Trainer Dan Skelton believes Shan Blue can lower Allaho’s colours in Ryanair Chase renewal at Cheltenham

DAN Skelton’s frustration when Shan Blue fell heavily with Wetherby’s Charlie Hall Chase at his mercy was soon tempered by his relief that both the horse – and his brother Harry – got to their feet.

It could have been a lot worse in a dramatic race at the end of last October that saw the Colm Donlon-owned chaser dramatically surge clear of his faltering rivals before coming to grief.

Yet, remarkably, Shan Blue is on course for this month’s Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival after appearing to make a miraculous recovery from a neck injury sustained at Wetherby.

And while last year’s runaway Ryanair winner Allaho will, again, lead a formidably strong Irish challenge, Skelton – son of Olympic showjumping legend Nick – has never been afraid of taking on the best and letting “the racecourse do the talking”.

It’s a mindset that he developed under the tutelage of Paul Nicholls, the multiple champion trainer, before taking out his own licence.

Now, having helped his aforementioned younger brother become champion jockey last year, Skelton’s ultimate objective is to become champion trainer.

A Ryanair Chase will help move him ever closer realising towards that ambition, even more so if Protektorat, co-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, runs with distinction in the Boodles Gold Cup.

As for Shan Blue, Skelton offered this update yesterday. “He would have won the Charlie Hall with a clear round. ‘But’ is a massive word in sport and he didn’t,” said the trainer.

“He hurt his neck in that fall as you would have expected as it was a pretty horrendous fall. We gave him plenty of time. I spoke to Colm (Donlon) in great depth and detail about all the options available to us.

“We decided then and there we would give him the time until the spring and let him get as well as he could. The only race that was in the back of our mind was the King George, but we thought maybe we will get another go at that another year so we didn’t force him after Wetherby.”

Skelton believes connections are right to resist running Shan Blue in a handicap at Cheltenham against lesser opposition. “We decided when he got into the spring if he was happy and healthy we would go down the Grade One route,” he continued with characteristic candour. “I know his mark of 148 looks pretty salivating to be honest with you but he is a Grade One horse.

“For as many people that are saying, ‘why aren’t you taking advantage of his mark in a handicap?’ the same amount of people would say that is a pretty chicken route to take with a horse that was going to win by a long distance in a good graded race where the form has worked out.”

And Skelton is confident that Shan Blue has overcome any physical or mental scars to do himself – and the stable – justice against Allaho who was one of six winners for the all-conquering Rachael Blackmore at Cheltenham last year.

“He looks incredible. It just shows you if you take your time and plan them out and plot them out you can get them looking like this,” said the trainer.

“This horse will have no excuses on the day. He went to Warwick (racecourse gallop) the other day and went very nicely. We’ve done loads of jumping with him since. I’m happy with what I’ve seen and Harry (Skelton) is as well.

“He is taking on people’s idea of a banker in Allaho but if you look beyond that I think the race will cut up quite significantly. I really like this horse and I think there is a lot of unfinished business

“I think everyone was blown away by that performance of Allaho.

“What makes me think we could beat Allaho is that we have a horse that was putting up the best performance of his life before he fell.

“I think he is only getting better and is at an age that is allowing him to get better. The thing is Allaho put up such a good performance, was that the peak of his life? He might underperform by five pounds from that day and still be good enough.

“That horse (Allaho) can’t be better.

“The race at Wetherby told you he (Shan Blue) could be at least a stone better than that (148). The racecourse does the talking.”

Meanwhile Malton trainer Brian Ellison has entered his Randox Grand National hope Windsor Avenue in both Doncaster’s Grimthorpe Chase and Kelso’s Premier Chase this weekend.

The horse was an eyecatching winner of Doncaster’s Sky Bet Chase under jockey Sean Quinlan whose never-say-die ride on For Jim at Hexham last October saw him win a Lester for ‘ride of the year’.

The same awards saw veteran Middleham jockey Joe Fanning, an integral member of Johnston Racing, receive a special recognition award after landing the Ascot Gold Cup aboard Subjectivist to record the biggest win of his long career.