Dan Skelton Stable Tour & Horses To Follow (2024)

26/04/2024
8 min. read
Dan Skelton horses in training
Alex McMahon Sport
By Alex McMahon

Established in 2013, Dan Skelton has blossomed into one of the top National Hunt trainers in the United Kingdom.

Based in Warwickshire, Skelton has enjoyed plenty of success over the past decade or so and family is at the heart of the enterprise with wife Grace, brother Harry and sister-in-law Bridget all playing a key role.

While a first National Hunt trainers championship continues to elude his grasp, there is little doubt that Skelton is one of the top trainers to follow for horse racing betting punters.

Here, we look at some of the best equine stars in action at Lodge Hill Stables in our Dan Skelton horses to follow guide for 2022/23.

Ballygrifincottage

A real prospect for staying novice chases, Ballygrifincottage finished fourth in the 2022 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.

He has the size and the scope to thrive over a fence but soft ground is key for him. He is unlikely to make his chase debut until there is enough cut in the ground.

Dan Skelton recently labelled Ballygrifincottage as a long term Welsh Grand National type and he certainly looks the part visually.

If he takes to chasing, he is likely to be there or thereabouts in the big novice chases on this side of the Irish Sea.

In This World

Unbeaten in his races under rules, In This World was one of the leading contenders for the 2022 Triumph Hurdle before suffering a season-ending injury in January.

He actually beat the Gordon Elliott-trained Fil Dor on debut in France and that form looks particularly strong after his second in the Triumph.

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Harry Skelton confirmed to Paul Ferguson in his Jumpers to Follow for 2022/23 that In This World won’t be back until the second half of the season.

While the yard are yet to pin down a target for his return, he is undoubtedly one of the most exciting Dan Skelton horses in training for the future.

Ittack Blue

A £310,000 purchase at the Tattersalls May National Hunt Sale, Ittack Blue looked the real deal when winning his point-to-point at Punchestown in May.

The way he quickened up off the bend to put the race to bed was very impressive and this guy really ‘could be anything’.

Skelton admits that he will be taking his time with him this year so be patient and avoid any antepost Cheltenham Festival bets for now.

Still a 4-year-old, the sky is the limit for Ittack Blue and he could be one to watch out for in a spring bumper – possibly at Aintree.

Lac De Constance

Rated 132 over hurdles, Lac De Constance could make into a Graded novice chaser if everything goes to plan this year.

Featuring on many Dan Skelton horses to follow lists, he is unbeaten over hurdles but stands at 17 hands and looks for all the world a chaser.

Skelton recently said that he’d be disappointed if Lac De Constance wasn’t even better over a fence and he is one of the top novice chase prospects around.

It will be interesting to see how they campaign him. This lad oozes class and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Skelton build towards a big Graded pot in the spring.

Langer Dan

Can Dan Skelton take Langer Dan from a handicapper to a Graded staying hurdler? It will be some training performance if he can get him to that level.

He was well backed for the 2022 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle but fell at the second obstacle. However, he made no mistake a few weeks later at Aintree…

Skelton has toyed with the idea of going for the Grade 2 West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby but there is a race at Aintree for him if he wants to start at two and a half miles.

The Stayers Hurdle division is fairly weak and Langer Dan is a lively outsider at this stage – he could be a fun horse to follow in 2022/23. 

My Drogo

Once regarded as a potential flagbearer for the Dan Skelton yard, My Drogo missed most of last season through injury.

He has won five of his seven races under rules – losing in a bumper on debut before a fall at the penultimate fence cost him a facile victory at Cheltenham’s November meeting.

Skelton recently reported that My Drogo has gone to Polly Gunn for pre-training and that is a positive sign ahead of a possible return to action in the spring.

While unlikely to run at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, My Drogo has time on his side. Let’s hope he can get back to his best after such a long layoff.

Nube Negra

A two-time Grade 2 winner over fences, Nube Negra is supremely talented and he tends to perform best when kept relatively fresh.

One of the most successful Dan Skelton horses in training, Nube Negra is likely to be trained with one or two specific targets in mind – the Shloer Chase is a possible starting point.

Don’t expect to see Nube Negra frequently throughout the 2022/23 season. Skelton knows how to get him ready at home and he needs plenty of time between races.

He finished second in the 2021 Queen Mother Champion Chase and it wouldn’t be a major shock to see the Skelton horse feature in Cheltenham Day 2 tips in March.

Protektorat

Protektorat ran an absolute cracker in the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup, eventually finishing third behind runaway winner A Plus Tard.

A rematch could be on the cards in the first Grade 1 of the season, with Dan Skelton aiming him at the Betfair Chase at Haydock on 19th November.

While it is hard to see the Skelton runner reversing form, you can be sure that he will have Protektorat fully wound up to go for gold on his seasonal reappearance.

The ultimate aim for him is the Gold Cup but if he can pick up a Grade 1 early in the season, that will give the entire yard a massive confidence boost.

Shan Blue

A return to the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby could be on the cards after Shan Blue fell with the race at his mercy just 12 months ago.

He finished 32 lengths behind Allaho on his comeback in the Ryanair Chase before taking second in the lucrative Grade 3 Handicap Chase at Aintree.

Shan Blue is rated 148 over fences but has a career-high RPR of 166. With that in mind, he should have a big pot on him at some point this season.

Assuming Dan Skelton gets him back to his best, we could even see Shan Blue line up in the King George on Boxing Day – though he will need to win convincingly at Wetherby.

West Cork

Assuming he goes novice chasing, West Cork could be one of the top Dan Skelton horses to follow in 2022/23 as he was a classy hurdler.

Rated 144 over the smaller obstacles, the 2021 Greatwood Hurdle winner finished fourth in the 2022 County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival – capping off a superb comeback year.

Skelton has already hinted at reverting back to hurdles if chasing doesn’t go to plan so they must be a tad hesitant to go over fences at this stage of his career.

Ultimately, he has the tactical speed for those lucrative big race handicaps if connections decide to stay over hurdles for the time being.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 10th October 2022

About the Author See all Alex McMahon Articles
Alex McMahon
Alex McMahon Sport

Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible.