Dan Skelton is more than up for the challenge of taking on the Irish in the Cheltenham Gold Cup with his Protektorat leading the British charge.

The seven-year-old, part owned by Sir Alex Ferguson is a general 8-1 shot for the big Festival chase on March 18 after a runaway win in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree while Nicky Henderson offers up the next best British hope in Chantry House.

Skelton has gone direct to Cheltenham with both Protektorat and Nube Negra, his Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase entry, and his faith remains solid after another big weekend of racing at Leopardstown.
The Alcester trainer points to the open nature of this year's Gold cup with Conflated taking the Irish Gold Cup at a hefty 18/1.
Meanwhile, reigning champion Minella Indo was beaten six and a half lengths into second
He said: "I'm very happy with where our horses are, they both head straight to Cheltenham, worked this morning and went nicely. They have got hard races coming their way - but that's what happens in Champion Chases and Gold Cups.
"I'm very happy with our horses and that's all we can be really.
"Does watching them in Ireland change anything? Not really. I feel it's a very open Gold Cup. Every time a Gold Cup contender has raced in a Gold Cup trial, there's been a different winner and Conflated chucked his hat into the ring at the weekend.
"I feel it's a high quality Gold Cup, but quite an open one and I'm delighted to have my horse in the form that's he in at the moment to go there."

Chacun Pour Soi was an impressive winner of Sunday's Dublin Chase, but Skelton is aware that the main threat to Nube Negra is likely to be that horse's Willie Mullins stablemate Energumene and the Nicky Henderson-trained Shishkin, who fought out a scintillating finish in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot last month.

He said: "Nube Negra was second in the race last year and Chacun Pour Soi has proved to be a significantly better horse on his side of the Irish Sea, so perhaps his run in last year's Champion Chase (third) isn't true to what he can really do.
"The two from Ascot, we've never faced them before and on numbers they are obviously achieving very highly. We know it's not going to be easy, but the best we can do is have them in the best shape we can and go give it a crack."