‘You really connect with a horse like this’: galloping grey finds his groove to shine for Skeltons at Grand National Festival
Grey Dawning found his groove in the Melling Chase following a high-octane pas de deux with Solness on day two of the Randox Grand National Festival.
Solness led until the second last, when Grey Dawning kicked away from the field and loomed up his inside. The two titans rose together over the final two fences, locked in battle to the line. Grey Dawning held on, passing the winning post first by a neck in front of Aintree’s sell-out Ladies’ Day crowd.
The nine-year-old gelding ran gallantly to finish fourth in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, so the drop back in trip and first-time cheekpieces in the Grade One feature race was an intriguing move.
“We said we had him in the best shape we could for a Gold Cup and that’s the truth,” said winning trainer Dan Skelton. “We had him in Gold Cup form but unfortunately he’s not good enough to win a Gold Cup. You then have to start batting clever.”
And so they did.
“I was always going to come to this, do something slightly different. What we were doing, we were doing well at, but we weren’t quite winning, so you have to change things,” said Skelton.
“We put the cheekpieces on just to help him a little bit – we didn’t think he needed them for any sort of quirkiness reason, but when you’re dropping back in trip it’s better to have them and not need them than not have them and need them. But he was brave at the back of the last, brave when he perhaps hasn’t sometimes been in the past, I must say, but it can take time sometimes, and what a place for it to happen.”
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He added: “He’s been a great horse and he knows how to dance the big dances now. He’s not quite good enough to win a Gold Cup, but we can dance some other dances.”
Winning jockey Harry Skelton dedicated the win to owner Robert Kirkland’s late wife, Lesley, remembering her as a “tremendous lady” and nodding to the support the Kirklands have given him and his brother since they first started out.
“Solness is a tough horse to ride against because you don’t want to take him on too soon. He’s a little terrier, but full credit to our horse as he had the guts and put his head down where it mattered,” said the jockey.
“Solness keeps finding and you don’t want to put your cards on the table too soon, so I was just trying to hold on until we got down to the last. I got a good jump at the last thankfully and then my hands were open. He had to dig deep and he did.
“You really connect with a horse like this and I have a real love for him. Because he’s grey a lot of people have taken to him as well and he’s a multiple Grade One winner now.”
“The same bit of luck would be ideal”
Teenager Conor Stone-Walsh would dream he was sailing over the Grand National fences when he was riding his pony as a child.
The 19-year-old rising star lived that dream with a foot-perfect spin over the iconic fences to win the Randox Topham Chase aboard flashy chestnut Will The Wise for trainer Gavin Cromwell.
“I remember, when we were kids, making Grand National jumps for our ponies, and it’s massive to get a win over these fences,” said Conor, who also scored his first Cheltenham Festival winner this year.
“I grew up hunting with the Killinick Harriers, Pony Clubbing and point-to-pointing, and I’ve always wanted to ride at these big meetings. I ride Final Orders in the Grand National tomorrow – the same bit of luck would be ideal!”
“I rode on the Flat for Joseph O’Brien, but I only ever wanted to be a jump jockey and have worked for Gavin since I started over jumps. Gavin’s been very good to me, and his owners have been very good as well, so big thanks to them.”
Birthday gift keeps on giving
Wellington Arch showed how he has strengthened up over the past 12 months with a repeat of his 2025 success in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle.
The Blue Bresil seven-year-old, bought by Mary Gaskell for her husband Mike as a birthday gift, held on well to win by just over a length in the hands of Jonjo O’Neill Jr.
“His jumping was a little bit sketchy at one stage but ‘Jonje’ has done a great job getting him back into a rhythm to go and win again off a considerably higher mark than last year,” said AJ O’Neill, who trains the winner alongside his father Jonjo.
“It was a very brave performance and ‘Jonje’ gave him an awesome ride and had him in a great spot all the way. He went to Punchestown afterwards last year and we might consider it, but we’ll enjoy today first.”
Neil King celebrates storming first Grade One win
Storming George surged past his rivals in the closing stages of the Thatprizeguy Top Novices’ Hurdle to give trainer Neil King a first Grade One win.
“He’s a horse we made ourselves after buying him as a store (unbroken three-year-old) from Goffs. It’s been a fabulous journey with the most wonderful owner behind him in Mr [Peter] Beadles,” said King, also crediting jockey Jack Quinlan.
“I’ve always thought he’s a lovely horse and he’ll jump a fence as well. He’s always been a great jumper.”
He added: “How can I sum up 30 years of really hard work in one sentence? We do this day in and day out, all of us. We do it for the love of the horse and we love the sport. To get that kind of a result is just fantastic.”
Sad epitaph for Gold Dancer
In a sad note to the day, Gold Dancer was put down after winning the second race – the William Hill Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
The seven-year-old gelding momentarily lost his back end when jumping the final fence and continued to win. He was pulled up after the line and jockey Paul Townend quickly dismounted.
A spokesperson for Aintree Racecourse said that the horse “was immediately attended to by our expert veterinary team but sadly he could not be saved” and added that the racecourses’s “heartfelt condolences are with his connections”.
A British Horseracing Authority (BHA) stewards’ enquiry stated: “An enquiry was held into the riding of the winner […] from jumping the final fence up until rounding the bend towards the pull up area after which the gelding was immediately assessed by veterinary surgeons and subsequently euthanised on welfare grounds. Townend and the [BHA] director of equine regulation, safety, and welfare were both interviewed and shown recordings of the incident.
“Townend explained that Gold Dancer had made a bad mistake at the last fence after which it had taken a stride or two for the gelding to gather himself before, in his opinion, running on in a straight line to the winning line where Gold Dancer felt sound.
“Townend added that it was only until rounding the bend towards the pull up area that the gelding’s action changed when Gold Dancer went from a canter to a trot after which he immediately dismounted from the gelding.
“After reviewing the footage, the director of equine, safety, and welfare explained that Gold Dancer’s action was typical of a three-mile chaser in the final stages of a race and supported the evidence of Townend. After hearing all of their evidence, the stewards noted Townend’s explanation.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.