Well done Protektorat - to h*ell with the Skeltons.

Fergies CARROTS

The horse deserves this prize, so game and never stops trying.
Not so the trainer who has defrauded the public this week in my view.

Idiot

Langer Dan, Unexpected Party.  Not run in appropriate races in their run ups and thus not run to their merits - defrauding the racing public.
He's a scumbag.

LH is biggest clown on the forum.

terrific - downside Sir alex

LH. Stupid comment

And I suppose the Irish ones all ran on their merits all season? Monmiral was the job horse of the meeting so far although I couldn't see it.

anyone who expects handicappers to run on there merits every race is either stupid or naive...

Give me the days of Elsworth Nicholson Pipe and Dickinson over this set of schemers.

Bizarre

Langer Dan was 2nd in the Pipe in '21 and won the same Coral last year.
Was obviously being aimed at a repeat.

Unexpected Party has finished 18 times in his career and been in the first 5 for 17 of those runs.
Hardly a non-trier

Was Willie Mullins defrauding the betting public when all his were getting beat by Elliott's in the autumn ??

Correct GI. How many times has Tony Martin won with a job horse? Why is it different from what Prescott does on the flat? Running in the wrong race or wrong distance is not against the rules. The really clever ones never tell enough people to affect the price. Harry Skelton has come a long way since he won a conditional handicap hurdle at Newbury on So Now. His first win for Nicholls with a 7lb claim and, although he was 10/1, those of us lucky enough to own a 1/12 share were told it was a certainty. Apart from Harry nearly falling off at the last, we never had a moments doubt. So Now was useless on heavy ground so that is what he ran on in his prep race.

Trained them with Cheltenham as the main aim this season. I'd expect him to do the same for every season from now on.

a lot of skelton horses had obvious float ups earlier in the ssn

that's right WP

milos later that's another 1

It's not so much Skelton that is solely to blame, as we all know, he's not alone, loads do it but it only works if the handicapper plays ball and he is not consistent across the board with all trainers and I think we can all agree that Skelton has been a beneficiary of favourable treatment, whereas as an example look at what Martin got with Good Time Johnny, Skelton will find it hard going forward as the pressure will be on for the handicapper to tighten things up with him.

The horse deserves to win. He gave lumps of weight and placed after a "nursing" ride in a handicap. Then chinned by L'Homme Presse giving 3lbs. Today was 3rd-time lucky. Well deserves.

I agree.  The hose deserved to win.  Nothing at all stupid about the rest of my comment.
The difference between Mullins and Skelton is like night and day/sun and shade.

Indeed. Chalk and cheese between the two; a pretendente acts like a big shot and "cons" a patron. I hope he learns from it and extremely lucky without receiving a training censure from the BHA.

And how about Gavin Cromwell! Hid about 30lb from the handicapper. JP might send him a couple more. The horse gave some of them 30 lengths start and won by 20 on the bridle. Funny that none of the ratings put him in the top 10 except the betting market. 19th on RPR and 11th on topspeed. Never won a chase before in its life. But that is how you win handicaps.

Dunno if that is fair in this instance Sage.

He ran him in a G1 and finished 7l behind the Arkle winner two starts back and then got hampered last time.


I suspect they just knew that the distance would see him in a very good light and the fact that 157 rated Gaelic Warrior bolted up on Tuesday meant that the mark was very lenient.

Not like he was hacking round at the back in 2m handicap hurdles all winter.

Protektorat has been running in grade 1 races, wins a Grade 1 today. Never been hidden but Skelton gets a lot of stick. Why?

Thank you for pointing it out.  Deplorable cheating or horse just come good?.

Protektorat has been running in grade 1 races, wins a Grade 1 today. Never been hidden but Skelton gets a lot of stick. Why?

I think the stick was because of the handicap wins reading the gist of this thread?

No stick from me though anyway.

We won't mention to sage that the horse has been mixing it with Grade 1 quality, is lightly raced and entitled to improve.  I feel sure he will have checked.

Protektorat and Monmiral are two horses I'll not back ever again. Every time I did they bombed.

allegedly he advised a group of owners to buy a horse for a considerable amount of money and then pocketed 40k without telling them he was on the commission and then turned out the horse had had a leg problem...mmmm sounds a great bloke

Mar 14, 2024 -- 4:11PM, GI MAC wrote:

anyone who expects handicappers to run on there merits every race is either stupid or naive...

And my friends, there lies the very Kernel of the ingrained problem with British racing.

Racing has been mismanaged for over 40 years and the Bookmakers have been allowed to call the tune

Check an average Handicap during the week and go look at the result from 20 years back - the prize money has barely risen. I did, and I was shocked.

Too many poor horses chasing too little prize money, but the Bookies are happy cos its'competitive racing' (ie, low grade handicaps)

And its only going one way, more of the same drivel

The powers that be that have run British Racing for the past half century have blood on their hands - the murder of British Horseracing

Simple solution then is to cull all the lower grade horses either at birth or any failing to reach a mark of say 50? Big market for horsemeat and more expensive than beef so a ready market, sounds like Hitler would have a lot of fans on here for nothing but the best will do!!!!?

BTW deliberately provocative because this thread is like every other negative one from disgruntled punters who always seem to know better than anyone in the industry and yet are on here 24/7 and obviously unemployed?

Why?

not unemployed just retired !!!

Wasn.t including you isleham but even retired should have better things to do than spending a life, whats left on here? BTW I had my go about Skelton and the dodgy transaction a long time ago and this thread has little to do with that, just bitter losers moaning imvho?

The reason Skelton is getting stick is that Langer Dan has been beaten out of sight all season, running at least 30lbs below its mark at huge odds, goes down in the weights.

Come Chelt it is smashed off the boards and hacks up.

That isn't readying one for Cheltenham, it is bordering on Animal cruelty sending out a horse totally unfit or with issues.

Nothing worse than seeing a horse with loads of duck eggs getting beat by a country mile then smashed off the boards and hosing up, aka Top Cees and now Langer Dan.

You may say back them when they do, but it could be a false gamble or cleverly back it small at various locations at huge odds. Only Skelton and his cronies truly know when to back and when not to, The prob mopped up plenty at double digits before avg Joe then thinks the price has gone.

Skelton has gone right down in my estimation.

Some one mentioned the horse in the last, well it was top weight for starters and you could see what it was capable of with the run in the Grade 1, so hardly hiding it under a bushel.

I know what your saying maleuk, but if you have a horse that is a handicapper and never going to make the leep into graded races what you gonna do.

Personally I reckon the horse enjoyed not being trained to hilt and getting its mark down, i knew at the start of the season that the skeltons wanted at least the winning mark up off, sadly the stupid handicapper fell for it. I didnt back LD but he was the first placepot pick.

I once noticed this when a horse owned by the rich and trained by sir N managed to get into a race off 140, i was shocked when it won i can tell you. Rajdhani Express was the horse.

Issue then is you could end up with no horses in the 130-150 bracket running in any handicap all year to its merits. All turn up fully fit for Chelt.

How can that be right? You would never have a clue and any form is out the window. It would kill racing.

It is crooked what he done, and seems like a very ungenuine person with regards the selling of that horse he got fined for as well.

Got shouted down by Big Mac on 5 live during the Top Cees debate when I suggested handicappers don't always run on their merits !

It is not right but you would only get the 160 horses running off 150 and wouldnt add to the inrigue of who has fiddled the most.

Skelton has done people out of money regarding LD prior to cheltenham. Sadly that is what happens every day.

ps i do not like Skelton as i think he would sell his sister to make money but he isnt any different to the rest.

Langer Dan should had got booed on the course for me.

So EXACTLY how much did he get Langers mark reduced by cheating?

to the same winning mark of this race last cheltenham.

Looked like the horse has improved too.

I backed the 2nd bigtime so i should be bitter.

So you ignored that fact when having your punt? Most observers would have expected a much reduced mark so fail to see where the cheating element for a plot is?

Everyone is focusing all their ire onto Skelton, it should be focussed just as much onto the HANDICAPPER, without his assistance the trainer couldn't do it.

what is the difference between that and Jonjos who had 2 stone in hand earlier ? that looked far worse

CagliariG Joined: 16 Jul 22
Replies: 815314 Mar 24 22:23 
So you ignored that fact when having your punt? Most observers would have expected a much reduced mark so fail to see where the cheating element for a plot is?

I cannot believe what you just posted, you drunk ?

You seem to mention plots and a fact, your sir are an idiot like mr hunt. Who ruins this forum followed by you.

dan skelton is offering a  golden opportunity for you to  help yourselves ....... theres a pattern emerging here and many cant see the wood for the trees, gift horse and all that ,its there for all to see open your eyes !

Honcho stick to bullying bryony.its what you know best. Your comment about skeletons could apply to every handicap winner.

the winner nin the last although he,d still have one was in the process of been given a race by a horse nearly a stone up in weights from when it one same race last y.and as luke harvey said they wont admit it but chelt fences are far softer easier to jump than fences in ire,so the novices almost certain to jump better here than at home so like the last winner and nh chase winner you can afford to sit out back,jump nicely ride a race etc

Was listenened to talksport last nite with cundy/ohara
Villa supporter came on
she was John Hales daughter
spent the day at chelters and then villa match
These footballers didnt quite catch on
But they do fancy their county hurdle-
Not so much the other one running today

"Honcho stick to bullying bryony.its what you know best".



You have to laugh.

Fair play to Skelton he was telling anybody that would listen that langer Dan was ready to run for his life...Hardly keeping it close to his chest.

Hes on
FIRE

Improved this horse after the switch from Jonjo....his one runs like a drain as per usual!

I worry about Jon jo wtf is he doing at Jackdaws or wherever the fack it is.

^^
Courtesy of JP otherwise probably long gone. JP's been very loyal to his former jockey.

I mean you have to like the guy but as for backing his horses?...Quickest way tay the poor hoose ffs.