SKELTON SET FOR FRUITFUL JANUARY

Paul Ferguson is backing the brothers to clean up early in 2024

As we enter 2024, focus will soon start to turn towards the Cheltenham Festival and January is often a quieter time during the National Hunt season. One trainer who will be looking to kick off the New Year in style, however, is Dan Skelton, who could aim the progressive West Balboa at Ascot's Warfield Hurdle, a race which Skelton won in 2021 with Roksana and in 2022 with Molly Ollys Wishes.

The Grade 2 contest was lost in 2023, so Skelton will be bidding for a hattrick and if he resists the temptation of running his lightly-raced mare in the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle in the build-up to Christmas, this would appeal as the obvious target for her to dip her toe into Graded company. Winner of the Lanzarote Hurdle a year ago, she then impressed when landing the 3m handicap hurdle at Aintree on Grand National day and looked better than ever on reappearance, beating the admirable Brewin'upastorm by 12 lengths, in a conditions event over 2m4f at the same track.

In what looks a wide-open division certainly this side of the Irish Sea, with Dashel Drasher and Paisley Park fighting out the finish of the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury - it could be that she is allowed to take her chance in the Grade 1 on December 23, but if given a little longer, the Warfield would be an ideal option en route to a possible Stayers' Hurdle tilt.

That race takes place on January 20 on the same card as the Clarence House Chase whilst up at Haydock, the Grade 2 Rossington Main Novices' Hurdle could be a significant race in the calendar. With the loss of several novice hurdles and the switching of the Tolworth (now named the Formby Novices' Hurdle) from Sandown to Aintree, it means that the Haydock race would look to be the ideal Graded option for the promising Jeriko du Reponet, who won impressively on hurdling debut at Newbury in early-December.