DAN SKELTON has been making all the right noises ahead of Shan Blue's comeback in the Ryanair Chase.

The top trainer reckons the high-class eight-year-old is a "proper Grade 1 horse" who is likely "a stone better" than his current mark of 148.

The exciting chaser has been off the track since taking a heavy tumble at the third last with the Charlie Hall Chase at his mercy back in October.

He had been electric in the race up until that point and was around 20 lengths clear before he crashed out under Harry Skelton.

It was by no means a flash in the pan, as he showed when a dominant winner of the Grade 1 Kauto Star at Kempton in 2020.

He hurt his neck in the Wetherby fall, and Skelton decided shortly afterwards that he wouldn't run the horse again before Cheltenham.

OFFERS OF THE DAY

William Hill: Bet £10 get £30 in free sports bets – CLAIM HERE

Betfair – Get A £20 Free Bet when you place £50 worth of bets. Repeat up to 5 times for £100 Free Bets – CLAIM HERE

Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE

Sky Bet – Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets –CLAIM HERE

William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. New customers using Promo code H30 only, Min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Begambleaware.org

Betfair – New customers place £50 worth of bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100. Min odds 1.2 (1/5). Multiple bets included. Exchange bets excluded. Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply. 18+ BeGambleAware.Org

Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £/€20. Only deposits made using Cards or Apple Pay will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy's Rewards Club: Get a £/€10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £/€10+. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org

Sky Bet: NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY. ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 2 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS EXCLUDE VIRTUALS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS. FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+. BEGAMBLEAWARE.ORG

And he is in an increasingly bullish mood as the Festival approached, with Shan Blue a general 8-1 shot for the Ryanair on March 17.

Skelton said: "He would have won the Charlie Hall with a clear round. ‘But’ is a massive word in sport and he didn’t.

"He hurt his neck in that fall as you would have expected as it was a pretty horrendous fall. We gave him plenty of time.

"I spoke to his owner Colm Donlon in great depth and detail about all the options available to us in the immediate aftermath after falling and what our future targets could, should or would be.

"We decided then and there we would give him the time until the spring and let him get as well as he could.

"The only race that was in the back of our mind was the King George but we thought maybe we will get another go at that another year so we didn’t force him after Wetherby.

Most read in Horse Racing

"We decided when he got into the spring if he was happy and healthy we would go down the Grade 1 route. I know his mark of 148 looks pretty salivating to be honest with you but he is a proper Grade 1 horse."

Given his handicap mark of 148, Shan Blue could have run in one of the valuable Festival handicaps off a decent mark.

But Skelton brushed off the suggestion the horse should drop down in class.

He continued: "For as many people that are saying, ‘why aren’t you taking advantage of his mark in a handicap?’ the same amount of people would say that is a pretty chicken route to take with a horse that was going to win by a long distance in a good graded race where the form has worked out.

"He looks incredible. I’ve been particularly happy with this horse. It just shows you if you take your time and plan them out and plot them out you can get them looking like this.

"This horse will have no excuses on the day. He went to Warwick (racecourse gallop) the other day and went very nicely.

"We’ve done loads of jumping with him since. I’m happy with what I’ve seen and Harry (Skelton) is as well.

"The horse can’t be better. The race at Wetherby told you he could be at least a stone better than his mark. But the racecourse does the talking."

FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chases their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org

Source: Read Full Article