Protektorat produces power-packed display in Fleur De Lys

soared over the fences to record a brilliant a victory in the Fitzdares De Lys Chase.

Dan Skelton’s 10-year-old was second to L’Homme Presse in this race last year when it was held at Lingfield, after which he had a highly successful spring when winning the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and finishing third in the Melling Chase at Aintree.

He was second in the Peterborough Chase on his last outing and was sent on his way at 100-30 this time, with his Huntingdon conqueror Djelo the well-backed 5-4 favourite.

Protektorat blazed a trail throughout the two-mile six-furlong event – worth over £85,000 to the winner – and put plenty of daylight between himself and his rivals.

At the business end there was no chance of reeling him back in and he sauntered across the line 23 lengths ahead of his old foe Djelo.

“I haven’t ridden many with the constitution and toughness of him. He went a two-mile gallop, it’s unbelievable. He’s so tough and so brave, he’s the maddest horse I’ve ever ridden. He is crazy, he’ll come out tomorrow and want to go five times around the gallop,” said the winning rider.

“That’s what makes him so good, that will to keep up, he’s relentless and we’re so lucky to have a horse like him.

“He gets beaten and then he just comes back, we’ve had some massive days with him.”

He added: “It’s a massive day for the horse, he always puts his hat in the ring and he’s a heavyweight. We’ll go now to the Ryanair, but we’re not naive enough to think this wasn’t a big day for him.

The trainer added: “Everything was just perfect today, we’re delighted with him.

“This and the Ryanair were his two big targets for the year, it’s going to be hard to retain his title because the clock has ticked past 10 years old. He’s not getting any younger, but he’ll make them run, he’ll make them work for it.”

Protektorat is co-owned by John Hales and his daughter Lisa, together with Sir Alex Ferguson and Ged Mason.

An emotional Hales told ITV Racing: “He’s a brilliant horse, that was a wonderful exhibition.

“When they started I thought ‘what the hell is he doing going 20 lengths ahead at the start like that?’, but it was all well thought out.

“That was a brilliant performance. He’s right up there in the top three (of horses he has owned) – One Man, Neptune (Collonges) and then this one.

“When you get a horse like this that’s so genuine, it was a fabulous performance.”