How Joly Smoke aims to build on recent efforts from a provisional field of 12 competitors at the Support The Hunt Family Fund December Gold Cup in Cheltenham on Saturday.
The seven-year-old has run twice this season, both starts at Prestbury Park, where he finished in third place with a valuable handicap at the November meeting and then again in the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
He remains competitively handicapped and will carry 10st 5lb on the two-and-a-half mile journey he undertakes in Gloucestershire this weekend.
“He had a great race last time in the Paddy Power, I think this circuit (the new course) will suit him even better,” said Skelton, whose rider is competing for favoritism alongside Vincenzo and Jagwar.
“The weather forecasts seem to be working out for him, there isn’t too much rain so the ground should be perfect – he won’t have any excuses really.
“He has a nice weight, so we keep our fingers crossed.”
Elsewhere in the race, Sam Thomas’ Vincenzo is second in the Paddy Power Gold Cup when beaten only by Hoe Joly Smoke’s stablemate Panic Attack.
He is prominent in the market alongside Jagwar, who represents the stable of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero for owner JP McManus.
Jamie Snowden will saddle both Ga Law and Colonel Harry, with the Irish contingent consisting of Joseph O’Brien’s Kim Roque and Gavin Cromwell’s Will The Wise.
Philip Hobbs and Johnson White’s Imperial Saint, Paul Nicholls’ Il Ridoto, Venetia Williams’ Martator, Alan King’s Es Perfecto and the Faye Bramley-trained Glengouly complete the field.
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