Dan Skelton on his Randox Grand National team

There has already been plenty for trainer Dan Skelton to be pleased about this season, but the best could still be to come given the depth of his team for this year’s Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree.

With three Grade One winners already in the bag, the Great Shelfield handler looks well placed to add to that tally at the Merseyside venue as he continues his relentless march towards a first Jump Trainers’ Championship.

While recent Turners Novices’ Hurdle hero The New Lion will not bid to follow up his Cheltenham Festival heroics, a number of those that appeared at Prestbury Park will feature in a squad packing plenty of punch.

Add those to the likes of Grey Dawning, Gwennie May Boy and Live Conti, who head to the meeting as fresh horses having not done battle at the Festival, it could well turn out to be a meeting to savour for Skelton and his team.

He said: “We have got a nice team that we are taking to Aintree and it should number about 20. If you look at Thursday I think Live Conti has got a massive chance, Boombawn has a good chance and Grey Dawning will probably go off favourite.

“Take No Chances should pick up good prize money and we have got three in the Foxhunters’ that all have some kind of chance, along with two in the Red Rum and a nice mare in the bumper.

“On the Friday, we then have the likes of Royal Infantry and Listentoyourheart, who will run in a handicap for the first time, and both horses should go well, while Protektorat goes back for the Melling and he always runs his race.

“As for the final day we have Gwennie May Boy and L’Eau du Sud bidding for Grade One glory, while Mr Hope Street is an interesting runner in the extended three mile handicap hurdle and to round it off we have two nice ones in the bumper.”

The Aintree team

Be Aware (William Hill Handicap Hurdle/William Hill Aintree Hurdle)

“He is entered in the two-and-a-half mile handicap hurdle, but he will also get an entry in the Grade One Aintree Hurdle. He actually ran well in the Coral Cup at Cheltenham and he was upsides the winner turning for home. I feel he just flattened out at the same speed rather than picking up like the winner and the rest around him.

“They all found an extra half gear whereas Be Aware cantered up the straight at the same speed. I think he looked like a chaser against hurdlers that day. If he is having his last run over hurdles we might just stick him in that Grade One, but if it looked ridiculous on ratings then we would run him in the handicap.”

Bennys King (Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters Chase)

“Bennys King has been second in the race the last two years and it would be great to see him win it. He is 14 now so you can’t put too much pressure on him. He absolutely loves life and it was great to see him get his head in front last time out at Leicester. He is the oldest horse that I’ve ever had win a race. Sean O’Connor will come back in for the ride on him as he finished second on him last year."

Boombawn (EBC Group Manifesto Novices’ Chase/Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices’ Chase)

“I will cover both options just in case. I thought it was a very good run from Boombawn in the Pendil giving weight away. I think the Wincanton run in the Rising Stars and the Kempton Park run last time are what we are hanging our hat on. Going to Aintree he will be on level weights with Rubaud, which will help us this time. I think two-and-a-half miles is his trip as he loves to see it out well. I think over three miles one furlong he might be holding on a bit.

"He goes home between his runs normally as you have to have him really fresh, but he didn’t go home between his last two runs. I think he is one we have allowed to become progressive and he has done exactly that. He was a 135-rated hurdler and we thought if we give him a chance maybe he might get even better over fences and he has. I think he will end up going two-and-a-half miles with the way the other race is looking with Caldwell Potter and The Changing Man potentially going there."

Catch Him Derry (William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle)

“If it rained enough we would look at running Catch Him Derry. He ran well to finish third in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham. It would need to rain a good deal for him to run though. I don’t think he is hiding a cent from the handicapper, but at least he would come in with Cheltenham form. He seems to have taken his last race really well.”

Etalon (Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase)

“He doesn’t stay two-and-a-half miles as he showed the last day so we are coming back to two. I have to say there are two horses, and the other is probably not going to go to Aintree, that haven’t looked great, and that I’ve not been happy with, and they are Etalon and Heltenham.

“Last year they won a ruck of races, and a load of prizemoney, between them, but it has just not happened this season. I’m hoping he has a productive run as he has not been registering all winter. We had him very ready for the Haldon Gold Cup, but it didn’t work out.

“Trying to get them back after you have given them such a schedule to train for the first run of the season is hard. He has just never looked right and I’ve never been happy with him. I have to say he looks the best he has looked all season now though and he has worked the best he has done all season last weekend. Hopefully he has got a big chance."

Frere d’Armes (Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters Chase)

“Frere d’Armes is another that if he takes to the Grand National fences I can see going very well. He goes there in good heart as his last three runs have all been respectable. I know he has won over three miles this season, but what he wants now is a fast run two-and-a-half and that is what he is going to get here. Heidi Palin will keep the ride on him as she has ridden him nearly all season and they get on well together.”

Getawhisky (Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race)

“She won on her debut for us up at Carlisle earlier in the season then she was fourth pitched into a Listed race at Market Rasen last time. This is obviously going to be a much tougher race than those she has competed in so far, but she would have to have an each-way squeak."

Grey Dawning (Aintree Bowl)

“We set out to make sure we had a good spring. He was second in the Betfair Chase on his comeback, and if it hadn't rained I think he would have won. I say that with respect to the winner though as it did rain and he got beat. After the King George I had to make sure we had a good spring as if we didn’t have a good spring it would set us back for next autumn when we want to try and go back for a Betfair Chase.

“It felt it was important that we got a smooth spring and that going to Kelso and Aintree were the right things to do. 50% of that has gone very well and now he is in the best shape I’ve seen him to go to Aintree as a fresh horse. I’m very much looking forward to him. It was a bold round of jumping he put in at Kelso, but Harry (Skelton) grabbed the bull by the horns. Iroko wasn’t going to make the running so he decided to get on with it and he was good.

“I think that puts him in a good spot. I think the Gold Cup was a very strong race, and the winner was well fancied, and that wasn’t a fluke, but we will try and get ourselves in the best shape possible and have a pop at it next year. If we would have won the Betfair we would have gone a different route afterwards and we would have been in the Gold Cup. Hopefully next season we get a smoother run and we can run him in the Gold Cup as that has always been the intention.

"I expect him to be one of the favourites here given he looked good last time. He has got a mid 160s rating and is a fresh horse. I wouldn’t say he is an absolute certainty, but he has got to be one of the ones to beat whatever the field looks like."

Gwennie May Boy (The Ivy Liverpool Hurdle)

“He was going to end up carrying nearly top weight in the Pertemps Final and I didn’t want to do that with him as we have kind of done that earlier in the season. He got close to winning off big weights, but without quite doing it. He won the Rendlesham well and I think the ground at Aintree will suit him whatever it is, but I think he probably looked better on that bit nicer ground at Haydock Park. I went there a bit in the dark at Haydock Park with him as he was running well without winning.

"To be fair to the owners they said can we run him somewhere where he is top weight, but we can’t decide that as off his mark he is going to be top weight more often than not, so we decided to go for the Rendlesham off level weights and it paid off. I’m happy with how he is and I’m happy that I have him fresh for this. Whether one beats him, or three finish ahead of him, he will run his race. He bolted up in the handicap over course and distance at the meeting last year and I would say the one that beats him will win as he is in great form.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Strong Leader as he goes well on a flat track and he won the race last year, but our lad is improving. Let’s see how Aintree goes. If it goes well we will stay over hurdles, but if he was to finish fifth we would have to give it half-a-go over fences next season."

Harper’s Brook (Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase)

“He is in really good form looks great. He won well at Wetherby. He is a strange horse in that he doesn’t find off the bridle and he just flattens out. I think if you are too far back you have to use too much up to get there and I think when he stops it is because he has run out of petrol. To be fair though he hasn’t done that for us yet and hopefully he won’t here. We do have him in Ascot at the weekend though and he might end up there.”

Jet Plane (Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters Chase)

“For a hunter chaser he is relatively young as he is only nine. He is a bold jumper and, if he takes to it, which I’m sure he will, he will go very close. There is nothing to not like about his profile. A bit of nice ground will help him as well. We weren’t aggressive enough with him at Haydock Park last time, but he was beaten by My Drogo so it was a good run whatever. My Drogo will be hard to beat if he takes to it, but I think if Jet Plane takes to the fences he will go very well. The plan is for Jack Andrews to ride him."

L’Eau du Sud (The EBC Group Manifesto Novices’ Chase/Rosconn Group Maghull Novices’ Chase)

“It did cross my mind to enter him over two-and-a-half so I will talk to the owners and see what they say. I think realistically, with the speed he shows, he is a two miler. Look at how well he jumped in the Arkle. He jumped to the front when Majborough made the mistake in the Arkle and that was a bit of a pain as we could have done with a lead for a little bit longer. I think you will find the Arkle turns out to be a better race than everyone will give it credit for.

“For a moment going to the last I thought if he jumps this and goes two lengths clear he will win, but at the back of the last when he couldn’t get clear of the mare I knew he wasn’t going to win then. I think he saves a bit for himself and he will be going to Aintree with some cheekpieces on. I think with the others around us in the Arkle not likely to be going there, it gives us a chance of another Grade One."

Le Milos (Randox Supporting Prostate Cancer UK Topham Handicap Chase)

“I think we will possibly have a go at the Topham. What I won’t do is run him around there on good to soft watered ground with the prospect of rain the following week as he is qualified for the £100,000 middle distance final at Haydock Park on April 19th. With a horse of such quality he was always going to win again, but it was just great to see it happen at Warwick. That season when he won the Ladbrokes Trophy, and then went for Grand National, was a great season.

“He has always had some question marks over his knees and what he did in the Grand National was just loosen a chip in his knee and we had to have that taken out. I just think it has taken him some time to get over that. While he might not be the same force he was, he is still a good horse. Those good horses come down to a point where they can’t lose as they have got so much class and I think that is what happened at Warwick. He travels and jumps like hell. I think he won the Ladbrokes Trophy because he is so tough and he got four miles in the Grand National, just not that last quarter of a mile.

“I would never say to the public, or the owners, off this mark he is a certainty as he doesn’t need that pressure in his life anymore. There isn't a horse that loves training like him. He is a machine and he comes out every day with his tail up. While he enjoys it we will try to find the right races on the right ground. If he turns up on soft ground he will go well and you would be hopeful he could finish in the first six."

Listentoyourheart (William Hill Handicap Hurdle)

“She is qualified for these big handicaps now. I think her handicap mark is fair and I would like to see how she gets on in a handicap now as she has done all that racing in novice hurdles. I think she will go well.

“When a good novice steps into a handicap you have got to give them a chance and she is a good novice. I think her mark has got juice in it. She has had lots of runs and she ran in the mares bumper at the meeting last year so she has been around plenty of runners so I’m not worried about that with her.”

Live Conti (Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle)

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Lulamba as he did nothing wrong and only just got chinned in the Triumph Hurdle, but that is a 19 days turn around for a four year-old which is a short time. We will take him on and I’ve no problem taking him on that sort of a turnaround. I’ve no problem anyway as I think Live Conti is a good horse.

“It was good to see him win the way he did at Wetherby. He looks great and we have kept him back for the race. He has trained well and he is a fresh horse for Aintree which counts for a bit. I think as he gets older he will get better like Protektorat and L’Eau du Sud did. He is a really nice horse going forward and hopefully the first step into a Grade One will go well for him.

“I don’t say he is a certainty because he missed Cheltenham, but I think it was the right call to go this route. The ground dried out at Cheltenham on the Friday and in the Triumph Hurdle I think he would have found it happening all too quickly.”

Mr Hope Street (William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle)

“I think he will appreciate stepping back up to an extended three miles here. We have kept him fresh for this race and hopefully he has a squeak. He had a very juvenile brain on him when he started, but as he has got the hang of it he has got better and better. He started off a very low mark last season, then he started winning some races in the spring.

“He got beat by one of Fergal O’Brien’s (Plaisir Des Flos) at Carlisle in October, who had won plenty, so I think they were two well handicapped horses that turned up that day. Our horse has since won two of his next three starts and I think this trip will really suit him. I’ve been happy with his progression and hopefully there is still more to come."

Protektorat (My Pension Expert Melling Chase)

“He is definitely going back to the Melling Chase as he ran well in it last year. Jonbon is coming back into it again, but he has been to Cheltenham this year, and had a race, however we have got to come up to his level. We’ve had no lesser race than we had last year at Cheltenham, but you’ve got to remember Jonbon went to Aintree fresh last season.

“Jonbon does thrive on racing, but I’m going there knowing that Protektorat will run well as he always does. He isn’t getting any younger as in two years time he will be retired. While he is well and everything is right he wants to be running. I think he has run well this season. It was always going to be hard to win the Paddy Power under top weight, especially when it didn’t rain enough.

"I knew it was going to be a row going right handed in the Peterborough Chase and then I knew I had him in the best shape he could be at Windsor. I had him in great shape at Cheltenham, but it just didn’t work out. He got in behind a few and he had to find his way around Jungle Boogie. It wasn’t the smoothest race he has ever had."

Quaviste (Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race)

“He has won his only start at Huntingdon. He is a horse by Authorized that has loads of pace and I really like him. Harry went via Peterborough when he won on him at Huntingdon as he just got trapped wide and it turned into a bit of a sprint. Although he had to go the long way around them he still managed to win so I would say he is a fair horse. He should run well and I think Harry will end up riding him as he won on him last time.”

Royal Infantry (Trustatrader Top Novices’ Hurdle/Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle)

“He has had a wind operation since he was beaten last time out at Haydock Park, but he is a horse that I really like. I think there is a lot more to come from him and I don’t think you have seen the best from him by any stretch of the imagination. We will enter him in the two-and-a-half mile novices’ hurdle, but we will probably run him over two miles. I think he will go very well.

“His wind was bugging him, but it can’t have been bugging him too much earlier in the season as he won his first two starts. There has always been a little bit of a whistle though and it became more apparent in his last race. I think he is slipping under the radar a little bit and he comes in here as a fresh horse. I think he will give himself the opportunity at Aintree to put up a big run.”

Realco (Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race)

“Realco would want the ground to be soft, but he will still run on safe ground in the Grade Two bumper. He won on his first start for us down at Exeter then he was a good second in a Listed race at Newbury. He is in good form and I would like to think he would go very well in this race. Like Quaviste, I expect him to run well and he will be a fine hurdler next season."

Take No Chances (William Hill Aintree Hurdle)

“We are going to give it a go with her. She is unbelievably consistent and she will get seven pounds off Constitution Hill, which she will need, but she will give it her all. We would love to win, but we are very happy to go and see her run unbelievably well like she did in the Mares’ Hurdle and we are very proud of her when she does those things.

“She is not a horse that will win every time, but she has won a Listed and Graded race this season along with being third in a Grade One at the Cheltenham Festival. I think she will run a very good race again as she won’t have it any other way because she is so tough.

“She was running around in handicaps at Uttoxeter and Cartmel back in May, but it was once she won at Wetherby I thought 'you tough girl'. I told everyone before the Festival that if there is one horse that will run its race it is this one. Obviously if Constitution Hill turns up he will go off a short price and apparently all the others will be playing for place money, but he went off a short price in the Champion Hurdle and he didn’t get around. I think two-and-a-half miles is probably perfect for her.

“Constitution Hill has got to get over a fall and he is coming back quickly after it, but we have a long way to go to catch his rating. On ratings it is not a realistic conversation that we can beat him. If he turns up 85 per cent his best he will still win, so we know how hard it is going to be, but as we saw at Cheltenham these are horses and anything can happen.”

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