Fitzdares Fleur De Lys Chase
Windsor 15:00
£165,000 guaranteed,
5yo plus,
2m 6f 10y, Class 2   
Sunday 18th January 2026

1 Protektorat EvsF
2 Resplendent Grey 15/2
3 Handstands 7/2
5 ran NR: Jungle Boogie
Distances: 3¾l, 2½l, 10l Time: 5m 44.39s (slow by 15.79s)

Harry Skelton stood in the Windsor mud with the satisfied look of a man who had just ridden a veteran warrior through one more battle. Protektorat had defended his Fleur de Lys Chase crown, and while the victory was no longer the procession it had been twelve months earlier, the result was the same. The old champion simply would not yield.

Last season’s 23-length demolition of the £165,000 prize had been emphatic. This time it was a sterner test. But from the moment Protektorat rolled to the front, ears pricked and stride rolling, there was a familiar authority to his performance. Dan Skelton’s 11-year-old travelled with gusto, defying the years that ought to have dulled him. He jumped with bold intent, putting pressure on everything behind him.

There was a moment of tension approaching the second fence from home when Handstands drew alongside. Supporters of the evens favourite may have shifted uneasily. But when asked, Protektorat answered. He dug deep, found more, and powered up the run-in to beat Resplendent Grey by three and three-quarter lengths.

Skelton, keen to return to the part of the winner’s enclosure closed off because of the heavy ground, explained why.

“All these people have come here to see him and I wanted them to give him the reception he deserved.

“This is jump racing at it’s best, Protektorat is a warrior and is now a millionaire – he’s broke the £1million barrier there.

“He’s the hardest ride as a jockey I will probably ever have and he’s just hard to handle. He loves running left-handed and he runs with his head on one side. He’s got to go left-handed and can be very keen early on, but he just has the constitution and will to win.

“He’s incredible, so tough and when I jumped three out I knew he would win as he had been in battles before. He’s a year older than last year and 11 now, but he doesn’t know that and he still thinks he is a seven-year-old.”

This was not just another victory. Protektorat, already a Cheltenham Festival Ryanair Chase winner, now sits among the sport’s million-pound earners. The bookmakers took note too, trimming his Ryanair price from 20-1 to 16-1 with Coral.

Skelton’s thoughts drifted beyond the track.

“Dan is away and I’m not sure what we do now. Ged (Mason, part-owner) is also away and Lisa and Pat (Hales) are probably watching Aston Villa, but I can tell you they will have enjoyed it wherever they are and John Hales will be looking down very proud.

“What this horse has done for our family, for me and Dan and Bridget – she probably had one of the best days she’s had in her riding career on him – he will always be special. And for the owners as well, to have a horse who has won Grade Ones, over £1million in prize-money and keep coming back is incredible.

“Whatever happens, we will always remember Protektorat.”

A champion still burning, a crowd still cheering, and an old warrior refusing to know his age. In the winter mud of Windsor, jump racing showed its heart once again.

Fleur De Lys Chase
£165,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 6f 10y, Class 2
5 ran
Going: Soft

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    Protektorat 11 11-2 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton EvsF
2 3¾ Resplendent Grey 8 11-6 Olly Murphy Sean Bowen 15/2
3 2½ Handstands 7 11-10 Ben Pauling Ben Jones 7/2
4 10 Eldorado Allen 12 11-2 Joe Tizzard Brendan Powell 33/1
5 4¾ Matata 8 11-6 Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies J J Slevin 3/1
NR 5 Jungle Boogie 12 11-2 Venetia Williams NON RUNNER

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