Dan Skelton takes swipe at Jockeys' Cup critics as he hails 'absolutely brilliant initiative'

Dan Skelton has described the inaugural David Power Jockeys' Cup (DPJC) as an "absolutely brilliant initiative" that could be expanded to incorporate owners and trainers.

The DPJC, which is being funded by bookmaking giant Flutter Entertainment, was launched last week, with jockeys finishing in the first four in races broadcast on ITV Racing awarded points in a league table. The top ten riders at the end of the event in April will receive significant cash prizes, with the winner netting £500,000.

"I think it's an absolutely brilliant initiative," said Skelton. "I've seen the comments about it in a negative light, but I think that's rather short-sighted. I'm yet to understand what Flutter hopes to see out of it, but the investment into the competition and the ITV series is phenomenal and should be applauded.

"There's a lot of short-sightedness by people saying this money should be used for something else. However, this money was never allocated to the sport. They came in with one idea, with the money to do it. Were the jockeys meant to say no?"

Dan Skelton's brother Harry is in the joint-lead for the David Power Jockeys' Cup after a successful November meeting, which included victory on L'Eau Du SudCredit: Edward Whitaker

As well as rewarding the top ten jockeys and two leading conditional riders, the DPJC will provide prizes to the trainers and yards who provide each of the riders with the most points.  

However, the absence of any financial recognition for owners drew strong criticism from the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), with its chief executive Louise Norman saying it showed a “complete lack of appreciation from many in the industry for the owner”.

"If it does work then what's to stop a new series that supports the trainers?" added Skelton. "That would only encourage more participation in the ITV races and help to boost field sizes. From there we can help the most important people in the sport, the owners, as we could have a leaderboard of the horses.

"You could have categories for two miles, two and a half miles and three miles over hurdles and fences, and whoever wins the most points takes it irrespective of grade. It'll encourage participation and for the new band of supporters it will work. This will all be because of the Jockeys' Cup and if people can't see beyond that, it's short-sighted."

British racing is hoping to boost the popularity of the sport and engagement with fans through the DPJC, with Flutter releasing survey data that found 44 per cent of 1,002 UK-based sports fans would be more interested in racing if it were easier to follow, and 38 per cent wanting more behind-the-scenes content and engagement with the jockeys.

Last week Paddy Power made a strong defence of the £1.5 million competition: "If there's more eyeballs on the sport, that's great. People start following it better and maybe the audience profile becomes a bit younger. There's a lot of knock-on benefits to it. What's good for the sport is good for everyone."

David Power Jockeys' Cup standings*

1= Sean Bowen, Harry Skelton – 46 points
3= Nico de Boinville, Sam Twiston-Davies – 38
5 Daniel King – 16
6= Jonathan Burke, Bryan Carver – 14
8= Harry Cobden, Felix de Giles, Freddie Gingell, Freddie Gordon – 10
12= Gavin Sheehan, Charlie Hammond, Kevin Brogan, Henry Brooke, Michael O'Connor, Jonjo O'Neill, James Best, Micheal Nolan, Tom Cannon, Brendan Powell – 6
22= Jack Quinlan, Jack Gilligan, Richard Deegan, Tristan Durrell, Jack Tudor, Derek Fox, Tom Bellamy, Jack Hogan – 4

*Jockeys receive points based on their finishing positions in ITV jump races between November 15 - April 4. Winning riders receive ten points, with eight points for second, six points for third and four points for fourth.

Read more:

'There's a bigger picture and this is good news' - new Jockeys' Cup defended after criticism from owners 

Harry Cobden: I'd rather win the new Jockeys' Cup than be champion jockey 

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