For Harry Skelton, it’s all about keeping it in the family. For a long time now, the jockey has chosen to keep his friends close, and family even closer. Dan, his brother, has been around for so long that he is now just a part of the landscape. However, it has not all been fun and games for this pro, son of internationally acclaimed showjumper, Nick Skelton. After blowing away expectations with 31 winners in 2009/2010, he had to contend with a dip in form that left a dry taste in the mouth (and stables full of potential winners). Harry found his dominance under threat but has rallied back well, clawing his way back to the top like only a Skelton could.
A lot of Skelton’s progress can be attributed to the unwavering faith his brother Dan put in him. Skelton himself admits that had the brother not come along to save the day, things would have gone belly up. Dan is no light weight either. At one point, he was assistant to the one and only Paul Nicholls, and that’s quite a bit of a story to have on your portfolio. There aren’t that many family teams in this game, but the ones that do exist always have a story to tell.
Victories
A quick look at the stats tells you that Skelton hasn’t been sitting on his haunches for the last few years. He started in 2015 with the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle astride Three Musketeers. After a bunch of wins, he capped off the year with Betfred the Peterborough Chase , leading his mount Al Ferof to victory. 2016 started with Sky Bet Supreme Trial Novices’ Hurdle and ended with Stanjames.com Greatwood Handicap Hurdle.
