After The New Lion’s fall in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle, spirits may have been low for the team but Skelton had another arrow to fire further south as Tristan Durrell took the ride on the mare in one of the season’s biggest handicaps.
Panic Attack was returning to action quickly after victory in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham earlier in November, and was also stepping up to the three-mile-two-furlong trip for the first time as a 16/1 chance.
In a field of 24 she rewarded such bold campaigning, travelling and jumping happily throughout under Durrell and staying on best of all to claim a six-and-a-half-length win from Three Card Brag with The Changing Man in third.
The winning trainer said: “He’s given her a brilliant ride, fair play to Tristan, we trusted him
