Winning trainer, jockey and owners enjoy a fine day three of the Cheltenham Festival.
Just forty minutes after Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed a first Cheltenham Festival success with Monmiral in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle, the world-famous football manager and prominent racehorse owner enjoyed Grade 1 glory on the biggest stage courtesy of Protektorat's powerful performance in the Ryanair Chase.
The nine-year-old is no stranger to Prestbury Park having finished third in the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup before a fair effort in the same blue riband event last season. A bitterly disappointing seasonal reappearance effort when attempting to defend his Betfair Chase crown left little to be desired, but Skelton showcased his training talents and gradually nursed the former Grade 1 hero back to form.
Stage Star ensured there was no hiding place throughout the two-and-a-half-mile Grade 1 prize, setting decent fractions on the front end under Harry Cobden.
Last year's Turners Novices' Chase winner Stage Star still held onto a slender advantage jumping the second-last, but the challengers were snapping at his heels, with the well-backed 9/4 market leader Envoi Allen seemingly going best of all under a confident Rachael Blackmore.
Envoi Allen and Protektorat moved past the long-time leader approaching the final flight and it would be here where the latter's proven stamina would come to the fore. Harry Skelton chucked the proverbial kitchen sink at his mount up the Cheltenham hill and the 15/2 chance duly found all the answers, drawing on to score by a commanding four lengths.
Conflated ran on to finish a further two- and three-quarter lengths back in third.
"Two in 40 minutes! It's unbelievable, isn't it? It's a special place!" said Sir Alex Ferguson.
A jubilant Dan Skelton, who was completing a day three Grade 1 double following Grey Dawning's Turners success, added: "He [Protektorat] was great - absolutely fantastic. When you see Envoi Allen loom up like that with all that experience around here, you just think, 'Oh no', but what a gritty, unbelievable horse. Some horses just love to run, and he's like Forrest Gump. He just runs."
Brother Harry, who steered both horses to victory in Grade 1 company, added: "This horse deserves a day like this. He's knocked at the door, and he's won them in the past, but that's a real big one for his CV.
"I felt Rachael [Blackmore, on Envoi Allen, runners-up] come to my girths once we straightened up, but I wasn't too worried as I knew he'd keep going real well. He's a brave horse, and he was really good at the last.
"It's a joy, isn't it? It's what you need."
