JP McManus has purchased the highly promising novice hurdler, The New Lion, for a reported £1million. The horse, trained by Dan Skelton and ridden by Harry Skelton, is a favorite for the Turners Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Skeltons are 'very much looking forward' to the future of The New Lion after the star novice hurdler was purchased by JP McManus. The Limerick businessman splashed the cash to buy the recent Challow Hurdle winner, who is the current favourite for the Turners Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. McManus is reported to have spent £1million on the Dan Skelton -trained six-year-old, who had been owned by English businessman Darren Yates.
The New Lion has won each of his four starts for Dan and Harry Skelton, with a debut victory in a Market Rasen bumper in the spring followed by a hat-trick of wins over hurdles. His former owner had insisted the horse was not for sale unless 'a really silly offer' came along following his Grade 1 win at Newbury, but decided to let go of his prized asset once the offer came in from McManus. Explaining his decision on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Yates said: “This developed because Paul Byrne, who is a very good friend of mine from Ireland, he was really badgering me after The New Lion won at Chepstow. He loved the horse and asked if I would like to sell him, I said I’d like to continue and see if we can win a Grade One. He said that was a big risk and I said it was my risk. “What I do know from being in racing myself is you can’t buy a good horse like this – they just don’t exist. Or if they do exist, they never come up for sale. “Paul came to me again, as he really believed in the horse, as I did, and I think from what I see, he has an amazing relationship with JP. I think JP is a very private man, there’s a lot of trust there with Paul and I said this would be private between us if we do a deal. “One of the things I asked Paul to speak to JP about was that Dan would carry on training and that Harry would carry on riding
HORSE RACING CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL JP MCMANUS THE NEW LION DAN SKELTON
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
JP McManus splashes the cash to buy Cheltenham Festival favourite The New LionNews broke on Sunday that McManus spent big money on Cheltenham favourite The New Lion.
Read more »
Challow Hurdle Winner The New Lion Sold to JP McManusDarren Yates, previous owner of The New Lion, decides to sell his champion racehorse to JP McManus and plans to exit horse racing at the end of the season.
Read more »
McManus Buys Cheltenham Festival Favourite The New LionProlific racehorse owner JP McManus has acquired the impressive novice hurdler The New Lion from Darren Yates. Yates, who initially intended to keep the horse, ultimately decided to sell after considering a move away from racing altogether.
Read more »
Trainer Yates Sells Cheltenham Favourite The New Lion to McManusDarren Yates has sold his promising novice hurdler, The New Lion, to JP McManus for an undisclosed fee after initially stating the horse was not for sale.
Read more »
JP McManus Makes a Splash: Buys The New Lion Just Weeks Before CheltenhamJP McManus, the Irish billionaire and renowned racing enthusiast, has purchased the promising novice hurdler The New Lion for a reported £1 million. The move is seen as a strategic maneuver ahead of the upcoming Cheltenham Festival, where McManus is hoping to secure victories in several key races.
Read more »
JP McManus horse backed for big things impresses on chasing debutHe looked a natural over fences as he won on his seasonal debut
Read more »