Dan Skelton blog: ‘You can’t pick your opposition’
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The latest Dan Skelton blogs sees the esteemed trainer and Ladbrokes ambassador preview his runners for Newbury tomorrow.
Dan Skelton blog
Harry [Skelton] rides Jack Black. He is a nice horse who has had a couple of runs in bumpers and has shown up nicely. I like what I see at home especially for the future. He will enjoy jumping. I don’t see him just turning up and winning an 18-runner hurdle first time up but he should handle the ground and he has a right future at it.
Protektorat runs in the Denman Chase and I am very happy with him. We were always coming here after Lingfield. He ran very well there, pushing L’Homme Presse all the way to the line and who knows how good a run that will look in time. Ok he takes on Shishkin here who has higher numbers but you can’t pick your opposition and we are looking forward to it. We will give it our best.
I run all three in the Betfair Hurdle. Knickerbockerglory is a horse who will love the ground the deepest. He has been kept fresh for a two-mile handicap with as soft as ground he can get. So he had to come here. We will make plenty of use with him and he likes to get on with things. He is fresh, and healthy, and proved he can do it at the bigger days. The ground gives him a proper squeak.
Faivoir has a new rider this time, with Heidi Palin on board, taking 7lbs off. He is a threat anyway as he runs well in these bigger handicaps and now perhaps even more of a threat with the weight allowance. He races how he wants and I don’t necessarily think he’s a horse you can predict. He is in good form at home and that is the main thing.
Harry rides L’Eau Du Sud and I am very happy with him. He got treated for ulcers after his ordinary run in the Greatwood Hurdle when we fancied him. That was a legitimate reason for underperforming and as long as there is no psychological impact, then I can’t see why he won’t run well. His form from last year suggests he very much can.
Hitching Jack had a lovely run last time out. He just hadn’t been firing over the main winter months but last time out was much more like it. I really liked what I saw and hopefully he can step forward in the spring and get some business done. His owners have been very patient with him and he has suggested he is going to be a nice horse in staying chases and hopefully we are just putting our toe on the ladder and we can get a nice clear run of things.
He won an 18-runner bumper at Doncaster and I was delighted with his performance that day. I suppose the ground is an unknown, but it was pretty soft at Donny. This is worth a go, so let’s find out. If you don’t shoot, you don’t score!
