Dan Skelton Cheltenham Runners: ‘We’ve got a serious player on our hands’

The Cheltenham Festival is right around the corner, and as part of our continued build-up to those unrivalled four days, we visited Dan Skelton at his Alcester base to get the lowdown on his main fancies for the week.

Here's the latest on Dan Skelton's Cheltenham Runners.

Grey Dawning (Gold Cup)

"I think he fits in near the top. I wouldn't necessarily say that he should be favourite, there's others that have achieved more, but I feel like he fits in right up there.

"He stays the trip, he likes the track, the ground he's pretty versatile as long as it's not heavy. There's just a lot to like.

"Arguably the faster they go, the better he goes because you can ride him even more conservatively. It's going to be a real interesting race.

"I see it being run pretty straightforwardly to be honest with you. There's a couple of good frontrunners in there and you can't leave them alone, so people are going to have to follow and it'll set it up to be a hell of a race."

Kabral Du Mathan (Stayers' Hurdle)

"Yes, we're going to run. I'm not afraid to pitch this horse into battle, I think he comes into this very, very interestingly. He comes from a totally different angle.

"I've been impressed with him since day one in terms of his work and his outlook. I feel like he's relaxing in the races, he's getting better. We jumped him this morning, he relaxed beautifully.

"I don't want to over-egg the pudding here but I really think that if we stay three miles, and I think we will, we've got a serious player on our hands here."

L'Eau Du Sud (Champion Chase)

"Had a great start to the year - a fantastic start to the year. I was blown away by the Shloer performance.

"He's a horse that's very good fresh. The mistake I made last year is that I shouldn't have run at Warwick in the Kingmaker, I should have gone straight to the Arkle. That's not saying we'd have won the Arkle, but we only had sort of two-and-a-half lengths to make up that day. I've made sure we've not made that mistake this year.

"He went home to Lisa Hales' after he ran at Sandown, for three weeks. She turned him out, had him fresh and he looks brilliant. His work's been very good since he came back. It's all systems go.

"There's a few in the race I think we can beat, and there's a few in the race I think it remains to be seen whether we can or we can't. I think he's a real player."

Maestro Conti (Triumph Hurdle)

"He's a lovely horse, full of talent.

"I feel he's a little more relaxed. He did show a little bit too much spark, possibly, on Trials Day, did a little bit too much halfway round. Harry had to wait on him to relax, before he came home very, very strongly.

"We trained him for his season, and now we're training him for the championship, so we can push him a little harder, and that will help to keep a lid on him.

"I feel like this is one of our best chances of the whole week."

Mydaddypaddy (Supreme Novices' Hurdle)

"I feel like I could have done things differently in the build-up to the Formby. I think you'll see a better horse than you saw in the Formby.

"I feel like we're coming into the form that we can show. I think he'll put up a career-best on the Tuesday and whether that's good enough or not, we'll find out.

"I think he's very high class."

The New Lion (Champion Hurdle)

"I've obviously never had a better chance [of winning the Champion Hurdle]. I feel like all the things he's got are the required necessities for it.

"That race should surely turn into a staying race, as it always does. They go a strong gallop and you've got to stay really well.

"Put it this way, you might change your mind on whatever horse you fancy halfway down the back straight if they go fast or slow. If they go super fast, the non-believers in The New Lion might change their mind.

"There's all these things to play out yet, but I know that he's got the things that we need to have for any eventuality. I think he'll go very, very close."

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