Harry Skelton has it all to play for at Aintree

Family ties, fraternising with the enemy and a £500,000 payday are the subplots ahead of Harry Skelton’s annual trip to Aintree for the Grand National festival.

The meeting will be of real significance to the stable for two reasons, with the Skeltons’ fortunes in Liverpool crucial to both the inaugural David Power Jockeys’ Cup and the National Hunt trainers’ championship.

The former looks a forgone conclusion, with Skelton currently enjoying a clear lead over Harry Cobden with only two days left in which to gain points as the initiative comes to a close when racing ends on the Friday of Aintree.

That means no less than £500,000 is imminently heading his way, with £50,000 also awarded to his brother Dan as his chief provider of rides and a further £50,000 due to be paid to the team of stable staff at Shelfield Green.

Naturally, his own outstanding payday is motivation enough, but Harry’s success in the series – which sees riders earn points in ITV-televised races – is further inspired by the reward his sibling and his employees will receive for their role in the victory.

“It looks like I’m in a good position going into the final two days, I’m just trying to get across the line now,” he said.

“I predominantly ride for my brother and he’s obviously played a massive part in this to make sure we covered the races (in the series) as much as we could.

“We’re really lucky that we’ve got high-calibre horses that can run in those races anyway, but this was something right at the top of our list.

“At the end of the day, I have to go out there and perform and get results for our owners, my trainer and for our staff.

“They all love competing and love winning as well. I’m sort of the last man out there, and it’s up to me and the horse then.

“If I can bring home the bacon, I’m sure everyone will be absolutely delighted, without them the whole system doesn’t run.”

The Skelton brothers, sons of the double Olympic showjumping gold medallist Nick, share a close bond forged when their parents split during their childhood.

They have been pivotal to one another’s success and are led by a principle of unwavering loyalty that runs deeper than the sport.

Skelton said: “We’ve done everything together for basically all of our lives, Dan’s always been there to support me and that stems back to our childhood, really, to when we were very young.

“My parents broke up when my I was very young and I suppose he was the one that was always there.”

That loyalty will not be tested by the jockey’s brief alliance with Paul Nicholls during the Grand National itself, for whom he will ride Threeunderthrufive, as his brother does not have a runner to saddle this year.

There is a healthy mentor-turned-rival relationship between Nicholls and the elder Skelton, who learnt his trade at Ditcheat before striking out on his own with his younger brother as his stable jockey.

Nicholls has on many occasions held the champion National Hunt trainer’s title, but this year sits second in the table with a significant deficit to make up if he is to catch his former apprentice.

The Grand National is the jump season’s most valuable race, meaning success for Threeunderthrufive could result in a catch 22 for Harry Skelton, as his own triumph would carry the heavy cost of denting his brother’s title bid.

That would not be irreparably damaged, however, especially if the prior days at Aintree are fruitful and add plenty to the Skelton coffers to broaden the leading margin.

“I’m looking forward to Aintree, it’s always a slightly different atmosphere to Cheltenham but it’s been great to us in the past and we’ve always done pretty well up there,” said Skelton.

“I’m looking forward to Live Conti, he’s a nice, promising horse who runs on Thursday. Grey Dawning runs in the Bowl and L’Eau Du Sud runs on Saturday. Protektorat is going to run in the Melling Chase.

“There are plenty of nice chances up there, so hopefully I can get some more points and prize-money.”

Last year’s National went the way of Willie Mullins’ I Am Maximus, whose earnings loosened Skelton’s grip on a first champion trainer triumph – a title that eventually went to the master of Closutton after a long battle to the end of the season.

“At this point last year, we had a chance at the trainers’ title, this year we can almost smell the trophy,” Skelton said.

“Last year, we never really thought we would be in that position and then Willie won the National and just about everything else after that, so it all changed.

“This year feels different, we set out our stall from a very early stage when the new season started back in May. This year, it would feel a little bit different if it got snatched away again. We’ve given it everything and will continue to do so for the rest of the season.”

Though his ride for Nicholls adds a dash of jeopardy to the end of the term, Dan Skelton is still the long odds-on favourite to lift the trophy and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Harry wins the big race and Dan still takes the title.

“I’m going to ride Threeunderthrufive for Paul Nicholls. Paul is second in the trainers’ championship, so if I win the National it could be a bit controversial, I suppose!” the jockey said.

“I’m sure no one would begrudge me if I won the Grand National, but even if Paul does win the National, or Willie, they’ve still got plenty to make up.

“I sat on him, he feels very well and has run to a pretty high level for most of his career. He’s got plenty of experience, he’s not been round the Aintree fences before, so it’s something new for him that will hopefully keep him interested.

“He ran well last time at Ascot and he seems to go on any ground, he ticks plenty of boxes, so who knows?

“We’re still in a good position, if I could win the National and Dan was still champion trainer, now that’d be a fairytale, wouldn’t it?”

To find out more about the Grand National Festival and the David Power Jockeys’ Cup visit www.greatbritishracing.com