Harry Skelton powering ahead in Jockeys’ Cup quest

Despite sporting a nasty black eye, Harry Skelton made it safely through the Cheltenham Festival with his David Power Jockeys’ Cup lead intact, leaving him determined to close out the competition and claim the £500,000 first prize.

A Turners Novices’ Hurdle victory on The New Lion and several placed efforts at Prestbury Park, plus Saturday’s Uttoxeter strike on Hidden History, has put Skelton 78 points clear of Harry Cobden at the summit, with Nico de Boinville a further 22 points back in third.

“There are only three days left in the David Power Jockeys’ Cup. I’ve got a decent lead of 78 points and hopefully I’ve made it difficult for the guys behind to catch me,” said Skelton.

“I still need to pick up a few points, though, and I’ll be going all out to do that at Newbury and Aintree.”

Skelton’s brother Dan also remains in pole position to secure a first British jump trainers’ championship, with a lead of over £700,000 on his nearest challenger Paul Nicholls.

Nicky Henderson is in third place and Willie Mullins moved up to fourth thanks to 10 winners at Cheltenham, but both missed out on opportunities to do more damage at the Festival.

Star Sports ambassador Harry Skelton commented: “Dan’s in a great position going into the final few weeks of the season. We should have a good team going to Aintree and Ayr, but there’s still plenty of money on offer, so we need to keep the foot down and hopefully get across the line.”

The future also looks bright for both siblings, with The New Lion set to be aimed at next year’s Champion Hurdle following his impressive Prestbury Park triumph.

“I’ve always had a lot of belief in this horse – he’s just a bit different to the other novices I’ve ridden,” added Skelton.

“You don’t see the speed he has on the track at home really, he shows it where it matters.

“He got a lovely tow into the race behind Paul (Townend) on Final Demand. He travelled and jumped great, and once I switched him out he stuck his head out and battled on really well. He’d never had to do that before but it was nice to see that he can tough it out.

“A lot of horses who have won the Turners in the past have come back in trip and gone on to a Champion Hurdle. We hope he can do that and he’s certainly not a slow horse.

“It’s really exciting going forward. He’s done plenty this season, so we’ll put him away now and then make a plan for next season over the summer.”