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Let It Rain Heads 16 Strong Field In William Hill Super Saturday Feature
Dan Skelton – trainer of Let It Rain – shared how her preparations have been going ahead of the William Hill Hurdle
Sixteen runners have declared in Europe’s richest handicap hurdle, The William Hill Hurdle, on Saturday, 7th February. The 2m½f contest, worth a total prize fund of £155,000, is the feature race of William Hill Super Saturday. The card also includes two Grade 2 races – the William Hill Denman Chase and the William Hill Game Spirit Chase – both worth £90,000.
Trainer Dan Skelton seeks a first victory in this year’s renewal of the William Hill Hurdle and another big prize pot to add to his Trainers’ Championship lead. He will be represented by two runners including Let It Rain, the current 11/4 favourite with sponsors William Hill.
The Christopher Greenall-owned mare won both of her bumpers in 2023, the latter coming in a Listed race at Ascot. She was then second on hurdles debut at Chepstow in November 2024 before returning to winning ways later that month at Wetherby.
Let It Rain returned from a 387-day layoff with a promising third on handicap debut at Ascot in December. Now seven years old and off a mark of 124, she is expected to take a step forward for that reappearance.
Skelton commented: “I think she’s improved massively since Ascot. It was her first run back after a long layoff. I felt like I could have her a lot fitter that day. I’d done as much as I could on the day, but I’ve always felt like there was a lot to come.
“We’ve had this race in mind at Newbury since. We’ve been very happy with the preparation. She handles soft ground. I think she’s favourably handicapped, although, you know, time will tell in a big field that we’re expecting on Saturday.
“Really looking forward to getting her back out in a really competitive race. But we feel like she’s always destined to be in races like this. She’s always felt like a very good horse.”
On what it would mean to win this race, Skelton said: “We’ve tried to win it before. I think we’ve maybe been second once or twice. It’d be great to win it – hopefully Let It Rain is the one that can break the sequence.”
She will be joined by stablemate Faivoir. An older horse at 11 years old, the 2023 Cheltenham Festival winner showed he retains ability when third in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in November and was last seen finishing seventh in the Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle at Ascot last month.
Skelton commented: “He’s a slightly older boy now, but he does run well in these fields and the soft ground will really, really suit him. We’ll take 7lb off with Heidi, who’s ridden him before.”
Paul Nicholls has twice saddled the winner of this race with Zarkandar (2012) and Pic D’Orhy (2020). This year he is responsible for the top weight Tutti Quanti, winner of the Grade 3 Coral Racing Club Intermediate Handicap Hurdle.
Local hopes are with Warren Greatrex’s progressive six-year-old All In You, who impressed at Sandown last month when reversing the form with Anthony Honeyball’s Dance And Glance.
Meanwhile, Tom Dascombe’s Hot Fuss turns up on the back of winning the £110,000 Fitzdares Sovereign Handicap Hurdle at Windsor during the Berkshire Winter Million weekend.
The Olly Murphy trained Go Dante, who finished third in the race in 2024 and seventh in 2025, will also line up, along with Lanesborough for Ben Pauling and Un Sens A La Vie for the Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies team.
The field is completed by Bucephalus, Wellington Arch, Bubble Dubi, Milldam, Wreckless Eric, The Hardest Geezer and Poet Laureate.
Earlier in the afternoon, the Grade 2 William Hill Denman Chase, worth a total prize fund of £90,000, has received four declarations. Rebecca Curtis’ Haiti Couleurs is current 8/13 favourite with sponsors William Hill.
The fourth race on the card, the Grade 2 William Hill Game Spirit Chase, also run for a total prize fund of £90,000, will see seven runners go to post. A winner of five starts and unbeaten over fences, Lulamba heads the betting at 4/5 for trainer Nicky Henderson.
