'The dream's on for next year' - Protektorat camp take heart from Gold Cup third

The suggestion horses beaten in the Cheltenham Gold Cup cannot come back to win it was smashed to bits by the awesome A Plus Tard on Friday and connections of Protektorat – who fared best of the British in third – are taking heart from that.

Part-owned by legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was accompanied by former club favourite Bryan Robson at Cheltenham, Protektorat went off at 10-1 and did little wrong, but was no match for the impressive winner, finishing 17 and a half lengths adrift of him but not far off Minella Indo, who was second.

The seven-year-old was ridden by Harry Skelton and trained by his brother Dan.

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"I'm massively proud and he shouldn't have been third with the mistake he made at the last," said Dan Skelton. "He's shown incredible tenacity to hold on to third and it proves he stays.

"For a minute, turning in I thought we could win, but A Plus Tard has come up alongside us. There were no excuses with the run round we got and he jumped beautifully bar the last, but we couldn't win at that point anyway.

"We'll come back next year – he's only seven. There used to be a rule that if you got beat in the Gold Cup you couldn't win it, but Native River did it on his second go and A Plus Tard was beaten last year.

"I hope there's a pound or two improvement in us, and in the Gold Cup little things matter. Wednesday's rain turning up today would have been a big help to him but that's how sports goes. If we'd got that rain later it might have turned it into more of a slog, which might have suited, but nothing went wrong.

"I've got no grumbles – he's run an outstanding race. He belongs in this grade and if the horse says we can, we might go to Aintree as he won't go right-handed."

Protektorat ran in the yellow silks of John Hales, whose wait for Gold Cup glory continues.

"We'll be back next year when he'll be a year older," he said.

Protektorat's camp hope to be in the winner's enclosure next yearCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"We know he gets up the hill – he passed that test – and we're very proud of him. I gave him every chance today and he performed as well as we could have hoped. We're very pleased with him."

Ged Mason is also involved in the gelding and said: "I'm very proud. We got excited for a moment and thought we were in with a good chance, but he's only a seven-year-old. The dream is still on for next year. He's a horse who was a handful at first but he's settled and jumps beautifully. He clobbered the last, which would normally knock the stuffing out of you, but he showed how strong he was by finishing third."

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The betting had Chantry House as Britain's second-best hope, but he was pulled up after a tame display, as was King George VI Chase hero Tornado Flyer.

His trainer Willie Mullins, who saw his Al Boum Photo and Asterion Forlonge finish sixth and seventh, said: "Asterion Forlonge ran well for a long way but the trip was probably too far. The change of tactics was good but he can come back in trip and I'm not too worried about going right-handed or left-handed. He can go to Punchestown, while Al Boum Photo ran well but maybe age got to him a bit.

"Tornado Flyer never got into a rhythm, Danny [Mullins] said. We'll go home and prepare him for Punchestown too."

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