Dan dares to dream of more big-race glory
Dan Skelton became used to big winners when assistant to champion trainer Paul nicholls. now he is hoping the production line he has built can follow suit when le Milos lines up in the Coral Gold Cup, seven days after his biggest career win with Protektorat in the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
le Milos is 13-2 favourite with the sponsors, having easily won his only race for Skelton — at Bangor earlier this month — after being switched from the tim Vaughan stable in the summer.
Some of le Milos’s best performances have been on heavy ground but Skelton is hopeful that the seven- year- old, ridden by his brother, Harry, will cope with the quicker conditions at newbury.
Skelton said: ‘If it was softer it would be better but he has had some winning form on good ground.
‘He is clearly progressive and I am delighted with him at home. the run at Bangor has done its job and brought him forward. He is sharp, bright and happy.
‘the Coral Gold Cup is one of the biggees of the season, like the Betfair Chase. to have a real, good chance is brilliant and we tried our best to get in this position with le Milos when he joined us in the summer.
‘When we got him we thought this is not a normal horse and we might have to plan this out a little. His price reflects the great job that the team have done with him.’
Skelton’s delight at winning the Betfair Chase was evident as he dashed on to the track to greet Harry after Protektorat had crossed the line.
He said: ‘ When I was at Paul’s, you used to trip over those sort of races in the dark. that is not the reality and they are very hard to win. You realise how good horses have to be and Protektorat is that good.
‘You have to enjoy it. It has taken nine-and-a-half years for that experience to come to me and Harry on the track.
‘ It happens a lot more regularly for Paul, nicky (Henderson), Willie (Mullins), Gordon (elliott) and Henry (de Bromhead) and we want to do it more often.
‘ Regardless of what happened at Paul’s, it has been a big learning curve for me. When you do it yourself, it is a big eye-opener.’
Protektorat, part-owned by Sir alex Ferguson, is now Britain’s leading hope for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, a race he was third in last year.
the gelding will have one run before the Cheltenham Festival in March — and that will not be in the king George VI Chase at kempton on Boxing Day.
Skelton said: ‘Protektorat is flying at home. We know not to run him back too quickly.
‘I only entered him in the king George because I thought if it was abandoned and it was then decided to run it at Cheltenham on new Year’s Day and I hadn’t got an entry, I’d be as mad as a wasp.
‘You have to be prepared for all eventualities! He wants to go to lingfield’s Winter Million meeting in January or the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham at the end of that month and then on to the Gold Cup.’