Challow Hurdle: The New Lion roars in stunning performance

proved himself an exceptional novice hurdling prospect with a facile success in the Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle at .

Trained by Dan Skelton, the unbeaten five-year-old was a course winner on his previous start, building on his earlier win over timber at .

Sent off at 9-4, Harry Skelton was content to watch on from midfield as outsider led them, along with the strong-travelling Bill Joyce who was always in his slipstream.

on Paul Nicholls’ 5-4 favourite Regent’s Stroll was a little further back and both the Ditcheat contender and The New Lion edged closer into contention as the runners moved into the straight.

However, it was the Skelton charge that the eye was drawn to as The New Lion moved up menacingly to tackle Electric Mason and Bill Joyce at the last and the exceptional youngster barely broke sweat as he cantered home under a motionless pilot.

Jamie Snowden’s kept on past beaten horses for second, with Regent’s Stroll unable to enhance his trainer’s fine record in the race coming home in fourth.

The New Lion is set to remain over an intermediate trip for a Cheltenham Festival bid in the spring, with Paddy Power making him a 4-1 chance from 12s for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at Prestbury Park in March.

"He was very good, we've always liked him and hoped he would have a performance like that in him - it was just great to see," said Skelton after landing the final British Grade One of the year and capping a stellar 2024 for his string.

"He's done very well since winning his novice hurdle at Newbury during the Coral Gold Cup meeting and has just sharpened up a lot since then. We thought we had him better, he goes round very professionally and I just like the way he does everything really.

"At the same time of his life, My Drogo was very impressive. My Drogo was very fragile and wasn't the easiest to train, but this horse, he is just a very unassuming horse at home with bundles of ability and you have to say he's as good a novice hurdler that we've had."

The New Lion is likely to remain over an intermediate trip for a Cheltenham Festival bid in the spring, with Paddy Power making him a 4-1 chance from 12s for the Turners Novices' Hurdle at Prestbury Park in March.

Skelton added: "I'd say we will stay at this distance, but I would have no fear in dropping back in trip. I know he sees it out well, but he isn't a slow horse.

"I probably won't even enter him over three miles at the Festival and we'll take a view closer to the time, but if I was only allowed two entries it would be over two miles and two and a half rather than two and a half and three."

Confirming the Cheltenham Festival will be next, he continued: "We'll just have him as ready as we can for March now."

Reflecting on the fourth-placed finish of the 5-4 favourite, Nicholls said of Regent's Stroll: "The writing was nearly on the wall the way he went to post, he was very keen and Harry dropped in him last and I always thought he was doing a bit too much.

“He has got to learn to relax and I don’t think some of of ours are running their race and Harry didn’t think he has run his race today.

“I still think he was a bit too keen and he has got to learn. He’s going to be a chaser, but we have got to get some experience into him. I don’t think he was at his best today, but there are no excuses and I’m not saying he should have won because he was never going to win being as keen as that.

“For us it is back to the drawing board, get some experience into him and Rome wasn’t built in a day.”