Paddy Power Gold Cup news: Skelton excited by Unexpected Party

Dan Skelton believes Unexpected Party has every chance of securing him a first success in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday after describing the second-season novice chaser as the ‘ideal type’ to take aim at the early-season highlight.

The eight-year-old, who also holds an entry in the Grade Two Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial at the track on Friday, is one of 17 horses that remain in contention for the £160,000 highlight.

Ante-post favourite Stage Star and top-weight The Real Whacker also still in the mix following Monday's confirmation stage, with the first-named well fancied to provide champion trainer Paul Nicholls with a third victory in this weekend’s feature handicap following the previous triumphs of Al Ferof (2012) and Caid Du Berlais (2014).

The Real Whacker is also a Cheltenham Festival hero, having edged out Gerri Colombe in a thrilling Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in March, taking his course record to three from three over fences for Patrick Neville. However, he will have to concede upwards of 7lb to each of his rivals on Saturday under the welter burden of 12 stone.

Of the others, Laura Morgan’s pair of Notlongtillmay and Whistleinthedark, the Sam Thomas-trained Angels Breath and Authorized Art from the Willie Mullins yard have also stood their ground.

After failing to get his head in front over fences last season, Unexpected Party put that experience to good use when inflicting defeat on Knappers Hill, winner of Saturday’s Rising Stars Novices’ Chase at Wincanton, in a Listed event at Chepstow on his return last month and is one of the few to arrive here with the benefit of a recent run.

And having filled the minor placings in the race in recent years with the likes of Midnight River, Protektorat and Spiritofthegames, Skelton feels his luck could be about to change in the big handicap and November Meeting highlight.

Skelton said: “Unexpected Party was good at Chepstow.  I’ve been very happy with how he has trained between Chepstow and now. He is in the Arkle Trial, but the plan is very much to go for the Paddy Power.

“Protektorat was second in the race and Midnight River was third in it, but they were horses that stayed a lot further and I think Protektorat might nearly have won if there had been a bit more rain.

“I can say that as he has since won Grade Ones, so it is not a stupid comment. I think Unexpected Party has a bit more pace than those guys.

“We’ve also been second with Spiritofthegames. He was a consistent horse all of his career, but he was a bridesmaid a lot and he would compare well with him. 

“Unexpected Party is a second season chaser and historically they have always had a pretty good record in this race. I’m very hopeful that he will go there with as much a chance as you can hope for as he is the ideal type of horse for this race.”

While this be a completely different test to what Unexpected Party has faced before in any of his previous starts over fences, Skelton believes he will have no problem coping with such demands on conditions that should be in his favour. 

Skelton said: “If you look at his best two victories they have been on pretty soft ground. One was over fences at Chepstow, admittedly where he had heaps of experience against inexperienced horses, but it was similar conditions when he won a pretty good hurdle at Ascot. 

“I can’t see why the Paddy Power isn’t going to be at least on the soft side, if not softer, so I’ve got no concerns about the ground. 

“It is something to consider the fact that he will be running against a lot more horses than he has ever done over fences before.

“All of these novices have been running around in smaller fields and at some point they have to come out of them and he is one of them that is. 

“He ran in the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, and he has turned up on some big days. The preliminaries before the race won’t get to him and that is a big part of it. 

“He is a good traveller and a slick jumper, and I don’t want to put the mockers on him with a comment like that, but that is what is good at, and that is what you need for a race like this.”

Assessing his potential opponents Skelton describes last season’s Grade One Turners Novices’ Chase winner Stage Star, who is one of two entries in the race for Paul Nicholls alongside Il Ridoto, as ‘formidable’.

However, Skelton feels with the presence of both Stage Star and The Real Whacker, who claimed Grade One glory in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, it will help give Unexpected Party a nice racing weight for his next assignment.

Skelton added: “He has not won a Grade One yet, and Stage Star is near the top of the weights so he is going to be formidable to beat without talking about the rest. 

“If The Real Whacker runs then you have two Grade One novice chase winners from last season so that makes the race almost as good as you can get.

“What it does mean if both those horses run is that Unexpected Party will have a nice weight on his back which can only help his chances.”

Trainer Richard Hobson is confident that he has his stable star Fugitif “spot-on” for Saturday’s big race at Cheltenham.

The eight-year-old may have only managed a solitary victory in testing conditions at Chepstow last season, but he did also finish second three times at Prestbury Park, including when chasing home Seddon at the Festival in March.

Fugitif will make his reappearance 22lb higher in the weights than when filling the runner-up spot at this meeting 12 months ago, but Hobson believes he is better than ever and did not feel it necessary to give him a prep run ahead of his latest bid for big-race glory.

He said: “Fugitif is in good shape. He’ll have his final bit of work tomorrow (Tuesday), he’ll have a pop (over fences) on Thursday and as long as that all goes smoothly we’re all set for Saturday.

“We decided we’d go straight there. I was thinking he was going to get there too soon fitness-wise, but actually he’ll just be spot-on.

“He ran lovely over two miles first time out last season and wouldn’t have been as fit as he is this time round, but he’s gone up a few pounds since then.”

On the prospect of potentially encountering testing conditions this weekend, Hobson added: “The wetter the better for him – you saw him at Chepstow last year. I think it’s just going to be nice, soft ground and that will be fine.

“He’s a strong horse and not far off 18 hands. He’s a weight carrier, he’s improved through the summer and he’s got a beautiful weight (11st 5lb) – I could nearly ride him myself!”