Dan Skelton has already raised the bar to new heights this season, but he aims to continue setting a relentless pace in pursuit of more big-race winners at this year’s Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree.
The 40-year-old already has one hand on the coveted National Hunt Trainers’ Championship for the first time having recently become the first jumps trainer in the history of the sport to win £4 million in prizemoney. However, while that prize may be in safe keeping, the Shelfield Green handler - fresh from celebrating two winners at last month’s Cheltenham Festival - is hungry for further glory at the Merseyside venue, which in recent seasons has proven a happy hunting ground.
Talented mare Panic Attack, winner of both this year’s Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham and Coral Gold Cup at Newbury, will bid to continue her own fine campaign by attempting to give Skelton a breakthrough success in the Randox Grand National. She will be supported by a raft of Grade One performers, including Unibet Champion Hurdle third The New Lion, and Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup fourth Grey Dawning.
Add into the mix a heap of horses that were kept fresh for this meeting, and it means Skelton will once again be a real force to be reckoned with across the three day meeting.
He said: “I would say we probably won’t have as many as we did at Cheltenham, but it will still be a good bunch. We are happy with the Aintree team as there is a good mixture of fresh horses and some high achievers going there that have run well at the Cheltenham Festival.
“The fresh ones you can be more encouraged by them as they will definitely give their running having been kept back especially for the meeting. Panic Attack in the Grand National will have a lot to say about if we reach five million pounds in prizemoney. I think it will be hard to reach that figure, however we will keep on kicking, and if we don’t get there it is a target for seasons to come.”
