DAN SKELTON has confirmed his ‘sights are firmly set’ on Grand National victory with his ‘brilliant’ 33-1 outsider.
Top owner Bryan Drew’s superstar mare Panic Attack has been one of the revelations of the season.
She was a convincing four-length winner of the £91,000 Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on November 15.
And she backed it up with a dominant success in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury two weeks later, landing a £142,000 cheque for her owner.
The nine-year-old – who is 33s with most firms for the £500,000 first-place prize – has gone up 12lbs for her two wins and looks a chaser with no limit.
Skelton is already in an almighty title fight with Irish genius Willie Mullins.
And it took a Herculean effort from the Closutton boss at the end of last season – which included the 1-2-3 in the world’s most famous race – to beat Skelton to the title.
But Panic Attack has helped give Skelton a big lead in the early stages of the championship.
And he is banking on the wondermare being his joker in the pack at Aintree on April 11 next year.
Outlining plans for Panic Attack, Skelton said: “She’s going to go to Newbury in January, there’s a mares’ race for her there.
Most read in Horse Racing
“Then she will possibly go to Kelso en route to the Grand National, that’s our aim.
“If we fancy having a go at the mares’ chase at the Cheltenham Festival then we might, but our sights are firmly set on the Grand National.”
Midlands-based Drew looks set for an incredible climax to the jumps season.
He co-owns the hugely exciting 5-4 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase favourite Final Demand.
The six-year-old Mullins-trained sensation was foot-perfect on his debut over fences at Navan last month and is beginning to look like one of the bankers of the Festival.
But Panic Attack’s astonishing rise up the ranks is, at the moment, the bigger story.
She became the first horse in 21 years to do the Paddy Power Gold Cup/Coral Gold Cup double.
And after success at the latter, Skelton said: “Panic Attack is brilliant.
“She’s a credit to herself to do that 14 days after her Paddy Power win.
“When they’re getting on you have to race them when they’re in form and she’s clearly in the form of her life.”
FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.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.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.