Musketeers shows cutting edge Three Musketeers impressed in winning the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Warwick. Given a fine ride by Harry Skelton, the Dan Skelton-trained five-year-old ranged up menacingly rounding the home turn as the front-running Flintham began to feel the pace. Daryl Jacob looked to cover the move on Ballagh and as the pair settled down to battle it out with two to jump, it was 6-1 chance Three Musketeers who just proved the sharper on the run-in, prevailing by three-quarters of a length. The winner was making it two from two over hurdles, and Harry Skelton said: "He's got a big engine, we believed in him. For a few weeks in the summer we thought we had the wrong horse, it's amazing how far he's come. "He is such a big baby, we will look after him well and hopefully he will look after us. He's got to step up, but he's got it all, he's got a very good head on him. I hope he can go right to the top, this was only the third start of his life." The winning trainer added: "We've always held him in some regard. I've believed in this horse from day one and when he won at Wetherby he sort of told us we were right about him. "We were always going to come to this race. I know he'd only had two runs but I never wanted to give him more than three runs this season so I thought we may as well aim high as he won't be hurdling next season. "I was mightily impressed with the way he travelled and jumped. He had to commit two out and he's jinked right-handed. That was just greenness. Harry gave him a smack coming to the last and he has really wanted to win. "Cheltenham is out. He's the type of horse you don't want to enter or else you'd be tempted to run. My intention would be to go to Aintree if we went to one of the Festivals. He's next season's chaser. "I can't say he will go right to the top, but I think there's more than enough there for him to get near the top. He's a good horse, make no mistake."
