Just as was the case in 2023/24, the battle for the British Trainers Title provides an engaging subplot to the closing stages of the latest National Hunt campaign. With perennial challengers Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson falling by the wayside, we now have a two-horse race and a classic Ireland vs Britain battle.
Mullins vs Skelton Part Two
Going in the green corner is the man who hit the headlines by claiming the title in 2023/24. It was hardly a surprise to hear that Willie Mullins had won something, but even he deserved extra credit for mastering the entire British training fraternity on their own patch. Not since Vincent O’Brien in 1953/54 had an Irish-based trainer won the British Trainers title.
Of course, for every winner, there is a loser. In 2023/24, the man who felt the pain of Mullins’ exploits more than most was runner-up Dan Skelton. As the former assistant to Paul Nicholls, Skelton has had a hand in a few British Trainers titles but has yet to claim the prize as his own. Having come so close, could he master Mullins in 2024/25?
Scintillating Start for Skelton, But Here Comes Mullins
Having failed to keep tabs on Mullins in the spring of 2024, Skelton set out to build a significant lead in the early part of the campaign. And he succeeded. That advantage over Mullins stood at over £1.3 million ahead of the Aintree Grand National Festival. If Mullins hoped to retain his crown, he would need to enjoy a sensational time of things on Merseyside and probably at the Scottish Grand National Meeting, too.
It’s fair to say that a 1-2-3 in the Aintree Grand National and a 1-2 in the Scottish version of the race falls into the sensational category. With Mullins flying down the home straight with all guns blazing, Skelton could do little more than watch on with a building sense of déjà vu.
Following those incredible Grand National results, many pundits were ready to crown Mullins. However, Skelton, not Mullins still held the lead following events at Ayr. A lead of only £1,431, but a lead, nonetheless.
With the season ending at Sandown on Saturday, 26th April, can Skelton cling on by his fingernails, or will Mullins wrench the prize from his grasp once again? Every pound in prize money counts in the race for the title. However, some fixtures carry more weight than most – the latest of which arrived in the shape of the Cheltenham April Meeting. With both trainers taking aim at the most valuable events, how would the picture look at the end of this two-day event?
Day 1: Winless Day for Mullins as Skelton Wins First Battle
Responsible for two of the first three in the betting, Mullins appeared sure to take advantage of Skelton’s absence in the opening Citipost Novices’ Hurdle. And that he did, but the result could have been worse for Skelton. With the Lucy Wadham-trained Jax Junior coming home in front, Mullins had to settle for £6,274 in place money.
Skelton missed the target with Doyen Quest in race 2, but the big clash came in the £75,000 Matt Hampson Foundation Silver Trophy Handicap Chase. Each trainer sent two in pursuit of the prize, with the market siding with the Mullins-trained O’Moore Park. That Susannah Ricci runner ran well, but not as well as Skelton’s Riskintheground, who passed O’Moore Park at the last obstacle and hung on to score by ¾l. Mullins picked up £15,897 for second and sixth-place finishes, but Skelton grabbed the £39,865 top prize.
That represented the end of the Mullins challenge on day one. Skelton added a further £3037.50 to his tally thanks to the third-place effort of Mr Hope Street in the Safran Landing Systems Handicap Hurdle.
Day One Prize Money Totals: Dan Skelton – £42,902.50, Willie Mullins – £22,171.
Day 2: Few Fireworks as Skelton Holds onto Lead
Both trainers were represented in the opening KTDA Fillies’ Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. Whilst Mullins was the only man to garner any prize money from the race, this looked like a dodged bullet for Skelton. Well backed into 11/10 favouritism, the Mullins-trained Saint Lucie was fancied to claim the £22,780 first-place prize money but managed only £1,072 for a laboured fifth-place finish.
Race 2 handed Skelton an ideal opportunity to grab the momentum with Coco Mademoiselle. Unfortunately, the 9/4f sprawled on landing at the third-last fence to send Harry Skelton crashing to the turf. The low-key start to the day continued in race 3 when, in the absence of any Mullins runners, Skelton’s Pawapuri finished only 11th of 16.
🏇 Minniemum lands a convincing victory in the Exertis-Samsung Racing Excellence Award Challenger Series Mares’ Chase Final for under Sam Twiston-Davies for trainer Henry Daly 👏#CheltenhamRaces #AprilMeeting pic.twitter.com/gN6bm8JaJH
— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) April 17, 2025
Mullins boasted two runners to zero for Skelton in the Aston Martin Mares’ Novices’ Chase. However, neither A Penny A Hundred nor Judicieuse Allen could live with Henry De Bromhead’s Theatre Native, leaving Mullins to collect £12,293 for 2nd and 5th-placed finishes.
Mullins edged the battle for minor money in race five, with third-placed Saint Tartare pocketing £4,280. Skelton kept the meter ticking over with £536 for the sixth-placed effort of Settle Down Jill.
Mullins once again headed home early on Day 2. This time, Skelton took advantage. Shakeyourtailfeather grabbed a welcome £13,202.50 for her win in the Holland Cooper Mares’ Handicap Chase, with Sheezer Dancer adding £1,881 for third in the finale.
Day Two Prize Money Totals: Dan Skelton – £15,619.50, Willie Mullins – £17,645.
British Trainers Championship Standings at the End of Cheltenham April Meeting
- Dan Skelton – £3,180,333
- Willie Mullins – £3,142,809
So, it is still all to play for, with significant meetings at Plumpton, Perth, and Sandown still to come.
