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Trainer Dan Skelton feels he has exciting chaser Grey Dawning "as ready as he can be" ahead of his first start in open company in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday.
The Dan Skelton-trained seven-year-old was one of ten entries for the first Grade 1 chase of the British Jump season, with Hewick, Bravemansgame and last year's winner Royale Pagaille all in contention.
JP McManus' Corbett Cross, who was towards the head of the ante-post market, was not among the five-day entries, although the famous green and gold hooped silks still look likely to be represented after Willie Mullins added Grade 1 winning chaser Capodanno to the field.
Dan Skelton removed the 2022 winner Protektorat, who finished sixth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday, as he relies solely on 7/4 market leader Grey Dawning.
A winner of the Graduation Chase on this card twelve months ago, Grey Dawning went on to stamp himself as one of the most promising novice chasers on either side of the Irish Sea, landing the Grade 1 Turners Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival before finishing third in the Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree a month later.
Quick ground prevented the seven-year-old from making his intended seasonal reappearance in the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby earlier this month, but Dan Skelton believes he has his contender as forward as possible for Saturday's Grade 1 assignment.
"Grey Dawning has been for a racecourse gallop, and he did very well," said Skelton. The last two seasons he got beaten on his seasonal debut – over hurdles and in a novice chase. His record shows there is a bit of a patch first time out, but the reason for that is that we had been very easy on him in the early part of the season for those races. When they are novices, they are always going to improve.
"This is a totally different kettle of fish. He needs to be ready against more seasoned horses and dare I say it, better horses, first time up. That is why we have put an awful lot of effort into getting him as ready as we can. I fully believe he is as ready as he can be."
The Skelton team enjoyed a fine weekend at Cheltenham and the Warwickshire-based handler believes Grey Dawning has all the attributes to add another top-level triumph to his CV.
Skelton added: "He is proven around Haydock which is a big plus and he has stayed the trip already at Warwick. He is a Grade 1 winner and carries through top form from last year as a novice. I've never ducked the situation that he has got to come up now to their level, to Grade 1 level in open company. But I feel he can do it. I've always felt this horse will be a progressor all through his life. Touch wood, he's done that for us, but it will be a totally different test on Saturday.
"He's a real athlete and looks fantastic. He never carries a lot of weight and when you see him on Saturday, you'll say he does look ready. You will find that 95 per cent of really good Grade 1 horses are pretty straightforward. They have got the brain for it and that is what allows them to be so good. Grey Dawning is that and there aren't many chinks in his armour. As to how good he is, we'll find out on Saturday how good he is at this point in his life."
Grey Dawning is currently the shortest-priced British-trained horse for the Boodles Gold Cup back at Cheltenham in March, with Dan Skelton ultimately eyeing a return to Prestbury Park in March. "We want to go down the Gold Cup route. That's how you start out hoping and the racecourse will tell you whether that's realistic or not," said Skelton. "While Saturday is very important, we are not going there apprehensive in any way. We are going there excited with a really good horse. He is as good as any staying chaser we've had at this stage of their life. Protektorat sets the bar quite high for us as a seasoned chaser, but new blood and new legs puts pressure on the older horses."
Although all eyes will definitely be on Grey Dawning at Haydock on Saturday, Dan Skelton looks set to field plenty of interesting contenders at Ascot and on the undercard at the Merseyside venue, including recent Cheltenham winner Doyen Quest, who looks set to make a quick reappearance under a 5lb penalty.
Speaking to the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Skelton said: "We've got Doyen Quest making a quick turnaround at Haydock. He could be supported in that race by Gwennie May Boy, who won three from three for us last year and Catch Him Derry, who I think has won four of his last five.
"Hopefully Deafening Silence will make his chase debut in the Graduation Chase, a race we won last year with Grey Dawning. Le Milos is going to run in the 3m handicap at Haydock. Then at Ascot, we're going to have a bunch of participants. We might run two or three in the £100,000 chase and we'll have one for the 1965 Chase and maybe one or two for the hurdle down there."
"We're going to be supporting all the cards, but Harry (Skelton) will be at Haydock and that's probably where our best chances lie."