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Exciting novice chaser could take on Caldwell Potter in the Grade 2 Download The Racing App Now Lightning Novices’ Chase.
Dan Skelton revealed there has been a change in plans for his L'Eau Du Sud, who now looks poised to run in the Grade 2 Download The Racing App Now Lightning Novices' Chase at the Windsor Berkshire Winter Million meeting on January 17th.
Skelton had suggested the Kingmaker Novices' Chase at Warwick would be on the agenda for L'Eau Du Sud in the aftermath of his gritty success in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown, but with his handler keen to have a longer gap leading into the Arkle, all roads now seemingly lead to Windsor for the striking six-year-old, who is a general 8/1 chance for the Festival feature at Cheltenham.
"L'Eau Du Sud might actually go to Windsor for the Winter Million weekend and the Lightning Novices' Chase," said Skelton on Sky Sports Racing.
"All those graded novice chases are sort of worth the same, so money wouldn't dictate where you went.
"He's won a Grade One and I just feel if we went to Windsor, it might give him a longer gap to work up towards the Arkle, because if you ran him in the Warwick race (February 8), you could do a bit of work but not as much as you can do in seven weeks, so I just think tactically it might work better going that way.
"If Windsor is off, we've always got the back-up of Warwick or Newbury. It might just look like Windsor now."
The news came just a few hours after Paul Nicholls revealed Caldwell Potter, who represents the same connections including famous ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, could head to Windsor for the same contest.
A Grade 1 winner over hurdles for Gordon Elliott, Caldwell Potter, was sent off the 11/10 favourite to make it two from two over fences at Cheltenham on Friday.
However, Paul Nicholls' six-year-old could only finish third behind the Nicky J. Henderson -trained Jango Baie and with the Ditcheat handler keen to keep him racing left-handed back on soft ground, he too may well head to Windsor for the Grade 2 Download The Racing App Now Lightning Novices' Chase.
Speaking via his Betfair Ditcheat Diary, Nicholls said: "He got some valuable experience which is what we wanted. I wasn't going to run him then there was a lack of opportunities for him," Nicholls told his Betfair Ditcheat Diary.
"He got some good experience; he jumped fantastically well but he obviously wants the ground a lot slower – I'm still not in my mind convinced what trip he wants. I'm sure over two miles on very soft ground he'd be more effective but it's a learning curve for him, we haven't seen the best of him.
"He jumped well at Carlisle, but he jumped very well at Cheltenham and Harry (Cobden) was thrilled with him, we're just building on the future with him.
"It's so hard to find races for him as he likes going left-handed. He might have to go to Windsor in January."