The New Lion

The wins have not come in ordinary races either. Three of The New Lion's six victories have been at Class 1 level — the very top tier of British racing — and two of those have come at Cheltenham, the sport's most celebrated and demanding venue. Cheltenham has a way of exposing horses that are not quite good enough: the hills, the fences, and the quality of the opposition all combine to sort the genuine article from the nearly-there. The New Lion has won there twice from four attempts, most recently in January 2026. That record is not a fluke. It is a course specialist in the making.

The partnership with jockey Harry Skelton is worth highlighting too. Together they have won 6 of their 10 races — 60% of the time they start together, they win. That is an extraordinary level of consistency, and it reflects how well horse and rider understand each other. Harry is trained by his brother Dan Skelton, whose yard at Alcester in Warwickshire has sent out 194 winners this season alone — one of the most productive operations in the country. When Dan Skelton says he knew from early in the season that this horse had Grade 1 class, that is not idle boasting from a man with 194 wins behind him.

What is particularly striking is how the trainer describes The New Lion's character: a horse with real pace and plenty of energy, one that Harry has to hold back rather than push along. After the January Cheltenham win, Skelton described him as "not short of a gear" — that he was "holding on to him at times." For a sport where getting a horse to run fast enough is often the challenge, having one you need to restrain is a very good problem to have. Still only seven, still relatively inexperienced, and already winning at the highest level — The New Lion looks like a horse whose best days are very much ahead of him.