Dan Skelton and the Handicap Hurdles

Dan Skelton has 3 horses that could all have leading chances in the 3 handicap hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival over 2m and 2 1/2 mile. Here Liam looks at which race he feels each should be in.

Langer Dan

Langer Dan has twice been to the Cheltenham Festival in the Martin Pipe Conditionals Jockey Handicap Hurdle. In 2021 after winning the Imperial Cup he finished 2nd behind Galopin Des Champs. Looking at how the winner has done since, strongly suggested that Langer Dan had simply bumped into one and it was no surprise to see him back in 2022. Off a 7lb higher mark he was sent off 7/2 favourite but was brought down at the 2nd under Lorcan Williams. He made amends next time out at Aintree winning the 2 1/2 mile handicap and being raised to a mark of 145. He has since dropped down to a mark of 141 and is surely still well handicapped. Harry Skelton has ridden him the last 4 times and I think after being unlucky twice with Langer Dan they should change tact and run him in the Coral Cup instead where Harry can maintain his partnership with him.

West Cork

West Cork finished 4th in the County Hurdle off a mark of 141 before running well in the Scottish Champion Hurdle when finishing 2nd. He then fell at Haydock when making headway 3 out off a mark of 144. This season he went chasing and has clearly hated it. He’s pulled up the last twice at Kempton at Doncaster and it’s no surprise to see him reverting to hurdles (runs Thursday 9th Feb). If we go back and look at the County Hurdle he finished 4th in a race that featured State Man (now a Champion Hurdle horse), First Street (10lb higher) and Colonel Mustard (my fancy for the Betfair Hurdle) with Ballyadam (ran 3rd in Liffey Hcap at weekend) and previous Imperial Cup winner Surprise Package back in 6th, Morebattle Hurdle winner Cormier in 7th. That race I think was really strong and West Cork ran a cracker for 4th and off a 2lb lower mark I see no reason why he can’t run a big race this year. He is entered tomorrow at Huntingdon over 2m3f and I wonder whether this is to guage whether they go County or Coral Cup/Martin Pipe with him. I personally don’t think he wants any further than 2m.

Pembroke

With Langer Dan in the Coral Cup & West Cork in the County Hurdle, I would be running Pembroke in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle over the same trip as he ran last time. He was running in a Grade 2 that day and arguably finished off well enough to suggest the trip was NOT what got him beat. To be fair to the winner, his debut effort behind Weveallbeencaught (since run in a Grade 1) was a very good effort and looking at the R Figures below, the performance previously by Rock My Way wasn’t a poor run at all. I don’t think Pembroke needs to drop back in trip for the County Hurdle and think the unexposed type perform better in the Martin Pipe than they do in the County Hurdle which I think needs a bit more of a streetwise horse (or something WAY ahead of their mark). Granted Dan Skelton was the last trainer of a horse (and last for a while) that has dropped a horse back from 2 1/2 mile to the 2m County Hurdle trip to win the race but this his 19th run over hurdles (17th over the 2m trip) and so he had plenty of experience and knowhow.