Skelton forced to rule Shan Blue out for the season

‘He has just never had any luck since that day at Wetherby when he fell’.

Dan Skelton’s Shan Blue has met with a setback which will rule him out for the remainder of this season.

A highly-talented Grade One-winning novice chaser, he had the 2021 Charlie Hall Chase at his mercy only to suffer a heavy fall three fences from home.

He was being aimed at this season’s Charlie Hall, but a minor problem prevented him from going there. He did make it back to Wetherby for the Rowland Meyrick on Boxing Day when unfortunately he was pulled up at halfway.

“Shan Blue has a complication in his pelvis. It is not a true fracture, or anything like that. It is just a weird situation, but it is basically going to rule him out for the season. It is very frustrating,” said Skelton.

“He has just never had any luck since that day at Wetherby when he fell. That is horses for you. You just have to enjoy them when they win.

“Those big horses, they are hard to come by, for the owners, for the yard. You put so much emotional investment into it. It is hard to detach from it and it guts you when it goes like that.”

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