'This was always the target' - L'Eau Du Sud looks to back up emphatic chasing debut success in Arkle Trial

Dan Skelton has sent out more than 410 runners so far this season, about the same as Paul Nicholls and Fergal O'Brien combined. He's been even more aggressive than usual, reflecting his all-out attack on this season's trainer's championship.

This early Grade 2 for two-mile novice chasers is Skelton's sort of race. Yet in over ten years with a licence, he has run just two horses in it. Both won.

He has a strong chance of the hat-trick today with L'Eau Du Sud. This horse has several parallels with previous Skelton-trained winners of this race, North Hill Harvey and Third Time Lucki. All had been Skelton's County Hurdle horse the previous spring. On that measure, L'Eau Du Sud did best as he was second to Absurde in March.

Both Third Time Lucki and North Hill Harvey ran in and won the two-mile novice chase at the Showcase meeting before this race. L'Eau Du Sud went handicapping at Stratford instead. He was no less impressive. Aside from an error at the fourth, where he took off a stride too early, he looked an improved model straight away for switching to fences.

He faces a lot more rivals than either of his former stablemates did in this race, but numbers do not equal strength. Were this a handicap, L'Eau Du Sud would be giving second favourite Lookaway 11lb. They run off level weights today.

The race that Third Time Lucki and North Hill Harvey won is represented, albeit by the third and fourth in a four-runner race. San Salvador is not a forlorn hope on earlier form, but is less appealing now that he comes here off a flat course run.

Bigger threats come from Lookaway, who won one of the better match races you'll see on chase debut but it was still just a match race. Second-season novices Petit Tonnerre and Western Zephyr have talent. With neither having gone on last season, punters may be wary about them kicking on from undoubtedly good efforts on their latest starts.

That second-season novices are being considered at all says a lot about the standard of the race for a Grade 2. L'Eau Du Sud left a deep impression at Stratford, not just in the fourth fence, and if he can back that up he will surely maintain his trainer's perfect record in this race.
Race analysis by Keith Melrose

Arkle Trial 'always the target' for L'Eau Du Sud

Dan Skelton's successful target training has been a theme of the first stages of the jumps season and L'Eau Du Sud bids to become the latest to exploit an early-season opportunity in the Arkle trial.

This Grade 2 contest was identified as the race for the six-year-old months on from running so well when second in the County Hurdle at the festival in March.

Apart from one scare, he produced a fairly impressive round of jumping on his first start over fences at Stratford on Halloween and is the one to beat on ratings.

The trainer said: "He's had the run at Stratford which will stand him in good stead and will put him right for this which was always the target. We're very much looking forward to it."

Lookaway 'the stamp of a chaser'

Lookaway has won at Grade 2 level in a bumper and over hurdles and seeks to complete the same feat over fences on just his second chase start.

The seven-year-old beat just one rival when scoring at Uttoxeter at the start of the month, but jumped slickly, and he returns to this meeting a year on from finishing second in the Greatwood.

Stable star for Neil King, Lookaway is deemed Britain's best chance of an Arkle winner after Sir Gino with Unibet at odds of 20-1.

King said: "He's got the stamp of a chaser so we're hoping he'll improve this season. We're looking forward to the race. He won well on his chase debut at Uttoxeter and did more right than wrong that day. I'd say it was a good run as the second seems to be a reasonable animal.

"The ground should suit and he seems to be in good form so hopefully he can run a nice race."

What they say

Paul Robson, trainer of Breizh River
It’s his first time stepping into a Graded race but his original target at Cheltenham on Sunday looked like being an even hotter race, so we’re coming here instead. He was good in winning the Simply Ned Chase at Kelso last month and he feels like he’s improved again since then, or at least he does to me. Ryan Mania came in to school him on Thursday and fell in love with him too.

Charlie Longsdon, trainer of Western Zephyr
When he's good, he's very good, and that was the case at Carlisle. This is a stronger race although he doesn't need to lead. He's fine on the ground but the only question mark is going left-handed as all his best form up until now is the other way round. If he gets into a nice rhythm I can see him outrunning his odds.
Reporting by James Stevens

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