No Panic at all at Newbury for Skelton’s mare

Panic Attack continued her fantastic campaign with a runaway victory at Newbury on Tuesday.

Dan Skelton’s 10-year-old won the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November before following up in Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup the following month, becoming the first horse to do the double since Celestial Gold in 2004.

Faced with four inferior rivals, the £40,000 Alder Demain & Akers Mares’ Chase looked a gilt-edged opportunity for Panic Attack to continue her winning streak and she did so in some style, jumping brilliantly out in front under Harry Skelton and passing the post with 14 lengths in hand as a 1-4 favourite.

“It’s not very often, especially with a 10-year-old mare, you get a bit excited, but she literally would have gone round again,” the rider told Sky Sports Racing.

“She jumped the last like it was the first. She was relentless – it’s the best feel she’s given me.

“I know on figures she was going to win and you’ve got to go out there and jump, but that was a fair performance.

“I’ve had some pretty good feelings off horses and that was as good as it gets.”

Coral left Panic Attack unchanged at 8-1 for the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, while she is 33-1 for the Randox Grand National at Aintree.

Winning owner Bryan Drew said: “That was phenomenal. You worry when they’re left on their own that their concentration wavers a bit and maybe they’ll hit one and then the jockey gets agitated and it all starts to go a bit south, but that was just a schooling round for her.

“She’s absolutely in the form of her life and her confidence is sky high. She’s got better and better and she’s a joy to watch.

“She’s in the Ryanair Chase, which is a bit of a speculative entry, and she’ll be in the Mares’ Chase. At the moment you’d say she’ll be a lively contender in the Mares’ Chase for sure.”