Dan Skelton Friday runners blog: 'Hopefully a more conventional race will suit her'

Dan Skelton has seven runners on Friday, October 24 at Cheltenham. The trainer previews them all in his latest Ladbrokes ambassador blog.

• Service Minimum & Supreme Yeats - Cheltenham - 1.15 race odds

• Country Mile - Cheltenham - 1.50 race odds

• Fortune De Mer - Cheltenham - 3.00 race odds

• Unexpected Party & Calico - Cheltenham - 3.35 race odds

• Dalston Lad - Cheltenham - 4.10 race odds

We start with two in the opener at Cheltenham on Friday, Harry [Skelton] rides Service Minimum and she ran nicely last time at Worcester, but the race split apart at an early stage and the winner got away with an easy lead. So hopefully a more conventional race here will suit her. She hasn't got much weight either, and the decent ground is good for her, so I'd have to give her an each-way chance.

I'd have to say the other horse we've got, Supreme Yeats, surprised us with how well he ran last time, but he's in at the deep end here. He has no weight, but this is massively above where he's ever been in his life before. 

Then we run Country Mile in the Novices' Chase - he had a run at Uttoxeter over fences the other day and ran nicely. I think he's stepped forward a little bit for that, so we're hoping he'll go well again here. He's won at the track before, so that's a positive, and the run under his belt won't be lost on him.

Fortune De Mer runs in the Novices' Hurdle. We're putting a hood on him; we feel like he's over-racing early on in the race, so we need to get him settled down a little. He's obviously got winning-course form, which is handy, and that run under his belt last time will definitely stand him in good stead. Let's see how he competes at this level, because it's as decent a level as you'd expect this time of year.

We've got two in the Handicap Chase - Unexpected Party - he's a standing dish in these two-mile handicap chases, but I think he's too far up the handicap - we claim seven off him to try and help him on that front, but I think he's too high. Calico won this race last year, and it's one we've had in mind all summer for him. He's done loads of work in preparation for it, and hopefully he can go well again.

Dalston Lad runs in the Novices' Hurdle having run in a couple of bumpers last year, including the Cheltenham Festival bumper, but that was probably a step too far for him. Two-and-a-half here is a good trip for him, though, and we've done plenty with him at home, so I'd like to think he'll go close.

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