Dan Skelton completely dominates the jumping landscape in Britain right now but there’s still one considerable itch he is yet to scratch.

Well on course for breaking Martin Pipe’s 243 winners in a single season, having already smashed his own record for the earliest century, Skelton was at it again this weekend as he became the fastest National Hunt trainer to reach £1million in prize money.

He’s evidently got all bases covered at the sales, having pulled off another bargain buy (£7,000) thanks to Come On Georgie, but it remains a notable omission that Skelton has yet to win any of the traditional championship races at the Cheltenham Festival.

Graham Clark caught up with the man himself for a comprehensive guide to the team

He’ll no doubt have the big-race favourite just about every Saturday afternoon from now until April, but how many of them would team Skelton trade in for a Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle or Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Yes, Protektorat got him on the Ryanair Chase honours board a couple of years ago and that arguably carries equal status as one of the Thursday features at the Festival these days, but he’s blank in the old big four which seems remarkable when you consider his rapid rise to prominence.

It was a case of oh so nearly last March as Skelton saddled thirds in the Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase, plus the fourth home in both the Stayers’ Hurdle and Gold Cup, so who are the horses to take this seemingly unstoppable stable to the next level this time around?

The apparent big hope

It’s a windy sort of market to say the least but The New Lion heads the betting for the 2027 Stayers’ Hurdle around 7/1 and this race looks certain to be front and centre among his season’s objectives.

Winner of the 2m5f Turners at the 2025 Festival, he flew the flag at two miles most of last season but was found out for pace by Lossiemouth in the Champion Hurdle before finishing second behind Brighterdaysahead upped in trip for the Aintree Hurdle (2m4f).

A proper 160-horse, yes, but will his stamina hold out for 3m? His half-brother El Presente won the Badger Beers and stayed the trip well but full sister Kateira, who Skelton also trained, was 0-5 over 3m.

Owned by JP McManus, The New Lion is the current Skelton star in many ways but there’s no escaping last season was anticlimactic and he now has to bounce back in a big way.

The Unibet Hurdle was The New Lion's sole success last season

The sleeping giant

Held in the highest regard from the start of his career, Mydaddypaddy staying over hurdles this season has been widely greeted with approval, and yet not a single soul could suggest he’s a cracking price at 7/1 for the Champion Hurdle.

With around 10lb to find on form before the mares' allowance is even factored in, last year’s Supreme runner-up theoretically has a mountain to climb if he’s to topple title-holder Lossiemouth in the two-mile hurdling division.

However, this is the Skelton operation we’re talking about so typical improvement should be anticipated, and there’s no denying he was done no favours late on in the Festival opener last season having been squeezed for room between Old Park Star and Sober Glory after the last flight (replay in full below).

Said to be more mature both mentally and physically with another summer behind him, Mydaddypaddy should be a real force in domestic Graded races on the ‘road to Cheltenham’, and perhaps he is the one to beat if anything were to prevent the favourite from showing up to defend her crown.

The dark horses

Maestro Conti did connections proud as a juvenile hurdler and it was interesting to hear Skelton utter the words ‘Champion Hurdle’ in his recent stable tour on these pages.

That admittedly looks a long way off for the time being and the overall record of horses who placed in the Triumph trying their hand at the top table of hurdling the following season would be enough to dissuade most punters from being tempted, although the current 66/1 available with Champion Hurdle sponsors Unibet might provide some fun along the way.

Aintree was a bit disappointing when last seen but this youngster remains an exciting prospect and looks the type to be plotted up for a major handicap or two which could propel him on the periphery of a Champion Hurdle bid.

Incidentally, Maestro Conti’s half-brother Live Conti is arguably the real dark horse and he's been completely forgotten about after missing the big spring meetings through injury.

He fared three places better than his close relative when second behind Murcia in the 2025 running of the 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree and was given a light season last term, appearing just twice in valuable handicaps. He shaped pretty well when third to Hot Fuss at Windsor when last seen, a run that saw him promoted to the top of the County Hurdle betting at the time, prior to meeting with the setback.

Live Conti is a bit of a blank canvas starting back as a five-year-old this term but productive efforts in races such as the Greatwood at Cheltenham next month and/or William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Newbury in the New Year could bring him into the frame too. No firms are quoting him for the Champion right now, but it's not hard to envisage that changing in the coming months.

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The long-term plan

Horses can emerge from all corners of the Skelton set-up but with L’Eau Du Sud not good enough for the Champion Chase and likewise Grey Dawning in the Gold Cup, the onus is already on the next wave of potential and a lot of planning will be geared towards those longer-term projects getting all the experience they need for future championship races at Cheltenham.

The prime example here looks to be Bossman Jack, one of the most progressive novice hurdlers of last season who rose from a breakthrough win at Ffos Las in January to Grade 1 scorer at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, via an eyecatching sixth in the Turners.

Skelton is already on record suggesting he could be the next one to step down the Betfair Chase, King George and Gold Cup route in 12 months’ time, so his novice chase campaign this time around might not be quite as busy as the last one which totalled six starts over timber.

Entered up over two miles in a beginners’ chase at Uttoxeter on Friday, it'll be baby steps for Bossman Jack but he's a top prospect and patience is a virtue; something Skelton understands better than most.

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