Skelton Sets Out National Ambition For Anxiety Attack

Plans are afoot for the Skelton steady success to extend into spring as both Anxiety attack and Grey Dawning have heading aspirations, at Aintree and Cheltenham respectively.


Anxiety attack rewarded the bold marketing of Dan Skelton and owner Bryan Drew when taking both the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Coral Gold Cup within 2 weeks, the latter of which showed her stamina over a prolonged three-mile-two-furlong trip for the very first time.


The Randox Grand National has therefore entered into focus for the mare, with preparations most likely to include a journey to Newbury and possibly Kelso as she is prepared for the world's greatest in April.


Panic Attack winning the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury (Steven Paston/PA)


"She's going to go to Newbury in January, there's a mares' race for her there," said Skelton.


"Then she will potentially go to Kelso en route to the Grand National, that's our objective.


"If we expensive having a go at the mares' chase at the Cheltenham Festival then we might, however our sights are strongly set on the Grand National."


Another success story for the Skelton team this term up until now was Grey Dawning's Betfair Chase victory, in which he reversed the form with Royale Pagaille having actually completed the runner-up behind him 12 months prior.


Grey Dawning at Aintree last season (Mike Egerton/PA)


The Cheltenham Gold Cup now awaits the eight-year-old, who will prepare for the peak of the National Hunt season with a run in the Cotswold Chase at the same track in January rather of a previously mooted journey to Ireland for the Savills Chase.


"I had the entry for him in Ireland and I was truly tempted by it, but on balance we believed it was more sensible to keep him this side of the Irish Sea before his Gold Cup quote," stated Skelton.


"He's a horse who has stepped up to the mark, it was a great run at Haydock and we'll be intending to replicate among those a couple of more times."