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Dan Skelton: November Meeting Stable Tour

By Racing TV

Last Updated: Mon 10 Nov 2025

By Graham Clark

Dan Skelton has seen his team start to hit full stride in recent weeks, but he will be hoping to crank it up another notch at the November Meeting at Cheltenham.

The three-day fixture proved a happy hunting ground for Skelton 12 months ago after saddling four winners, highlighted by the Grade Two success secured by L’Eau du Sud in the Grade Two Paddy Power Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase.

The seven-year-old will be back for more when he locks horns with the mighty Jonbon in what promises to be an intriguing clash in Friday’s Shloer Chase, which Nicky Henderson’s multiple Grade One scorer will be trying to win for a record breaking third time.

The Paddy Power Gold Cup is a race that Skelton is yet to plunder, but he could have up to three live entries in the race headed up by the Bryan Drew-owned Panic Attack, who has not been sighted since finishing second over hurdles in February.

Given his precise planning few races ever escape the clutches of Skelton, however last year’s Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle was one of those when Be Aware came up just short in behind Burdett Road.

With two wins on the board in the Premier Handicap, courtesy of North Hill Harvey in 2016 and West Cork in 2021, Skelton could be triple handed in this year’s renewal of the £100,000 feature, with stable newcomer Mirabad spearheading his team for the race.

While Skelton is well represented in the feature contests, he has plenty of ammunition to fire at the supporting races making him a man for punters to side with at the first key juncture of the 2025/26 National Hunt campaign

Below is his potential team for this week's Cheltenham November Meeting.

Friday

1.10pm Lycetts Insurance Brokers Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle

A PAI DE NOM

“He has won a novices’ hurdle at Newton Abbot and been second to a good rival to another one down there. I think this trip will suit him around Cheltenham.

“He hasn’t got as much experience as some of the others, but I think his handicap mark is a nice looking mark.

“He should run nicely, but it will be a hot field.”

2.20pm Sun’s “Save Our Bets” Novices’ Chase

BE AWARE

“I might step Be Aware up to three miles and one furlong in this race. I’ve been telling everyone that I wanted to stick to a shorter trip, but this race doesn’t look ridiculous on numbers and we think he will get this sort of trip in time.

“I’ve entered him over two miles there on the Saturday as well, but it looks like we might take a nibble at this with him.

“He settled much better than he did over hurdles on his chasing debut at Stratford, but that was always going to bring it out of him as he will back up a fence, whereas a hurdle he just takes it on.

“That handicap chase he won at Stratford I started both Midnight River and L’Eau du Sud in as well so I was happy to get started in it.”

2.55pm Shloer Chase

CALICO, L’EAU DU SUD

“I think it will be softer ground than ideal for Calico so it looks like L’Eau du Sud will have a pop at this. I’m sure if Jonbon is ready he will win, but if he is not then maybe he is beatable.

“We are not going there thinking that we will beat him. Our horse was one of the best novice chasers last season, but we will find out if he has improved here and where he goes for the rest of the season.

“We have made sure he is ready for his first start of the year. I wanted to run him at Ascot in handicap chase a couple of weeks ago, but the ground was too quick for him there.

“We had him ready early last season, and he ran well, and we have got him ready again early this season and hopefully he will do the same, but it is a bit different taking on novices to Jonbon.

“Jonbon’s record would suggest that if he is going to get beat it is around Cheltenham, but at the same time he sets a very high standard and I’ve got full respect for him.”

3.30pm Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

GREAT FLEET, MONEYGARROW

“We are going to run both Great Fleet and Moneygarrow in the Grade Two novices’ hurdle. I'm very happy with the start that they have had this season.

“Great Fleet took us a bit by surprise with how well he travelled and picked up over three miles the last day at Cheltenham.

“A drop back in trip here looks like a positive for him, but he still picked up well even though he was keen over three miles. He has got a bit of course form so we thought why not have a go.

“We have always been coming here with Moneygarrow. He ran a good race in the Persian War down at Chepstow and I definitely think he will have stepped forward for that as he took a good blow that day so we are pitching him in there.

“Harry is going to ride Great Fleet. We thought it might be the other way round, but it is not. It was not an easy decision, however we have to make one so we have made one.”

4.00pm Valda Energy Novices’ Handicap Hurdle

FORTUNE DE MER

“He will run in the last race on the day. There will be loads of runners, which will suit him. I do think he is nicely handicapped off his mark, but he has got a lot of horses to try and get past.

“It is going to be hard, but I feel like he is well-handicapped, however you know how the race has to go with this horse. If it doesn’t go to suit him then we are in a spot of bother, but if it does then we have got a chance.

“The hood is staying on him. I think it made a difference, but the fact they went a good gallop helped him and that also had a run under his belt as well helped him."

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Saturday

12.45pm JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle

PRECIOUS MAN

“He is a new horse to us that is owned by Johnny de la Hey. He has won around Auteuil and he looks like a nice horse.

“How that Auteuil form stacks up against the English horses we will find out. I like what I’ve seen at home with him, but I’m not heaping the pressure on him and saying he will win.

“Let’s get out there on the track with him and have a look at how he goes first.”

1.45pm Paddy Power Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase

BE AWARE, SHAKEYATAILFEATHER

“I think I will end up running Shakeyatailfeather in this. She won a good race up at Kelso early in October and she ran really well at Ascot in a competitive handicap chase last time.

“She got hampered three out there that day which didn’t help. She gets a seven pounds weight allowance for being a mare and she has won around the track before and she has got plenty of experience.

“It will be hard as there are higher rated rivals, but we will have a go at it. She is owned by Terry McKeever, who owns Thistle Ask that won the Haldon Gold Cup, so it would be nice if we could keep his good run going.”

2.20pm Paddy Power Gold Cup

PANIC ATTACK, HOE JOLY SMOKE, RISKINTHEGROUND

“Harry will ride Panic Attack, Tristan Durrell will ride Riskintheground and Hoe Joly Smoke will be ridden by Kielan Woods.

“I’ve had this race in mind all summer for Panic Attack. The only thing we haven’t done is get a run under our belts, but she has been for an away day.

“There is a wet week forecast, which will suit her. I think she is ready to go and I won’t be making any excuses. I would have thought she get in the race off a nice weight.

“She deserves to be a good bit higher than her win at Windsor last season, whether that is ten pounds higher I’m not sure about, but she did win easily that day.

“The Paddy Power is a bit more of a competitive affair than it was that day.

“Riskintheground knows what is required in these sorts of races and he knew how to do it better than his closest rival down at Newton Abbot the last day.

“He is experienced, and he has won around the track. He is another that we have had this race in mind for as long as the ground is not too soft. I’m sure he will give his running.

“He was absolutely brilliant around there in the spring. You can hardly say he has looked backwards and I’m looking forward to running him.

“Hoe Joly Smoke we are presuming didn’t stay the three and a quarter miles around there at the Showcase Meeting there in October, but if it is a case that he doesn’t get up the hill then this will tell us.

“We presume that he didn’t stay, but he is in serious form at home so that is why we are turning up. We half thought about waiting for the December Gold Cup, but with the form he is in we thought get stuck in here.

“I think this trip might be more like it for him as he goes through a race very well.”

2.55pm From The Horses Mouth Podcast Handicap Hurdle

PRINCE ZALTAR, ROYAL INFANTRY, SUPREMELY WEST

“We could possibly have two in this race. Prince Zaltar will have a relatively low weight if Gowel Road runs. He ran well around there last time, but he probably did a bit too much on the front end. He wants dropping in a little bit more, but he could have a little squeak.

“Supremely West ran nicely at the last meeting there. The handicapper put him up a pound, but I’m not sure about that as I think that was him at full tilt to be honest with you.”

3.30pm Paddy Power Intermediate Handicap Hurdle

LISTENTOYOURHEAT, ROYAL INFANTRY

“Listentoyourheart is also entered in this race, but the plan is to run Royal Infantry.

"He ran really well in the Silver Trophy at Chepstow. He took a blow that day and I think he will improve a great deal for that run. I’d like to think that he will go very close here.

“He might not have quite matched his bumper form yet, but we have just had to be patient and it will all come together.”

4.00pm Cheltenham Guardians Safeguarding Team Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race

DIVINE DIVA, KATIOS QUEEN, SASSIPANTS

“Divine Diva is likely to run here. She is a new horse to us that won her sole Irish point-to-point. She shows a good, hardy attitude at home and we like what we have seen.

“We could go for a standard bumper, but we thought we would get stuck in her and see what we have got. We can always go jumping afterwards if we are biting off too much, but her work has always been good as she is an honest mare so we thought it was worth a go.

“Katios Queen is also going to run. She won her bumper down at Fontwell. She got involved late on in the race and picked up really nicely. I won this race with her half-sister Elle Est Belle a few years ago so we will see how she goes.

“We also have Sassipants in there, but the ground could end up being too soft for her. If the ground is okay then we would run all three.”

Sunday

1.15pm mallardjewellers.com Maiden Hurdle

LORIKO, LOUIS VERON, SOLDIER REEVES

“We have three entered in the race, but I would like to run Louis Veron in this. He was second on his debut at Chepstow. He ran really well that day.

“I wouldn’t say he took us by surprise, as he worked very well, but it was nice that he didn’t get overcome with the experience. He is entitled to improve and he could go there.

“It did surprise me that he was as big as 20-1 on the day as he had worked well at home, but he was going there with no experience.”

1.45pm Bottlegreen Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase

PONY SOPRANO

“He finished third on his debut over fences at Worcester behind a couple of smart ones.

“He is also entered in the novices’ chase at the meeting on Friday. He could go for this race, however I’m not quite sure what we will do just yet.”

2.20pm HIne Solicitors Talking Sense Handicap Chase

ETALON

“I’ve got Etalon entered, but I will have a look at the entries as I’m not sure what to do with him yet.

“If he runs I don’t think he is very well handicapped. He did run well at Fontwell last time out though.

“Maybe he is better off in a better race with a lighter weight, but I’m not convinced he is well handicapped.

“He had a good season as a novice chaser, but then last season he just struggled until the end of it when the handicapper did give him a chance.”

2.55pm Oddschecker Handicap Chase

PROTEKTORAT

“I’m going to run Protektorat in this. He has run in the Paddy Power Gold Cup for the last couple of seasons, but that doesn’t work as he gets run off his feet. It is ultra competitive early on. Yes, he is a Grade One horse, but for some reason the Paddy Power Gold Cup has not quite worked out for him.

“This is a longer trip, but hopefully he can get into a rhythm and run nicely. We are not expecting fireworks, but hopefully it will help him build into his season. We are trying to look at winning that race at Windsor again to be honest with you.

“It was a shame that we missed the Charlie Hall, but it was the right thing to do as the ground would have been too quick for him.”

3.30pm Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle

FAIVOIR, KNICKERBOCKERGLORY, MIRABAD

Mirabad: the "definite runner" in Sunday's Greatwood according to Dan Skelton.

“I’ve confirmed all three on Monday, but Mirabad is the definite runner at this stage. He has been for an away day and he has been working well. He is quite good fresh looking at his historical record and he is good around the track.

“Based on that you have to give him a squeak and there is rain due which will help him. I’m looking forward to him on his debut for us and seeing what he has got as I’ve had this race in mind for him for a while.

“I will probably run Faivoir as well. He actually ran quite nicely a couple of weeks ago up at Carlisle. He looks like he still has plenty of enthusiasm for it. He was always a standing dish in these types of races as well. We will keep on doing what he likes and we know he is capable of running well at Cheltenham. Heidi (Palin) will keep the ride on him.

“I don’t know if it will be soft enough for Knickerbockerglory. If it really rained, and it was very soft, then he would run as he is very good when it is very soft.”

4.00pm Three Counties Christmas Open National Hunt Flat Race

THE MAD POET, TRIGG

“The Mad Poet finished second in a nice bumper at Wetherby. We did think he might win that day, but it was a nice run. Hopefully he has put that experience to good use, and he has improved physically, so we will give it a go.

“I will probably also run a horse that I own myself, called Trigg, that won well at Worcester. He ended up bolting that day and the manner in which he did that day surprised me.”