Dan Skelton Cheltenham Festival 2025 stable tour

Dan Skelton is preparing “the best team we’ve ever had” for this year’s Cheltenham Festival which is headlined by The New Lion who Skelton pinpointed as his “best chance” across the four days during a media visit arranged by The Jockey Club on Friday morning. 

The Skelton team enjoyed a hugely successful Cheltenham Festival last year with Langer Dan, Protektorat, Unexpected Party and Grey Dawning all scoring, although the latter is unlikely to be among Skelton’s squad this year. 

During the media visit, Skelton paraded a handful of his leading players, and was rather complimentary about The New Lion who is a best-priced 3-1 for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle on day two. 

The six-year-old, who is unbeaten in four starts, was purchased privately by JP McManus after his easy win in the Challow Novices’ Hurdle and is set for a mouth-watering clash with Final Demand at Cheltenham.  

“I think our best chance overall at the Festival is The New Lion,” said Skelton who also pinpointed a handicapper to follow plus a dark horse to keep a close eye on. 

The Alcester-based handler revealed: “The handicapper I keep banging on about, and if it all goes well for him, is Be Aware, and the dark horse is Fortune De Mer who has been overlooked because of his run at Huntingdon."

L'Eau Du Sud is another contender Skelton has high hopes for, and here is the reaction from the unbeaten chaser when asked if he was going to win the My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase!

Anthony Dunkley also spoke to Dan Skelton this morning, so make sure you look out for that feature on Racing TV ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, and he's what Skelton had to say about his powerful squad heading to Presbury Park in March.

Race: Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle.

He has come a long way in a year. He was way too fresh at Huntingdon but we had to get a day into him.

He has done loads of work since and we will have him under control for The Festival. If he settles in the Coral Cup, I think he has an outstanding chance. He has run so well in both handicap hurdles this year – his best run was probably in the Greatwood Hurdle when he got to the tail of Burdett Road who took off like a Flat horse.

Over an extended trip, I think we can negate that and he to me is an ideal Coral Cup candidate. He has got to settle but I think he will and I think he can be better. I think if we went for the County with him he’d be suspectable to a speed horse.

Race: Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle.

He goes for the Pertemps. He won a qualifier at Exeter and because of that he will get in because it’s win and you’re in qualification now.

He wasn’t quite right after he ran at Haydock and at Cheltenham I don’t think he was that fit.

If the ground was soft, I could see him running a nice race.

Race: Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

I think we’ll probably end up running three in the Champion Bumper. Dalston Lad is two from two, and a real tough horse. There may be more suitable bumper horses in there but I think he’ll see it out very well.

Race: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.

He looked really well-handicapped in the autumn and really progressive – at that stage I would have said he’d be a short-price for a Pertemps.

It hasn’t quite worked out for him and it doesn’t look like he really stays three miles since he won over it at Cheltenham in November.

A drop back in trip will suit and I think he is most likely to go for the Martin Pipe on Friday.

Race: Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

Our best chance for the race (Champion Bumper) would be Fortune De Mer. He will be overlooked after he was fourth at Huntingdon but if you watch the race back he didn’t stop pulling until he turned in. He is a little bit like Be Aware in that he’s a bit too keen and full of his own ideas. He needed a run as I couldn’t trust him to go straight to Cheltenham.

I would normally go straight to Cheltenham with a horse like that – fresh – but I couldn’t with him because I knew what he’d do and he did. He has won at Cheltenham and looked very good. I don’t think ground is important to him but the speed of the Champion Bumper will really suit him. I give him an each-way chance.

Race: Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (unlikely runner).

The idea at the moment is to go to Kelso and Aintree. We’re getting to the point now where that’s next week so that is the most likely scenario. I will leave him in the Gold Cup just in case something untoward happens with the opposition, and I don’t wish that on them, of course.

The Gold Cup picture is obviously a little muddy behind the favourite, and that’s because of the strength of the favourite in my opinion, and with the favourite being in there it’s still super, super hard to win.

Yes, second and third does look like it’s up for grabs and maybe I’d look at this race a little differently if he’d won at Haydock, but he didn’t so we’re not. I feel like if we go to Kelso and Aintree it gives us two chances of going and running this Spring rather than one.

If he only ran in the Gold Cup that would be the only race that he’d run in, because he can’t go to Sandown right-handed and he can’t go to Punchestown right-handed, so we just need to do what’s right for the horse, short and long term.

I think short term we give ourselves a chance of winning those two races and long term we get some more experience and we can come back as a Gold cup contender next year. Of course I’m disappointed not to be going for a Gold Cup with a horse I thought last year that I would be, but things change and you have to be open to change with horses because if you only parcel them down one road then you’re not doing the best by them.

You have to be adaptive – he’s in great form, he looks outstanding and I think he’ll take a lot of beating at Kelso. I think if things go well at Kelso then he’ll turn up at Aintree in the best possible shape. I would imagine that after a Gold Cup 19 days before there’s not going to be many turn up in the shape they need to be in at Aintree, thus my thinking is what it is. Sorry to upset everyone!”

Asked about his run on Boxing Day in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park, when he was pulled up, Skelton went on: “I think he had recovered (from the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park) to go to Kempton.

I think what happened at Kempton is that he made that mistake at the first which put us on the back foot and the speed Il Est Francais went made the three milers look like four milers that day.

It put us all on the back foot a bit, not least of all us because we’d made the mistake at the first and it was just one of those days. It didn’t work out for him so you put it in the bin – he came out of it fine and let’s worry about it another day.

Race: Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase.

He runs at Chepstow tomorrow and if all goes well will go to the Grand Annual.

He’s a funny horse, I don’t think it’s about being genuine or ungenuine but sometimes just comes to the end of his run. He is his own horse and a bit of a character. I think he’ll run very well tomorrow.

Race: Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle.

He ran really well the other day. He hasn’t qualified for the Pertemps which would probably be the absolute perfect race for him.

He is in the Coral Cup and we’ll have a look at that but he would want it to be very soft.

He could also go to Uttoxeter on the Saturday and then on to Aintree. I’ve been really taken with how he’s got his act together – he’s a new horse to us. We ran him twice at Cheltenham, once behind Constitution Hill when he was just picking up prize money but he ran well nonetheless. It’s all starting to come together for him.

Race: Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

Keops Des Bordes is also going to run in the Champion Bumper. He was second to No Drama This End of Paul’s and I see him as a long-term chaser and a very good horse. I don’t think there is any disadvantage in going around Cheltenham at a young age as for a big horse he is very balanced and can get a lot of experience from a race like that. If the ground was soft I could see him running very, very well as he is full of ability. 

Race: Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle.

This year has been disastrous and he has been terrible but I did tell everyone that would be highly likely. I think people are now starting to believe there is a lot of truth in what I say because it is what I feel.

He is impossible to train and is not going well at the moment but we just hope that he turns up. In his first Coral Cup we believed it was possible and then in his second Coral Cup, the closer we got to the day the more I believed it was possible and probable, although realistically it was still on trust.

We will be turning up at the Cheltenham Festival with him and he’ll be running in the Stayers’ Hurdle, I’m sure, because he can’t give away all that weight in the Coral Cup. We go there on trust.

This year has been disastrous and he has been terrible but I did tell everyone that would be highly likely. I think people are now starting to believe there is a lot of truth in what I say because it is what I feel.

He is impossible to train and is not going well at the moment but we just hope that he turns up. In his first Coral Cup we believed it was possible and then in his second Coral Cup, the closer we got to the day the more I believed it was possible and probable, although realistically it was still on trust.

We will be turning up at the Cheltenham Festival with him and he’ll be running in the Stayers’ Hurdle, I’m sure, because he can’t give away all that weight in the Coral Cup. We go there on trust.

Race: My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase.

Obviously he has done nothing wrong over fences and is four from four.

We always expected him to be a much better chaser than hurdler, although as a hurdler he was hardly disappointing and was placed in a lot of good handicaps – he was second in the Betfair and second in the County Hurdle when I still don’t know how he got beat. Even though we’d already had four winners by Friday last year, when we went into Friday I still thought we had our best chance of the week with him.

He has gone chasing this year and hasn’t looked back. He has course form and if it’s soft ground he can get away with it but if it’s better it will suit him better. He can drop in or make the running – he’s very versatile and has got those extra runs. There is nothing I don’t like about his chances for this race.

He is a good enough hurdler to win an Arkle. Sometimes you look back at Arkle runners and they weren’t a good enough hurdler to win an Arkle but this year you have Majborough who is a Grade One-winning hurdler. You need to be a good hurdler to have a chance of winning the race and I think we are just good enough as a hurdler. Obviously he has improved dramatically as a chaser.

I have a lot of respect for Majborough but I really like this horse. I don’t want to go and say I think he’ll win but I think he’ll make it look closer than the prices suggest.

I always thought he would improve for Warwick. What was impressive was the way he jumped and from three out to the last - he put good distance on a very good horse, a 150-rated hurdler (Rubaud) who jumped very well. That was the most taking thing for me about that run.

The ground was against him at Sandown in the Henry VIII and he was still very good. Class got him through.

He is versatile, has course form, lots of experience and is riding the crest of a wave – there is not much about him I don’t like.

The fact he's got the experience is a box ticked, it's more helpful to have it than not. He's had almost as many runs over fences as Majborough has had in his life but the one thing you can't make up is talent and Majborough has an unbelievable amount. I think it will be a great race so let's hope they both get there - but I have a lot of faith in my horse.

Majborough to me looks like a big, galloping horse that will keep going. They've been positive on him over fences as they know he stays well which is a great asset to have.

Probably the best L’Eau du Sud was this season was at Cheltenham in November when he got a lead and could quicken off a pace. He looked very, very good that day and it was around the course we are going back to in the Arkle.

Race: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle

She will go for the Martin Pipe. We haven’t really had long enough to get her ready for the Mares’ Hurdle.

 She is very talented and under normal circumstances I would give her a massive chance but we have just not really had enough time since she started back although she has not had any hold ups. I think she will run well but she will improve.

Race: TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase

I think the Mares’ Chase will be biting off too much so she’ll run in the Plate.

She is a better horse over fences and I think the extra trip will suit. She ran well at Warwick over hurdles the other day over 2m 3f when she just got beat.

I think the return to fences will suit her well and she can be a player. You need luck in running in a Plate but she has been round Cheltenham a few times.

Race: Ryanair Chase.

This horse last night got the start of an infection in a back leg and you wouldn’t even believe there was a problem this morning – which shows you how tough this horse is. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to show you him this morning and we would have to give him a few easy days but he is absolutely fine and goes to Warwick this afternoon for a gallop.

We are very, very lucky to have Protektorat. Not only is his talent what it is but his resolution and his desire are absolutely top quality. I think that is what gives him the ability to run so well in these races and why he has got the longevity he has.

He will obviously head back for the Ryanair – that is his only entry. I think he has got a great chance, I really do. In his early season, he had a lot of weight in the Paddy Power and probably needed the run more than I thought.

I always knew we were going to get into a bit of a row in the Peterborough (Chase at Huntingdon) going right-handed but we hoped it would be different. Maybe we rode him wrong that day – maybe we should have gone in front and cracked on and then the right-handedness might not have made so much of a difference.

The end of his season was always going to be better than his start. We were always aiming at Windsor and he did what he did – he looked sensational and the best I have ever seen him.

He heads to Cheltenham an older horse but certainly not a lesser horse. Of course, there are new challengers and we have got challengers from France and Ireland. I wouldn’t say they don’t worry me but with him he will run his best race. I am not worried by that at all. He beat Envoi Allen, who has won all those Grade 1s, by four lengths last season so there wasn’t much wrong with that performance.

If he has any more to give, he’ll be giving it in three weeks’ time. He has never been this well and is a credit to himself and everyone around him to have had him in this shape for so long.

We trained him very differently from the back end of last year and especially since the start of this year. We have put him in some rubber shoes. As a young horse, he was very keen and his back leg would come through and strike the back of his elbow but we have found that shoeing him differently and training him differently really helped and suited him.

John (Hales) was there when he won at Windsor and that was magic. John loved all his horses whether they were good or bad and never went to the races expecting to lose – it didn’t matter how good or bad the horse was! Every time they turned up he’d say we are going to have a winner to the point where when Paul Nicholls ran one of his and we were up against him he’d say I don’t know why you are running as mine will beat yours!

He was just a fabulous man and the legacy he has left his family in terms of the horses still to run – you have got Protektorat and L’Eau du Sud. Live Conti won the other day and heads to the Aintree Festival and there are lovely young horses with Paul and Olly (Murphy) too so hopefully those yellow colours will grace the course for many years to come.

Race: Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle.

She is in the Mares’ Hurdle and that is her only entry. The intention is to run.

She is not completely ground dependent. If it got very soft I would have to consider it but good to soft, soft in places would be no problem at all.

She could go off second favourite or third favourite if Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth go to the Champion Hurdle. Given her form this season – she has won a Listed over two miles and a Grade Two over two miles, which is highly unpredictable really because in June I was running her over three miles. You have got to ask what I was doing but she was still winning, thank God!

She has grown with confidence and has a great outlook. She’s a beautiful mare – very honest, tries hard, loves jumping and loves racing. She would race every fortnight if you let her and has a great constitution.

I think she goes to Cheltenham with a great chance. She will be running – keep running and stay on well to the line. She will give her best, you can guarantee that with her.

If the big two turn out we are going to be scrapping it out for minor places but if they don’t and it turns into a bit of a fight it is not beyond the realms of possibility that she will be there at the business end.

I am surprised really she has won over two miles – I think two and a half miles is definitely better for her and as I say she has won over three. I think two and a half is her best trip and she is a player. She never has a bad day and you can rely on her – a Placepot bettor’s dream!

When you have mares on a roll and they are improving, you never know where they are going to end up. She is very much like that. Has she reached her peak? Is there more to come? What I do know is, however good she is on the day, she will give her all. She may not be a big name like Brighterdaysahead or Lossiemouth but she is a great mare to have on the team.

Race: Turners Novices' Hurdle.

As you can see he looks outstanding. This horse’s coat, I have to say, is one of the most forward of all of our horses. He looks great and I love to see him bright like this. I took him to Huntingdon the other day for a canter round and a day out. But this is what I love about him – that energy. He’s happy, he’s healthy, he’s bright. I love all this about him.

When we took him to Huntingdon he was like this when we got him off the lorry. He walked round the paddock full of exuberance and happiness. He’s never a horse that pulls in a race and he’s never a horse that pulls in work. He’s never going to boil over and do it the wrong way. I just love to see him looking so well.

He’s going to be going on the Wednesday unless the ground was very soft or heavy in which case we could switch to the Tuesday but the reality is he’s going to be going on the Wednesday.

I love him. I love everything about him. I love his attitude, I love the trainability about him. You ask Harry (Skelton, brother and jockey) – he loves the way he is to ride and if you want go inside you can go inside, if you want to go outside you can go outside, if you want to go a bit quicker you can go a bit quicker and if you want to go a bit slower then he does that as well. He can do it all.

He’s his own person. If I walked 50 horses past you and asked you to pick out The New Lion you wouldn’t pick him out. He’d walk straight past you. He’s very unassuming, not the biggest in the world, but I just like the fact there’s a good day’s work in him.

Those good horses have that big day attitude and big day mentality.

The season has gone beautifully. We really liked him before he ran in his Bumper and obviously we liked him even more after. When we started schooling on the grass in the Autumn he just did some things that other horses couldn’t do at that point.

I don’t know why. His brain, his ability – it was all there to see. He’s just got it and it’s hard to explain why he has it and others don’t but he just has that relaxed, easy way about him. We love him.

He’s very versatile and when you ask about the fight in him, at home he’s not a quick horse and when you work him at home you actually have to get into him a bit. You actually have to shove him on a bit. He doesn’t work at home like he looks on the track, so I know that when you start squeezing him, it’s there. I’m not worried about that.

I’ve got a lot of respect for Yellow Clay (Gordon Elliott trained). I think they’re still leaning that way with him despite him being a shorter price for the three mile but bring ‘em on! I’m not worried about them with him. He’s a good horse. What will be will be. If we get beat then we get beat but I’m super happy with this horse.”

I don’t want to be one of those who puts the cart before the horse and start worrying about next year in a presumptuous manner but I can see him coming back in trip. I don’t ever see us going to three miles unless results dictate that that’s the only way we have to go.

I do see us coming back in trip rather than going up in trip and that’s more to do with his attitude and his rideability.

Race: William Hill County Handicap Hurdle.

If you’d said to me at Christmas ‘do you think he’d have much chance in a County Hurdle?’, I’d have said ‘at a push’.

The difference in him since the weather started turning and the days are getting longer… his coat is turning and you can see how bright he is. It’s all started to come together and we are starting to believe it.

Of course, it is a handicap and of course it is going to be hard, but he was very good at Cheltenham at the October Meeting in a two-mile Graded race when he bolted in. He got put in his place by Potters Charm over two and a half which I don’t think is any disrespect. He then couldn’t carry top weight in bad ground afterwards, when he can’t have been at his best after having those hard races.

He has got ability. It would need to be nice ground for him to be a real competitor. If it was a real soft ground Friday I would say we’d be in a spot of bother, but if it dries out I could see him being a contender.

I wouldn’t say I’m going all on feel and trust because we have that Grade Two in the bag when he was very, very impressive but it just feels better and his work is getting better. It’s starting to happen a bit.

He had his race won at the top of the hill in October. It’s not going to be like that in a County Hurdle because you will be around horses that can jump at speed but hopefully he can save a bit coming down the hill.

He’s not had loads of racing since Christmas and is a fresh horse. If you look at our previous County Hurdle winners, most hadn’t run in that calendar year or very recently, so it is all starting to match up a bit. I’d say he would shape up equally to our previous County Hurdle winners.

Race: Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase.

He goes for the Grand Annual. Obviously he won the race last year and looks great. He got back to a bit of form the last day when he was second at Windsor. It was a much better run and something we needed to see because there had been no flashes of light up to that point.

He is working really well now and I think goes there with an each-way chance. It will harder this year off a higher mark. Everything went right for him last year and I thought afterwards how it will it ever go so right again? It needs to go right again a year later off of a 6lb higher mark. It is not going to be easy but the fire is certainly starting to burn.