Dan Skelton headed to the Aintree Grand National Festival with a £1.3 million lead over Willie Mullins in the race to become British Champion Trainer. As such, the Warwickshire handler may have accepted the £246,493 prize money he earned before the meeting began in earnest. Surely that would be enough to see him maintain a decent lead moving into the final weeks.
As the dust settles on Aintree, Skelton does indeed still hold the lead, but only just. Whilst Paul Nicholls’ former assistant bagged just short of £250,000, Mullins ran riot. Five Grade 1 wins and a scarcely credible 1-2-3-5-7 in the Aintree Grand National saw that £1.3 million lead collapse to just £122,027. Cruising along ahead of Aintree, Skelton is now clinging on by his fingernails.
Now as short as 1/6 in the betting, Mullins is an overwhelming favourite to retain the British Trainer’s title he won in such historic fashion 12 months ago. However, he isn’t over the line – or even in the lead – just yet. No doubt a few twists and turns lie ahead over the final two weeks. Whilst every race counts, there are those which will play a more pivotal role than most. Here, we look at the standout contests, how the prize money battle panned out in 2024, and the anticipated entries for 2025.
Scottish Grand National, Saturday, 12th April
- Mullins Prize Money in 2024 – £131,120
- Skelton Prize Money in 2024 – £1,320
Whilst not quite on a par with his recent Aintree 1-2-3-5-7, Mullins wasn’t too far off in the 2024 Scottish Grand National, with the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth all hailing from his Closutton operation. Skelton, in contrast, only picked up token prize money for a seventh-place finish.
If the current entries are any guide, we could be in for more of the same in 2025. Mullins is responsible for a whopping 11 of the 33 remaining entries, with his squadron of raiders including three of the first four in the market and defending champ Macdermott. Skelton’s three entries, Sail Away, Snipe, and Theformismighty, are generally priced at 50/1, 66/1 and 100/1.
Scottish Champion Hurdle, Saturday, 12th April
- Mullins Prize Money in 2024 – £21,200
- Skelton Prize Money in 2024 – £2,600
Mullins narrowly missed out on claiming this £100,000 event in 2024, with his representative, Bialystok, finishing a close second. However, that was better than the Dan Skelton-trained L’Eau Du Sud, who crossed the line in fifth.
Looking ahead to the 2025 entries, it is fair to say that the advantage lies with Mullins. Whilst Skelton relies solely on County Hurdle disappointment Valgrand, Mullins has seven entries remaining in the race, including the first, third, and fourth from that County Hurdle contest: Kargese, Absurde, and Ethical Diamond.
Celebration Chase, Saturday, 26th April
- Mullins Prize Money in 2024 – £36,784
- Skelton Prize Money in 2024 – £5,011
Mullins didn’t quite manage to win the final Grade 1 of the British season in 2024, with El Fabiolo filling second spot behind Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon. However, the £36,784 runners-up purse was significantly better than the amount Skelton earned for the fifth-place finish of Nube Negra.
Another critical contest and another event in which Mullins looks to hold all the aces. Whereas Skelton may enter L’Eau Du Sud and possibly Unexpected Party, Mullins has a vast array of 2m chase talent at his disposal, including Impaire Et Passe, Gaelic Warrior, Energumene, El Fabiolo, and Majborough.
bet365 Gold Cup, Saturday, 26th April
- Mullins Prize Money in 2024 – £114,274
- Skelton Prize Money in 2024 – £1,122
Minella Cocooner bagged the top spot for Mullins in 2024, with recent Aintree hero Nick Rockett claiming third. Skelton received a comparatively paltry return for seventh.
With a little over two weeks to go before the seasonal finale at Sandown, Mullins has no fewer than 18 entries for the bet365 Gold Cup – four of whom occupy the top four positions in the market. Skelton is at least responsible for the shortest price British runner in the shape of Hoe Joly Smoke, who tops his five entries.
Skelton Has His Work Cut Out
Dan Skelton on the British trainers’ title:
“We were in a great position going into the Grand National and thought even if Willie won it we were still in a pretty good spot. But he sent out the first, second and third, so there’s not a lot you can do apart from take your hat off… https://t.co/29cygqXZsZ pic.twitter.com/SnVJQUb1LF
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) April 7, 2025
If the four standout contests play out as they did in 2024, Mullins will earn £293,325 more than Skelton across the four races – more than enough to erase the current deficit. Looking at the likely entries, Skelton looks up against it in the headline events. However, all is not yet lost.
As likely as it may seem, there is no guarantee that Mullins will perform as well as he did in 2025. In addition, there are valuable events at Cheltenham, Plumpton, and Perth before the 26th of April arrives. If Skelton can increase his lead at those events, we could be in for a thrilling final-day showdown.