Rival’s Aintree form cuts Skelton’s lead

THE race to be champion trainer hotted up last week as reigning champion Willie Mullins was in sparkling form at the Aintree Festival and closed the gap on long-time leader Dan Skelton, writes David Hucker

Alcester-based Skelton went into the three-day meeting having won £2.8m in prize money, over £1.3m ahead of Mullins who was lying in fourth place in the championship table. Skelton failed to find the net on the opening day, ending with four seconds and a third, and his lead over Mullins narrowed as the Irish trainer notched up four winners, including Gaelic Warrior who beat his Grey Dawning in the feature £250,000 Brooklands Golden Miller Chronograph Chase.

Mullins added two more winners to his score on Friday, but Skelton struck back when, after stable star Protektorat had finished runner-up to odds-on favourite Jonbon in the feature My Pension Expert Melling Chase, She's A Saint and Tristan Durrell led on the run-in to land the closing race for conditional and amateur riders.

Skelton's lead was still over £1m. going into the third day but, with Mullins having six runners in the valuable Randox Grand National, the race to the title was still wide open. Without a runner himself, Skelton could only look on as Nick Rockett led home a 1-2-3 for Mullins and, with Green Splendour winning the final race of the meeting, the gap at the end of the day was down to £122,000.

Attention now turns to the Scottish National meeting this weekend and, although the title won't be decided until the end of the month, the bookmakers strongly favour Mullins to pip Skelton for the second year running.

Despite drawing a blank at the last Warwick meeting, Skelton still leads the 2024/25 trainers table at the course with eleven winners. Warwick hosts its Eventmasters Easter Evening Meeting next Monday (14th) when the six-race card gets underway at 5.10pm. Gates open at 3.40pm and tickets are £10 if booked in advance with under-18s admitted free.