Dan Skelton has launched his most convincing British jump racing Champion Trainer bid to date so far this campaign and heads to Gloucestershire with a few live chances
Dan Skelton has rocketed through the ranks since establishing his yard in 2013 and now saunters into the Cheltenham Festival as the leading British trainer.
The 35-year-old was long the right-hand-man to legendary handler Paul Nicholls but left 12 years ago to tread his own path – and it hasn’t taken long for the apprentice to rival the master. Last term, Skelton was only just pipped to the British Champion Trainer title by inspired Irish raider Willie Mullins, but he’s jumped back on the wagon and leads all adversaries so far in 2025.
Skelton’s Festival squad is by no means the strongest, but six-year-old novice hurdler The New Lion poses a credible chance of scoring, as does unbeaten chaser L’Eau Du Sud.
We take a look behind the scenes at Team Skelton, including his decision to split from mentor Nicholls, his success-ridden family, and his total career winnings from March’s big meeting and beyond.
When did Dan Skelton leave Paul Nicholls?
Having based himself in Somerset for nine years, Skelton, buoyed by aiding his boss Nicholls to a slurry of Champion Trainer titles, chose in 2013 to go his own way.
At just 27, Skelton jumped ship for his father’s Warwickshire base, taking a brave gamble with Nicholls’ blessing. While gaining his trainer’s license was admittedly “not an easy decision to make”, it has paid dividends.
Three years after his exit, a first Cheltenham Festival victory was tasted when Superb Story was ridden to County Hurdle glory. Two more winners came in 2019, while 2024 marked Skelton’s best Festival return when he scored on four occasions.
For Ditcheat, while losing such a valuable assistant was a big blow, Nicholls still went on to win the next three Champion Trainer crowns, claiming four more of the title – which Skelton is favoured to lift this year – in the decade to follow. There remains mutual respect between the pair.
Who is Dan Skelton’s father?
While it must be said that Nicholls played a pivotal role in enabling Skelton to fly the nest and set up his yard, father Nick was also a major player.
The 67-year-old is a showjumping icon, having started riding at the age of 18. His most notable feat came in 2012 when he claimed gold for Team GB. Four years later, he retained gold in what was his seventh Olympic Games, becoming the oldest British medal-winner in 104 years.
It was on his father’s farm in Warwickshire that Skelton laid his training foundations, though other members of the clan also contributed invaluable help. His brother, Harry, had already established himself in Somerset as a capable jockey but took a substantial leap when following his brother in 2013.
Eight years after their Lodge Hill venture began, Harry was named British champion jump jockey for the first time and has landed multiple Grade 1s in his glittering career. Skelton’s beloved wife, Grace, is also part of the team and helps run the business side of the operation. Together they have a daughter named Florence.
How much has Dan Skelton earned in his career?
According to the Racing Post, through his various Grade 1 successes and years at the top of the National Hunt game, Skelton has accumulated a staggering £12million in prize money since 2020.
It is estimated that via such victories, Skelton has mustered up a net worth of roughly £1.2m, which slightly eclipses his total winnings at the Festival, standing at a respectable £791,000.
So far this season, the 35-year-old has taken home nearly £2.5m in prizes alone from his 151 registered winners, which puts him comfortably ahead of peer Nicholls on £1.77m and in the driving seat for the Trainers’ Championship title that went the way of the Irish in 2024.
