Skelton confident Kabral can make Relkeel impact

Kabral Du Mathan made a huge impression on his stable debut for Dan Skelton and gets the chance to test his powers at a higher level in the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Runner-up in the Scottish Champion Hurdle last season for Paul Nicholls, the five-year-old joined the Ditcheat handler’s former assistant over the summer and made a mockery of his handicap mark of 140 when bolting up on his reappearance at Haydock in November.

A 14lb hike in the weights puts him 1lb clear of last year’s Relkeel winner Lucky Place on official ratings and given he is in receipt of 6lb, it is no surprise that he is odds-on to successfully step up in class ahead of a potential tilt at the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival in March.

Skelton told Ladbrokes: “This is a race I have had in mind since he won at Haydock in November. I have been happy with his training since. The trip is ideal and I don’t think the track will be an issue.

“He leads on figures and he doesn’t have a penalty. The betting suggests he will be hard to beat, and I would like to think that will be the case.”

Lucky Place reverts from a brief spell over fences to defend his crown for Nicky Henderson.

The seven-year-old made it back-to-back Grade Two victories in the New Year’s Day feature last season, having previously landed the Ascot Hurdle, but seemingly had his stamina limitations exposed over three miles in the Stayers’ Hurdle in March and rounded off his campaign with a below-par effort at Sandown.

Nicky Henderson elected to switch the larger obstacles this season, but successive odds-on defeats at Newbury and Ascot have prompted him to switch back.

“He ought to run in the Relkeel again and defend his title and with all the Irish running earlier in the week, that’s taken them out of the equation,” said the Seven Barrows handler.

“He’s back in trip and back over hurdles and I think that’s the right call for him after giving fences a go.”

Henderson has a second string to his bow in Jingko Blue, while the Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies-trained Gowel Road won the Cleeve Hurdle at the track at the start of 2025.

The field is completed by Fergal O’Brien’s Kamsinas and Patrick Neville’s stable star The Real Whacker, who was last seen finishing fifth in his bid for a second Charlie Hall Chase win and is now prepping for a planned appearance in the world’s most famous steeplechase at Aintree in the spring.

“The main aim is the Grand National, so we said we’d just give him a run over hurdles before then to try to protect his mark,” said Neville.

“He was in such good form at home we said we’d throw him into this race and let him take his chance. The ground is drying out and he likes Cheltenham, so we’ll give it a go.

“The Charlie Hall was a funny old race. I’d say the ground was a bit dead for us and he had the penalty to carry and it just didn’t work out, but he came out of it well, he goes to Cheltenham in super order and we’ve a great man on board (Sean Bowen).

“We just thought we’d change it up a small bit as he’s getting clever in his old age. We can run him here and then freshen him up and go straight for the National, that’s the plan.”