Skelton signals readiness for the big prizes

There's some pretty strong evidence to suggest the Skelton stable is winding up to full speed as this week brings rain and softer ground conditions to our racecourses.

Four winners from the last 8 runners have included a double at rain-swept Uttoxeter on Tuesday, headed up by a facile 12l victory by Irish Point-to-Point graduate Williethebuilder in the novice hurdle. The 4 year old wasn't troubled to land the odds, having moved to Alcester after a second in a bumper at the Punchestown Festival.

The Trainers' Championship will surely be a target for the ambitious Skelton, who has rapidly become one of the leading players in the past 5 years. This remains a formative month however; the season's big prizes only begin in earnest with Chepstow in mid October, when the current top 5 in the Championship may all be overtaken quite quickly. Among those top 5, only Fergal O'Brien and Donald McCain have the strength in numbers to maintain momentum at the same rate against the superior firepower of the bigger winter-oriented stables.