Dan Skelton 'can't work out' stable's worrying first-time-out form - but says Protektorat in top shape for Betfair Chase defence

Dan Skelton has expressed concern over the form of some of his stars on their reappearances this season but said he will have Protektorat at his best for a repeat bid in Saturday’s Betfair Chase.

The eight-year-old returns from a 253-day layoff at Haydock, where last year he produced a career-best performance to win the Grade 1 showpiece.

Protektorat will have to be at the top of his game again with King George VI Chase winner Bravemansgame among the likely opposition, although Shishkin is set to swerve the contest and instead line up in the 1965 Chase at Ascot on the same day.

Skelton said Protektorat, an 11-8 chance with the sponsors behind Paul Nicholls' even-money favourite Bravemansgame, is "cherry-ripe" for his comeback, but the yard is suffering its second-worst strike-rate (14.5 per cent) in the last seven years with horses returning from layoffs of 150-plus days. The only worse strike-rate was in the Covid-affected May 1-November 30 period in 2020.

The trainer added: "I’m adamant he’s as good as he was last year and I just hope we get a repeat of what we saw then. 

"We were odds-on favourites, but Paul has confirmed Bravemansgame and now we’re not favourites. We’ve gone from the main headline to page two for the weekend, but that’s not a problem.

Dan Skelton: "We’ve gone from the main headline to page two for the weekend, but that’s not a problem"Credit: Debbie Burt

"We’re happy with our horse and he’s in good health. The Betfair Chase was the important one [last season]. I had him underprepared in hindsight for the Cotswold Chase because we had an eye on the Gold Cup and you want them to peak for that. He ran well in it, but not well enough to trouble those in front. 

"There are four Grade 1s over three miles in the season and we won one of them, so you can hardly say we had a bad season."

Skelton admitted he is worried about the form of his horses making their first starts of the season after lengthy breaks.

He said: "I’ve had a big problem getting these horses who've had time off to show their best on their first runs back. Quite simply, it hasn’t happened and I can’t work it out. What I see at home is that it’s there, but we just haven’t seen it at 2.15 in the afternoon. But I’ve seen it in the morning. 

"You have to bear with them and it'll all come right. We’re not doing anything different to what we did last year and I suppose it’s just sometimes how the cookie crumbles."

Betfair Chase (3.00 Haydock, Saturday)

Betfair: Evens Bravemansgame, 11-8 Protektorat, 6 Royale Pagaille, 8 Corach Rambler, 16 Shishkin, 50 Minella Drama

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