Dan Skelton has Alex Ferguson’s horse Protektorat in fighting shape for big Betfair Chase showdown with Bravemansgame

DAN SKELTON reckons his stable star will handle today’s huge Haydock showdown like a Pro.

The top trainer has Protektorat in the form of his life ahead of the £200,000 Betfair Chase, a race in which he romped home 12 months ago.

Protektorat is aiming to defend his Betfair Chase crown

Sir Alex Ferguson could be on hand to watch his horse at Haydock

Skelton has spent the last few weeks anticipating a mammoth clash with Shishkin – but it’s Bravemansgame who has emerged as his shock challenger.

The King George winner and Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up was expected to go straight to Kempton on Boxing Day for a defence of his crown having been beaten in the Charlie Hall.

Paul Nicholls had other ideas and surprised everyone by declaring his horse for the Grade 1, which he has won six times over the years with Kauto Star and Silvinaco Conti.

It means long-time antepost favourite Protektorat, part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson who enjoyed a big winner in Bahrain last week, will likely go off second in the betting this afternoon.

That won’t bother Skelton, who is no doubt relishing a big head-to-head with his old boss Nicholls.

He said: “Obviously, I worked for Paul when Kauto Star was winning the Betfair Chase and it is one of the biggies of the year.

“It is up there with the King George and the Gold Cup and it was fantastic to win it last year.

“It’s one of those lifetime races and it is very hard to get a horse good enough to run in it, so when you get your chance, you’ve got to try and take it.

“Myself and Paul are still great mates but we are competitors now and we are both very competitive by nature so if either of us win it will be sweet.”

You can say that again – Nicholls is one of the most competitive trainers around and Skelton is a chip off the old block.

The two men regularly banter with each other about their horses, with Skelton’s nickname for Bravemansgame ‘Softmansgame’ while Nicholls calls his rival ‘Protektocrap’.

It could get pretty lively in the paddock after the race – unless both horses massively underperform and open the door for Corach Rambler or Royale Pagaille.

That seems unlikely, and Skelton couldn’t be happier with his horse ahead of the trip to Merseyside.

He said: “He’s in good form, he did well over the summer and we’ve managed to get plenty of work into him.

“He does have a King George entry and we’ll consider all options, but the Betfair Chase is his big target pre-Christmas.

“I wouldn’t call it a home match for us as he’s only done it once, but he’s answered the questions before in those conditions over that trip. 

“By his own admission, Paul has said Bravemansgame’s big aim in the first half of the season is the King George.

“Our number one target is the Betfair, which gives me confidence he’ll put up a good defence.”

After winning the race by 11 lengths from Eldorado Allen last season, Protektorat’s form dipped as he was well-beaten in both the Cotswold Chase and Gold Cup.

Skelton is hoping he can maintain a higher level of performance throughout the winter this time, though it’s not easy given the horse’s keen-going style.

He continued: “He’s very enthusiastic about his work – if anything, he actually gives too much and you are always trying to calm him down as he is so keen to please, which is why he’s a great horse fresh.

“Sometimes, towards the end of the season after his early exuberance, while you don’t not appreciate it, everything he puts in at the start maybe empties him at the end.

“We half talked about a Grand National entry last year and, while there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge, it’s something to consider. 

“By the same token, we also discussed dropping him back in trip. All options are open to him going forward.

“But no doubt, this is his big day.”

Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]