The New Lion lived up to the hype with a battling victory in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
The six-year-old is trained by Dan Skelton and was ridden by his brother Harry, who was sporting a black eye as well as the silks of his new owner JP McManus after the Kayf Tara gelding was purchased for a significant sum of money from Darren Yates.
He was a 3-1 chance and was ridden at the rear of the pack, stalking the Willie Mullins-trained 6-4 favourite Final Demand before breaking through the field to cross the line three-quarters of a length ahead of Gordon Elliott’s The Yellow Clay.
Skelton said: “Our mouths probably ran away with us earlier this season, but he just looked so good.
“Harry gave him an outstanding ride there, so patient. It’s not a coming-of-age ride because he’s been doing it for so long, but what a great ride.
Harry Skelton celebrates aboard The New Lion
“And the horse was just phenomenal. I trusted him and going to the last, with the three of them there, I believed he’d win. I always believed he’d win.
“In my heart, it just feels like it would take a very good one to get past this horse.
“I think he could be the best we’ve had, but this is uncharted territory for me as a trainer in my own right. When I worked for Paul (Nicholls) we had all those superstars, but I haven’t had a horse who can do things like this one.
“His simplicity is his greatest asset and he’s so easy.”
