Calico and Harry Skelton (orange cap)© Photo Healy Racing
Calico gave Dan Skelton a valuable success in the £100,000 squareintheair.com Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, as his pursuit of a so-far elusive first trainers’ championship gathers pace.
Having come so close only to be denied by Willie Mullins winning both the Grand National and the Scottish equivalent last season, Skelton has been quick to grab an early advantage.
With over £50,000 on offer to the winner in this two-mile event, Skelton had Calico ready to rock first time out, although he needed to be as there was no quarter given.
Matata, as is his wont, set a searching gallop throughout, and jumping was at a premium. Calico (3-1) was always travelling strongly, however, and his jumping was on point so when Harry Skelton moved him up to challenge two fences from home, he was in the perfect place.
He began to idle up the hill, but held off the rallying Matata to win by a neck, with last year’s winner, Dancing On My Own, back in third.
Skelton said: “He just got chinned by Triple Trade at the November meeting here last year and I actually said to his owner John (Reilly) we might not win for the rest of the year now because I knew how much he’d put into that first day and how empty he was up the run-in.
“It’s literally taken him a season to get over that run, not because he had such a hard race that day but because the handicapper then put him up and the competition got stronger.
“It was quite important today as he was fresh on nice ground on a track he’s good at. Harry gave him a beautiful ride and he hurdled the ditch – I’ve never seen a horse jump that ditch like that before and I’m sure Harry doesn’t want too many more to jump it like it!”
He went on: “It all came together today for him and I’m delighted. I think we’ll just have to be a little sparing with him as he’s very good fresh and very good on decent ground.
“The Desert Orchid at Kempton at Christmas is a limited handicap now and the ground is usually not too bad around there.
“If it stayed unusually dry before then we might have a nip and duck here and there, but I should imagine he’ll just go straight to Kempton.”
