AFTER All-Weather Championships finals day at Lingfield yesterday, it’s Betway Challenger Series finals day at Haydock today. Six races, each with a £35,000 prize fund, and two of them could come down to a showdown between Dan Skelton and Nicky Henderson.

Skelton runs Ashtown Lad in the Betway Challenger Stayers’ Hurdle. The Flemensfirth gelding was pulled up in the Grade 2 River Don Hurdle at Doncaster in January the last time we saw him, after which it was reported that he had blood in his trachea, but he has had a nice break and a wind operation since then.

He was impressive in winning a qualifier for today’s race at Uttoxeter in November on his first attempt at three miles, and a repeat of that run would take him into it, even off a 12lb higher mark.

Attractive Dreams

But the Nicky Henderson-trained Colonial Dreams is a more attractive betting proposition, in receipt of 2lb from Dan Skelton’s horse. The Westerner gelding was a progressive handicap hurdler two seasons ago, he finished second to the 152-rated Ballymoy in the Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle over two and a half miles at Ascot in January that year, and he won a competitive two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle at Sandown on Bet365 Gold Cup day three months later.

He has obviously had his issues, because he has only run four times since, and the first three of those four runs were not hugely encouraging. But he dropped back down the handicap as a consequence, to today’s mark of 133, and he ran his best race for some time in a three-mile handicap hurdle at Newbury last time.

He was held up early on that day, he was still last of the 13 runners leaving the back straight, whereas the first two home, Regarding Ruth and Iwilldoit, were prominent from early, they were second and first respectively at that point.

Colonial Dreams made headway up the inside from the top of the home straight and, while it never really looked like he would get to Regarding Ruth, he stayed on well to take third place.

He has seven lengths to find with Regarding Ruth and he has almost two lengths to find with Iwilldoit today, but he is 1lb better off with the latter and he is 8lb better off with the former. More importantly, he can probably be marked up a fair bit on the bare form of his Newbury run, given how the race panned out. Also, it was his first run ever over three miles, and he was conceding race fitness to the winner.

Rated 138 at his peak, he could be well handicapped now on a mark of 133. He goes well on good and good to soft ground, this is his time of year – his record in March and April reads 211113 – and he remains unexposed over three miles.

Skelton’s Debece

The Dan Skelton-trained Debece is favourite for the Betway Challenger Staying Chase. He ran a big race at Sandown last time on his first run for his new trainer. His jumping was very good and he went clear down the back straight. He just tired on the soft ground from the second last fence and was joined at the final fence by Fortescue.

He should be better for that, his first run since December and his first since a wind operation, and the better ground today should help him.

The Nicky Henderson-trained Versatility was well behind Debece in that Sandown race, but he should be better on today’s better ground.

That was also his first run back after a wind operation, and after a break, and if he could get back to the form that he showed at Newbury in November, when he finished a close-up second behind St Barts, with subsequent Sandown winner No Getaway, a stable companion of Debece’s, back in fourth, then that would give him a chance.

But Checkitout could beat the pair of them. The Salutino gelding joined Nigel Twiston-Davies last autumn, and it took him a little while to find his range over fences – he fell in a race that Versatility won at Ludlow last November – but he is starting to put it together now.

Winner of a three-mile handicap chase at Southwell in February on soft ground off a mark of 122, he again stayed on well to win another three-mile handicap chase at Ludlow last time on good ground off a mark of 129.

Upward trajectory

The handicapper raised him by another 6lb for that win to a mark of 135, but he is on a good upward trajectory now. He is only seven and he has run just six times over fences, so he has the potential to continue to progress. This three-mile trip is a good distance for him, and he goes well on good ground.

Recommended

Checkitout, 1 point win,

2.40 Haydock, 15/2 (generally)

Colonial Dreams, 1 point each-way, 3.15 Haydock, 15/2 (generally)