Harry Skelton says the Champion Hurdle is still the target for The New Lion despite the horse falling in Saturday’s Fighting Fifth at Newcastle.
Speaking on Unbridled with Matt Chapman and Paddy Brennan, Skelton admitted he felt better after some time had passed but warned that form and fortune change quickly in racing: ‘in this game you don’t walk out with your cheeks puffed out for too long. The wheels keep turning and the clocks keep ticking – it’s all go.’
Reflecting on the race, which also saw favourite Constitution Hill fall at the same hurdle a circuit earlier, Skelton explained he wanted to be ‘down the middle on my own getting that lead’ but was left alone after Constitution Hill’s exit and had to ‘take the race by the scruff of the neck a little bit.’ He said the first obstacle down the back ‘caught him by surprise a little bit’ because the fence placement and a long run from the last hurdle hid it until it was almost upon them. Newcastle on good to soft, he added, ‘is a serious emphasis on speed,’ and the brisk tempo may have unsettled The New Lion, who ‘hasn’t been that fast down to some hurdles as he did down the straight there.’
On whether he felt he had the race under control, Skelton said he had ‘a lot in my hands’ and had pressed the horse in the straight to keep him focused, believing they had plenty left for the last. ‘I felt I had an awful lot in my hands [for over the last], but sadly we didn’t get that far.’
Three jumps before the fall the horse appeared to veer left and was ‘an absolute mile off the hurdle,’ possibly reacting to other horses coming into view or pressure from behind. Skelton reported the horse is ‘absolutely fine, we can go again and hopefully he learns from it.’
When Chapman suggested the Skeltons might avoid front-running with the JP McManus-owned gelding in future, Skelton would not rule it out: ‘I wouldn’t say never.’ He accepted that in hindsight he might have ridden a bit differently, but was conscious of The New Lion’s long spell without a hurdle and did not want to hand an advantage to others. ‘I go out there with plan A and if that doesn’t work you go to plan B,’ he said, adding he didn’t want Constitution Hill to ‘get a complete freebie.’
Despite the setback, Skelton remained bullish about The New Lion’s Champion Hurdle credentials. ‘I promise you now, the one thing this horse isn’t is slow. I’ve never won a Champion Hurdle but I’ve ridden Champion Hurdle horses and they’ve got to stay seriously well. He does that, he’s got the gears to play over two miles, he stays strong and our minds are still set on having a crack at the Champion Hurdle.’
Skelton also previewed his upcoming rides. At Sandown he will ride Be Aware in the Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase. After choosing to make the running when beaten by July Flower at Cheltenham, Skelton believes fences suit Be Aware: ‘He’s a strong traveller. He can be keen but fences allow him to get a breather in and race better.’ He felt Be Aware ‘can definitely win it,’ while acknowledging rivals Alnilam and Lulamba present different tests.
Later on the Sandown card the Lodge Hill yard runs L’Eau Du Sud against Jonbon, whom Skelton beat by 15 lengths in the Shloer Chase in November. He said L’Eau Du Sud ‘jumps and travels’ and likes to push on, whereas Jonbon ‘likes his own way a little bit.’ Skelton expects a lively battle in the opening fences and admitted favourite Il Etait Temps ‘will be really hard to beat.’
Unbridled with Matt Chapman and Paddy Brennan is available on the At The Races YouTube channel.