‘Second is not allowed in our family'

Jump jockey Harry Skelton talks to Jennifer Donald about family values, gaining the winning edge and finding the Big Star of the racing world

- Harry Skelton

AS Harry Skelton says, 2019 “is a year I won’t forget”. He married fellow jockey Bridget Andrews, moved in to a house they built from scratch, he turned 30, landed his first Grade One at the Cheltenham Festival and rode a career-best 178 to his trainer brother Dan’s historic 205 winners.

#TeamSkelton has become National Hunt racing’s buzzword as the brothers have fired out winners, smashing their way into the big league since embarking on their joint venture in Warwickshire six years ago. But the yard is shifting its momentum this season.

“Numerically, last year was unbelievable — Dan set out to become the second-ever trainer [after Martin Pipe] to train 200 winners in a season and he did, and tried to give me a good push in the jockeys’ championship and I came second. But it’s not sustainable to keep turning over that number of horses,” he says. “We haven’t had so many horses in over the summer so we aren’t as high up the table as this time last year. But the quality is stronger. To win bigger races is what it’s about now.”

To be crowned champion jockey remains a burning ambition, fuelled in Harry since he tacked up the family’s legendary pony Oxo — also the first ride of showjumper father Nick — in a racing saddle.