CHELTENHAM HIT BY RAILS RAGE

DAN SKELTON raged “Cheltenham can and must do something” after two horses were dramatically robbed of victory when crashing out at the home of jump racing yesterday.

Skelton’s One For Billy careered through a tape — temporarily secured between a gap in the running rail to guide horses up the run-in — and off the course when challenging favourite Diakali after the last in the two-mile novice chase.

And the trainer was then presented with a winner when Oighear Dubh suffered the same fate in the amateur riders’ handicap chase, gifting victory to Sam Red. “I’ve never been as mad on a racecourse — Cheltenham can and must do something,” said Skelton (left). “Imagine if it happened to a short-priced favourite in the Gold Cup — there would be a public outcry and racing doesn’t need those headlines.” Cheltenham’s clerk of the course Simon Claisse responded: “To have had two incidents like that in a day, when we have only had two in the last 30 years, we have to review it.” Sam Red’s victory gave Skelton the earliest-ever century of winners in a jumps season — beating Martin Pipe’s record set in 2001.