Delight for Dan Skelton pulls off Coral Cup repeat
LANGER Dan retained his title for Dan and Harry Skelton in the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday.
The eight-year-old struck last year off the same mark and started as a 13-2 chance to return the trophy to owner Colm Donlon’s mantelpiece.
After moving sweetly in the mid-division Langer Dan inched his way into the race as it developed before powering into the lead up the hill, pulling away to win comfortably on the line, by three and a half lengths from Ballyadam.
The winning trainer said: “He’s a remarkable little horse. He had surgery after winning this last year, which made him miss Aintree.
“Colm has had a torrid time with his two big guns ruled out, but this horse just knows how to do it on the big day.
“I’m very proud of the whole team, he’s bled on occasions this year and he had ulcers which we’ve treated - he’s just remarkable.
“Just in the last few weeks he’s started to come alive. The plan on Saturday was to work him with the slowest horse we had and to make sure he won and he won by a head.
“I just thought a head was better than nothing as he hadn’t been winning a raffle recently - he’s remarkable.”
He added: “Winners here mean so much. While we do the job 365 days a year, these four mean more than any other so you have to bring the right horse.”
Willie Mullins won the opening two races on Wednesday as Ballyburn made impressively light work of the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle.
The 1-2 favourite was one of five runners for the all-conquering Willie Mullins and travelled strongly behind the leaders under Paul Townend.
When the field rounded the final bend there was no question whatsoever as to the outcome, with the Ronnie Bartlett-owned six-year-old strolling away from stablemate Jimmy Du Seuil to win by a yawning 13 lengths.
Another Closutton runner, Ile Atlantique, was a further three and a half lengths back in third. Just for good measure Mullins was also responsible for Mercurey (fourth) and Predators Gold (fifth).
“It’s the first time he’s wowed me, I thought ‘wow, what a performance’ and to me that was a Champion Hurdle performance,” said Mullins.
“It was really really spectacular. With his size, scope and pedigree our owners might decide to go chasing with him next year, I don’t know. But with that performance he can go anywhere.”
Then, Fact To File maintained his huge reputation with a straightforward success in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
Talked of as a serious Gold Cup horse of the future, the JP Mcmanus-owned 8-13 favourite was given a patient ride by Mark Walsh before the field was almost inseparable over the third-last fence.
But as horses started to drop away, he accelerated clear after the last.