Kabral Du Mathan result: Arkle fancy makes a foot-perfect chasing debut at Perth

Kabral Du Mathan could hardly have made a more emphatic start over fences, cruising to a wide-margin victory in the Download The Free Racing TV App Now Beginners’ Chase at Perth on Thursday afternoon. The 2/9 favourite made every yard of the running under Harry Skelton for Dan Skelton, and he was never in any danger over the two-mile trip.

The only blemish came early on. Kabral Du Mathan jumped out to his left at one of the early fences, which put off 40/1 outsider Jabbar, who unseated his rider. From then on, his jumping was foot perfect, and he stretched clear from an early stage. Olly Murphy’s Hold The Serve was a distant second under Sean Bowen, with Fergal O’Brien’s Dream Shadow third.

A classy hurdler with a big future over fences

Kabral Du Mathan was a high-class hurdler, so this was little more than a schooling exercise. Originally trained by Paul Nicholls, he won the Chatteris Fen Juvenile Hurdle at Huntingdon and was beaten just a neck in the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr in April 2025. He won two of his three starts after joining Skelton, including the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day before signing off with a fine fourth in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival in March, beaten just three lengths having travelled strongly.

Skelton had warned before the race that his star chaser had “a bit to work on”, so there should be plenty of improvement to come. He was already an 8/1 shot for the Arkle beforehand, and there is now a strong case for him being shorter. Owners Neil and Alfie Smith also have Sinnatra, who made an equally impressive chasing debut at Ffos Las on Wednesday, and Skelton has said he will try to keep the pair apart this season. Either way, the champion trainer looks to have a fine crop of novice chasers to go to war with this winter.