Ballygrifincottage handed Lingfield mission by Skelton

Novice chaser heading for Winter Millions meeting in preference to Warwick.

Dan Skelton will send exciting novice chaser Ballygrifincottage to Lingfield next weekend after deciding to bypass the Grade Two eventmasters.co.uk Hampton Novices’ Chase at Warwick on Saturday.

Fourth in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival in March, he opened his account at the first time of asking over fences when beating odds-on Beauport by 11 lengths in a three-runner affair over an extended two miles and five furlongs at Haydock in November.

Owned by Friends From Insurance, the lightly-raced eight-year-old is as short as 11-1 with Sky Bet for the extended three-mile Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase on March 15 and is 8-1 with William Hill for the three-and-three-quarter-mile National Hunt Chase on March 14.

A son of Stowaway, he is being primed for the extended two miles and seven furlongs of the Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Novices’ Chase, which is worth GBP 50,000.

Skelton said: “He definitely goes to Lingfield next week for the Winter Millions meeting.

“I just wanted an extra week and I can split them all up as well then. He jumps well and loves slow ground.”

Skelton will instead rely upon the mare Gaila Des Liteaux in the three-mile event at Warwick.

She impressed on her chasing bow at Bangor, before being pulled up behind Thyme Hill when well supported for the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

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