Dan and Harry Skelton struck gold last season in the Haldon Gold Cup with Thistle Ask and are represented in Friday's unusual edition of the race by Mirabad.

With Exeter unable to stage jump racing at the moment, the two and a half mile chase has been switched to Aintree and this will suit Mirabad, who claimed a shock Grade 1 win in the Maghull Novices’ Chase over the course in distance in the spring and returns fit from a good run over the smaller obstacles behind Champion Hurdle outsider Wilful at Carlisle.

Dan Skelton told Ladbrokes said: “Mirabad runs in the rearranged Haldon Gold Cup and it’s a race we’ve had in mind for some time.

“He ran over hurdles the other day at Carlisle and did better than expected. I couldn’t believe how well he ran and I am looking forward to this. I have no negatives and he should run really well around a track where he has won a Grade 1.”

Joe Tizzard reports his stable star JPR One to be in great form.

Even on past results Tizzard’s strapping nine-year-old sets a high bar for the five other runners, having won the race in 2024 and also finished third behind Thistle Ask 12 months ago.

Yet the most recent evidence from Cheltenham two weeks ago where JPR One produced a stirring weight-carrying performance to win under 12 stone and take his mark to a career high 161, adds weight to Tizzard’s theory that he is better than ever.

Jonjo O’Neill jnr will replace the injured Brendan Powell in the saddle when he lines up on Merseyside on Friday.

“JPR One is in the form of his life and he only went up 3lb for winning at Cheltenham,” said Tizzard. “He came out of the race really well and while he controls the weights a little bit at the top he is a big strong boy and is in the form of his life. He can handle carrying a big weight.

“He came out of Cheltenham great as well. It was a super run but he bounces around two miles on this type of ground so you don’t get hard races that way, hence you can run him (two weeks later). He will be entered in the Shloer Chase next weekend as well and we will take it day by day really.

“I don’t think the switch from Exeter to Aintree matters too much to him either. He has won a Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter and he has run well at Aintree before as well.”

Tizzard’s affinity with this race runs deep, winning it as a rider aboard the Paul Nicholls-trained pair of Lake Kariba (1998) and Flagship Uberalles (1999) before adding a third victory on his father Colin’s super talented Cue Card back in 2012.

He has also won it twice since taking over the training licence at Venn Farm, with JPR One’s success preceded by that of Elixir De Nutz a year earlier.

Paul Nicholls has saddled a record eight winners of the Haldon Gold Cup and will have high hopes for Rubaud, who was just over four lengths behind Mirabad when giving him 6lb at Carlisle and has every right to be closer with a 17lb turnaround over fences.

Tom George has also won this race three times and is represented by the J.P. McManus-owned Stencil, who was trained by his son Noel and Amanda Zetterholm in France last season.

“He has been in France but we do know plenty about him as he spent quite a lot of time here going back and forwards last winter,” said George.

“We think he has had the right prep but it is hard to know. He is a talented horse but nothing has really gone his way in England.

“It is like starting on a fresh slate and it is a good race to start off in and find out where we are with him.”

Anthony Honeyball sends Brookie to the race in first time cheekpieces in an effort to liven up his game after he became detached at Ascot last week before finishing with a degree of promise.

A small yet intriguing field is completed by the Tom Ellis-trained Daytime Dreaming, the winner of chases at Southwell and Newbury last season, but taking a significant jump up in class on his first appearance of the season.

Novice chase

Toby Lawes is confident his “very talented dinosaur” Klimt Madrik can help put his name in lights as he continues his chasing education on the Aintree Friday card.

Nicky Henderson’s former assistant is well aware what it takes to nurture a top chasing prospect and having acquitted himself well over hurdles last season, including when second to No Drama This End in the Challow Hurdle, hopes are high he can build on an encouraging fences bow at Worcester.

“Everyone needs these top-class horses to run with the baton for you and I think he will,” said Lawes.

“He’s a very talented dinosaur and I think all he will need is experience, like he did with his hurdling. Hopefully he will improve quite quickly with experience and at this time of year, when you get the opportunity to bank a bit more experience I think you have to take it.

“When schooling him since his run at Worcester he looks to have taken a step forward and I’m very happy with him heading into Aintree.”

At Worcester it was only Dan Skelton’s handy Talk To The Man that proved too sharp for Klimt Madrik, who will now take a long-awaited move up to three miles when contesting the BetMGM ‘Future Stars’ Silver Bowl ‘Chasing Excellence’ Novices’ Chase on Merseyside.

Lawes added: “We were always going to step up to three miles at some point and it is something we have to try.

“The tricky thing at this time of year is finding ground we’re happy to run on and I was pretty happy if it was going to be two-and-a-half again or three. With the three-mile option being there I thought it might be quite a nice time to try it

“He almost switched off too well last time at Worcester and I think in a little three-runner field he will give himself every chance of getting on well over that trip. The way he goes about things suggests he should be fine.

“He’s an enormous, big horse and he does have a bit of an edge to him where he can be a bit excited, so when he jumped off and completely switched off it caught Kevin (Brogan) by surprise and he took a bit of waking up.

“He got engaged and started motoring in the home straight and I think he gave the winner good enough a race where you can take plenty of positives from that.”

Klimt Madrik’s two rivals are the Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies-trained Intosomethinggood and Royal Infantry, who represents Dan and Harry Skelton.

The latter may prove the toughest nut to crack, having won handsomely in a beginners’ chase at Hexham last month.

“Royal Infantry runs in this novice chase and it’s a competitive little affair,” the champion trainer told Ladbrokes.

“He has the benefit of a run over fences and he won that day, so that looks quite positive for him. He is in good form and the track and trip will be fine.”

Skelton also holds leading claims in the BetMGM Handicap Chase, where bargain buy Here Comes Georgie has the chance to quickly add to his tally having landed a valuable pot at Cheltenham on his stable debut.

“I think this is a very competitive race, although there is lots of pace, which will really suit his hold-up style,” Skelton added.

“Let’s see how he goes and I think this is harder than Cheltenham, if I’m honest, and we’ll see how much he has in hand.

“I think he will run well, but I’d stop short of saying he will be pounds better than his current mark. He should go well.”