It is never easy to judge the merit of a big-race win when an odds-on favourite flops, but that was the last thing on Dan Skelton’s mind as he celebrated Protektorat’s 11-length success in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park with his brother, Harry, holding the reins.
“When I was [assistant] at Paul Nicholls, we tripped over trophies like this in the dark,” Skelton said, “but it’s a lot harder to win them and to do it with your brother on board is very special. This was the big, big plan.”
