Cheltenham Festival - Ride of Harry Skelton’s life aboard Politologue

The youngest son of Olympic gold medal-winning showjumper Nick, he recalled childhood days out with veteran owners John and Pat Hales who were winning the celebrated two-mile race for a third time after the victories of One Man (1998) and Azertyuiop (2004).

And it was Hales, holding back the tears in the winner’s enclosure, who convinced trainer Paul Nicholls to turn to Skelton to ride Politologue after stable jockey Harry Cobden opted to ride the ultimate runner-up Dynamite Dollars.

With the Willie Mullins-trained Chacun Pour Soi joining dual winner Altior on the injury list, the Cheltenham Festival’s day-two highlight looked tailor-made for Defi Du Seuil.

But he was never jumping well and finished a remote and disappointing fourth as Skelton – now stable jockey to his older brother Dan – was celebrating his finest moment in racing.

“It’s my first ride in the Champion Chase. I owe so much to the Hales family. They have known me since I was a little kid,” said a viibly emotional Skelton.

“Pat used to take me around all the shows [they owned showjumpers with Skelton’s father, Nick] and they are very, very good supporters of the family.

“Me and Dan [Skelton’s trainer brother] grafted at Paul’s for a long time and we will be ever-grateful for what he has done for our careers.

“Paul told me at the start of the season to come back and ride out a little bit. It’s just magic. This is what he can do, he trains them to perfection. I am just so thankful to everyone for giving me the opportunity. I cannot believe it.

“As a kid you dream of winning these things. He was great all the way round; his ears were flickering back and forth the whole way and I thought, ‘there’s always a bit there when I need there to be’, and I thought if I could stretch them from the top of the hill...”

The jockey went on: “I didn’t want to go too hard and then completely warp myself, but from three out I landed running and set him alight, and he’s kept going hard all the way up the run-in.

“Paul said to John that he was going to wait and go here fresh; he’s a master. You know his horses from the back of three out they won’t stop. He’s trained them for the day.

“I spent a long nine years at Paul’s grafting away, and every single day, every minute, every hardship, it’s been worth it. What the Hales family have done for our family – you couldn’t script it. It’s my third ride for them, and the way down to the start I saw two magpies, and thought, perhaps this is it.”

Both Politologue and Dynamite Dollars were the first Cheltenham runners this week of the aforementioned Nicholls who is now bullish about the Gold Cup claims of Clan Des Obeaux.

“Politologue is best fresh and he is brilliant when he is fresh. He is not the easiest to train – he bled in the Tingle Creek and we had to change what we do with him, but he was very, very ready today,” explained Nicholls.

“I am pleased because it shows we were right about coming here fresh. I just can’t wait for Clan Des Obeaux on Friday now. It shows that, when they are very fit and very fresh, they are brilliant.”

There was another surprise whem Easysland denied dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll a fifth Cheltenham Festival success as he ran out an impressive winner of the Glenfarclas Chase over the cross-country course.

Tiger Roll was odds-on favourite to win the race for a third-successive season for Gordon Elliott and Keith Donoghue but, on this occasion, he found a rival four years his junior too sprightly.

Bought by JP McManus after winning over the course in December, Easysland had since won at home in France for trainer David Cottin.

Ridden by Jonathan Plouganou, he was never far from the pace – but did take the odd chance at a few fences, jumping low.

Tiger Roll was given every chance by Donoghue, but the 10-year-old could never quite reel in the long-time leader and once the result looked inevitable, he was allowed to coast home in his own time, with the front two well clear.

Elliott said: “We are happy, but once he is OK in the morning that is the most important thing. Yes (all roads lead back to Aintree), if it is good ground. If it is soft or heavy he won’t be running and if it is good ground he will run.”

However Elliott gained some solace from Envoi Allen who lived up to the hype with a supreme display in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.

Later Barry Geraghty – fresh from his Champion Hurdle win on Tuesday – produced one of the special Cheltenham Festival rides as the Nicky Henderson-trained Champ came from the clouds to deny Minella Indo and Allaho in the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase.

Almost 10 lengths down at the last, the horse – named by the aforementioned McManus after record-breaking rider Sir AP McCoy – began to eat up the ground and powered clear. Next year’s Gold Cup is the dream.

Geraghty, McManus and Henderson then took the Coral Cup with Dame De Compagnie but this will be remembered for the ride and win of Harry Skelton’s life.