L’Eau Du Sud’s return to Cheltenham came with a moment few on course will forget. As he crossed the line a long way clear, trainer Dan Skelton allowed himself a rare smile before embracing his brother Harry, who had barely pulled up before receiving a congratulatory kiss on the cheek from a jubilant stable team. It was the kind of emotional release only racing can produce — and it set the tone for a memorable afternoon of Cheltenham raceday news.
The seven-year-old, running fresh and running fierce, powered home by an emphatic 15 lengths in the Grade Two Shloer Chase, turning a much-anticipated showdown into a statement performance. With Jonbon searching for a historic third consecutive win in the race, most expected the favourite to control proceedings. Instead, he could never travel with his usual fluency, and after Matata’s late error, he inherited second behind a rival who surged into the conversation for major spring honours.
L’Eau Du Sud had shown Grade One ability last season but left the spring festivals behind him with disappointment. This time, there was nothing left untapped. Dan Skelton stood proud — and perhaps a touch relieved.
“We had him ready because we needed to know exactly where we stand,” he said. “I wasn’t proud of myself last year for running him at Warwick before the Arkle. It took too much out of him and I didn’t want to say that then. But that’s the past — today shows what he really is.”
The trainer added that the gelding might now head to the Tingle Creek before a direct path to the Champion Chase, with Ascot “not completely off the table.”
Harry Skelton, who looked quietly moved as he returned to the winner’s enclosure, praised the horse’s natural freshness. “He travelled like a dream. We always knew he had this in him. From the day he worked with Protektorat at Chepstow, we felt something special. Today he proved it.”
Jonbon lost nothing in defeat, though he faced a tough time on tiring ground. His trainer Nicky Henderson was philosophical. “It was hard work out there. His jumping wasn’t as sharp as it can be. But he needed the run — absolutely needed it — if we’re to get to the Tingle Creek. That’s the important thing.”
In another standout moment of the day, No Drama This End produced a polished first performance over hurdles in the Grade Two Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. Sent out by Paul Nicholls and guided with composure by Harry Cobden, he reeled in Heads Up after the last and went away strongly to win by three lengths.
Nicholls did not hide his admiration. “We’ve waited a long time for another one with real class — since the days of horses like Denman,” he said. “He could be one of those. First day over hurdles, on ground I wasn’t sure he’d love, and he did that.”
The Challow Hurdle now appears to be his next assignment, with his trainer determined to mind him carefully.
The curtain fell on the card with French Emperor giving Nicky Martin and James Bowen a well-earned success in the Valda Energy Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
With a precautionary inspection scheduled for 7.30am tomorrow ahead of the second day of The November Meeting, all eyes now turn to whether conditions allow the next chapter to unfold as planned.
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