Skelton is on course for the best season of his career as the Midlands-based handler has scooped over £2 million in prize money and recorded 130 winners.
Those figures are likely to increase in the final months of the campaign.
Skelton’s primary focus now will be preparing for the Cheltenham Festival.
With 28 important races across the four days, it is an important meeting for all the leading trainers in the sports.
The New Lion Represents His Best Chance
After winning all three of his races this season, including a Grade One contest at Newbury, The New Lion is one of the leading contenders for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle. He is the 11/4 second favourite in the 2025 Cheltenham betting for the Grade One contest.
At the start of the season, Grey Dawning was set to be Skelton’s big Cheltenham Festival hope. However, he is now out to 33/1 in the Gold Cup ante post odds and is not certain to run at the meeting, so it is The New Lion who represents his best chance of a winner across the week.
Although he is only in his novice hurdles campaign, The New Lion has been tipped by many pundits to be a Gold Cup contender in the future. Skelton will likely switch him to fences next season, with either the 2026 Turners’ Novices’ Chase or the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase as his target.
Protektorat Back to Defend Ryanair Chase Crown
Skelton celebrated a treble at the Cheltenham Festival in 2024, with Protektorat’s Ryanair Chase being the highlight. The Alcester-based trainer will be hoping the former winner can defend his crown in the championship race on day three of the meeting.
Last season’s Ryanair Chase winner was below his best in his opening two starts this season, but he bounced back to land the Grade Two Fleur De Lys Chase at the Berkshire Winter Million at Windsor. The chaser, who is part-owned by former football manager Sir Alex Ferguson, scored by 23 lengths in what was an emphatic performance. That result will give his connections a lot of confidence heading into the Cheltenham Festival.
Image by Witchfiction on Pixabay
Protektorat has earned just short of £1 million in prize money in his career, and if he could land the big race on day three of the meeting, it may help Skelton extend his lead at the top of the Trainers’ Championship standings.
Big Hopes for L’Eau Sud
Skelton will also have big hopes for Grade One winning chaser L’Eau du Sud at the big meetings in March and April. He was victorious in the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown back in December. That was only his third start over fences, but he did not show any signs of inexperience in the 2m contest at the highest level.
The seven-year-old will line up in the Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival where he will take on the hot favourite Sir Gino. Skelton’s runner has a course and distance victory at Gloucestershire venue as he prevailed in the Arkle Trial earlier in the campaign.
Tickets for all four days of the Cheltenham Festival remain available on the racecourse’s official website. You can also find details on the race times, dress code and directions to the course.
By Ben Spencer.
