Midlands-based horse racing trainer, Dan Skelton, came so close to a first British Trainers’ Championship title last season, but he had to settle for the runner-up prize behind Irishman Willie Mullins.
Skelton is in a much stronger position this year going into the final big meetings of the season, and he will be looking to consolidate his lead at the Cheltenham Festival.
With over £2 million in prize money already for the campaign, it is turning out to be a huge year for Skelton and his team.
Ryanair Chase Represents Skelton’s Best Chance of Championship Success
There are five championship races at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, and Skelton’s best chance of a triumph in those races comes in the Ryanair Chase. Protektorat won the race in 2024, and he is 8/1 in the Cheltenham odds to defend his crown.
Given his record in the race, and the manner of his victory last time out at Windsor, Protektorat is likely to be one of the leading horse racing tips for the day three event at the Cheltenham Festival. If triumphant, he will pick up just over £200,000 in prize money for Skelton.
Elsewhere across the week at Cheltenham, Skelton will saddle some of his leading novices. The New Lion and L’Eau du Sud are expected to be strong contenders for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle and the Arkle Trophy respectively. They will also be important horses for Skelton next season when they take on more experienced runners in their respective divisions.
No Grand National Entry But Aintree Remains A Key Meeting
Skelton has not made an entry in this year’s Grand National at Aintree. However, the trainer will be plotting to win some valuable grade one races across at the three-day meeting.
Last season’s Turners Novices’ Chase winner, Grey Dawning, is expected to return to action at Aintree. Skelton took his chaser out of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in favour of a run at the Merseyside racecourse. The eight-year-old prevailed in the Premier Chase at Kelso on his most recent appearance.
Aintree’s three-day Grand National meeting is the last big festival on the National Hunt calendar in the UK, so if Skelton ends the weekend with a healthy lead at the top of the Trainers’ Championship, he will be confident of getting his hands on the trophy.
Paul Nicholls Leads the Chasing Pack
The closest rival to Skelton in the latest standings in the Trainers’ Championship is his former boss, Paul Nicholls. Skelton was the assistant to the 14-time Champion Trainer earlier in his career. He is now vying to hold off the man he worked so closely with.
Nicholls will also be hoping for a big week at the Cheltenham Festival, a meeting he has had so much success at before. It could be a big afternoon for the Ditcheat trainer on day three of the Festival. He will saddle Monmiral in the Stayers’ Hurdle, while in the Ryanair Chase, he has Ginny’s Destiny and Hitman.
The 2024/25 Trainers’ Championship ends on Saturday, 26th of April, with Sandown Park being the sole Jumps meeting in the UK on the final day of the season.
Article written and submitted by Ben Spencer
