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Star Sports has appointed Harry Skelton to be a National Hunt Brand Ambassador.
Skelton is the stable jockey for his brother Dan’s Warwickshire yard, which has a powerful racing team. He won the Jump Jockeys’ Championship in 2020/21. He will provide regular updates to Star Sports customers via his blog and on the runners of the yard.
The pair will share their insight and analysis every week as well as on each day of the spring festivals.
Skelton said, “I am really pleased to be working with Star Sports.” They have always been invested in racing, through sponsorships and preview nights at Cheltenham. I am looking forward to creating the blog, and hopefully pointing customers in the right direction over the next couple of months.
“Davy [Russell] has a great reputation and it will be a pleasure to catch up with this man throughout the season.” It will be strange to not have him in the Cheltenham weighing room in March. But I’m certain he’ll give lots of opinions about the English and Irish runner.”
Luke Tarr said, “Harry is an amazing man and a fantastic jockey. We are proud to have him join the legend Davy Russell as our National Hunt ambassador. Harry’s celebration with the airplane is a sight to behold. We need to bring in more characters to racing, especially with Frankie Dettori nearing the end of his incredible career. Harry is exactly what the industry requires and with Davy by his side, we will have top-notch content.”
Harry’s Five to follow:
KATEIRA is in for an excellent year. We hope that she’ll be able to handle her first step out of novice company. We’re looking at Wetherby as a possible starting point, and then we will look to move up in trip. She ended last season on a high note with a fantastic run in a Grade 1 at Aintree. She’s a tough mare. She’s by Kayf Tara and hopefully, she will only improve with age. All roads should lead to the Mares’ Hurdle in Cheltenham, March.
HOE-JOLY-SMOKE, a maiden horse that is yet to run in a race this year, could be one of the dark horses. He is by Black Sam Bellamy, and has had a wind surgery since his last run in a Grade 2, where he did quite well but stumbled after the second final and almost pulled a shoe. He was entering the race well that day. He’s got a big, nice horse. Hopefully he will lose his maiden tag soon. He seems like a horse that would be a good one to handicap in the early season. We’ll have to see where and how he progresses.
ETALON had a good race in the EBF Final at Sandown at the end. He is a big, nice horse that wants to jump fences, where he will hopefully make progress. He will probably start in handicaps. His current rating is 120. We hope that he can progress up to graded novice hunts by spring.
TAKE No Chances will be going novice hurdling in three bumpers. You can put a line through her third run because she ran well the first two times but then was a little over the top. She’ll likely start out around two-and-a half miles. Last season, she showed really good form in a listed bumper at Market Rasen behind Dysart and Queens Gamble. We hope that in the coming year, she will be able to shake off her novice tag and move up into better novice hurdle company.
PIKAR will go novice chasing. He had a wind surgery over the summer, and has been doing very well in terms of his physical condition. He’s an excellent jumper and I believe chasing will be his forte. We will start with two miles to see if we need to increase the trip. This horse could easily move up to graded classes – chasing would suit him well. He has always been a good, solid horse. Hopefully the wind op worked so he can move up to graded novice hunts.
Skelton Stable Stars:
PROTEKTORAT has been in excellent form. We’ll probably start him in the Betfair Chase, and then we can make plans for his future. He is in excellent form at home, and we are looking forward to Haydock. We hope that he can successfully defend his title.
Le Milos advanced up the weights after winning the Coral Gold Cup last year, and we had our heart set on the National. This year, there’s a slightly different plan because he is still young and has more to offer on the graded route. He will be gone before Christmas, and we’ll watch to see what he does.
West Balboa had a very successful season at Aintree, having won the Lanzarote before that. Now, we think that three miles will be her forte. It will depend on how the ground is. There’s also the Stayers Hurdle at Aintree and the three-mile obstacle. There will be a lot of time before these two races, but those will be her main goals for the season. Last season, she was very progressive and it is hoped that now she is ready for the big-league.
MIDNIGHT RIVE is also likely to start at Wetherby, before taking on the Coral Gold Cup. This is a race we won last season and it’s perfect for second-season rookies. He has made great progress and is just now starting to take off. He is now a young man who has grown up. He has gained weight, and will need to be able to compete in a handicap that is very competitive.
DROGO has returned after a gap of a year-and-a-half. He’s in good form at home but his experience and rating make it difficult to place him at this time. Early in the season, there aren’t many options. We’re going to start in the Old Roan race at Aintree, but if he looks fit, we will then make other plans. We’re excited to see him on the track again.
GALIA des LITEAUX is about three miles and very soft ground. Market Rasen hosts a listed three-mile mares chase. This could be the place where she begins. We’ll then know what direction we want to take her. She is a very honest mare but these conditions are essential for her.
NURSE SUSAN examines the Listed Mares’ Novices’ Chase that Galia Desliteaux won at Bangor last year. She looked smart before she got a minor injury last season. She is a big, strong mare with a different physique than what we used to have.
GREY DAWNING will be novice chasing. He will most likely travel three miles and will have learned from his mistakes last year. He has all the talent in the world even though he is very modest at home. He’s set to have a great year in the novice division of chase.
