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Dan Skelton described Unexpected Party as the 'ideal type of horse' to take aim at the Premier Handicap, as the second-season novice chaser bids to give the trainer his first success in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday.
The gelded son of Martaline failed to win over fences last season but soon put that right when beating Knappers Hill, who came out and won the Grade 2 Rising Stars Novices' Chase at Wincanton last weekend, in Listed company at Chepstow on his reappearance.
Unexpected Party also holds an entry in the Grade 2 SSS Super Alloys Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices' Chase at the track on Friday, but Skelton suggested he was firmly on course for the valuable two-and-a-half-mile prize.
Skelton said: "Unexpected Party was good at Chepstow. I've been very happy with how he has trained between Chepstow and now. He is in the Arkle Trial, but the plan is very much to go for the Paddy Power."
Although yet to land the £160,000 prize, Skelton is no stranger to going close in the contest, with Midnight River, Protektorat, and Spiritofthegames all finding the frame.
On the chances of his luck changing this weekend, Skelton added: "Protektorat was second in the race and Midnight River was third in it, but they were horses that stayed a lot further and I think Protektorat might nearly have won if there had been a bit more rain.
"I can say that as he has since won Grade 1, so it is not a stupid comment. I think Unexpected Party has a bit more pace than those guys.
"We've also been second with Spiritofthegames. He was a consistent horse all of his career, but he was a bridesmaid a lot and he would compare well with him.
"Unexpected Party is a second-season chaser and historically they have always had a pretty good record in this race. I'm very hopeful that he will go there with as much a chance as you can hope for as he is the ideal type of horse for this race."
While the hustle and bustle of a premier handicap like the Paddy Power will be a different test for Unexpected Party, Skelton believes the unexposed eight-year-old has the characteristics to cope with the demands.
He said: "If you look at his best two victories they have been on pretty soft ground. One was over fences at Chepstow, admittedly where he had heaps of experience against inexperienced horses, but it was similar conditions when he won a pretty good hurdle at Ascot.
"I can't see why the Paddy Power isn't going to be at least on the soft side, if not softer, so I've got no concerns about the ground.
"It is something to consider the fact that he will be running against a lot more horses than he has ever done over fences before.
"All of these novices have been running around in smaller fields and at some point, they have to come out of them, and he is one of them that is.
"He ran in the Turners Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, and he has turned up on some big days. The preliminaries before the race won't get to him and that is a big part of it.
"He is a good traveller and a slick jumper, and I don't want to put the mockers on him with a comment like that, but that is what is good at, and that is what you need for a race like this."
When discussing potential dangers, Skelton was quick to point out the Paul Nicholls-trained pair Stage Star, who won the Grade 1 Turners Novices' Chase last season, and Il Ridoto as two notable threats.
Skelton added: "He has not won a Grade 1 yet, and Stage Star is near the top of the weights, so he is going to be formidable to beat without talking about the rest.
However, the presence of both Stage Star and The Real Whacker should see the eight-year-old running off a nice racing weight, an advantage Skelton was keen to note.
"If The Real Whacker runs then you have two Grade 1 novice chase winners from last season so that makes the race almost as good as you can get.
"What it does mean if both those horses run is that Unexpected Party will have a nice weight on his back which can only help his chances."
Elsewhere at Cheltenham this weekend, it could be a big weekend for the Warwick-based handler, who looks set to saddle "twelve or thirteen" horses over the three-day November meeting.
Skelton, who enjoyed a remarkable run of form this time last year, admits things haven't been as plain sailing this time around, but is hopeful this meeting can kickstart his season.
"This time last year, they just hit a vein of form and off they went. Being open and honest, I have to say it hasn't quite been like that this season," Skelton said in a press conference organised by Jockey Club Racecourses.
"We've had a few nice winners but the ground this autumn has been particularly challenging.
"Our horses have been fit but perhaps the best way to describe it is they've been good to soft ground fit, not heavy ground fit. A few have got to the back of the second last and they've needed the run a bit. I can't say it's been seamless; our results show that.
"Every day that goes by, they are a bit closer to where they want to be and going into this weekend, Unexpected Party is totally ready, L'Eau Du Sud is totally ready, Nube Negra has always had the Shloer on his mind, Knickerbocker Glory has already won this year.
"So, there are no excuses now and while it might be too much to hope for a run like last year, I do see a bit of plainer sailing now."
One horse Skelton is looking forward to getting back on the track this weekend is Shan Blue, with the trainer stating, "I'm as happy with him at home as I've ever been."
He said: "Shan Blue will run over hurdles, bless him. Since he fell in that race at Wetherby, it hasn't happened for him. I know he finished second at Aintree that spring, which was a nice run, but it wasn't anything like it looked like what he was going to do at Wetherby," said Skelton.
"I don't want to pre-empt anything but I'm as happy with him at home as I've ever been. I had him declared at Market Rasen but that got called off, same at Bangor tomorrow, so our back is against the wall to run, so that is why he's in over hurdles. He has been very well at home, and I'd like to think there's another big one in him."
