Willie Mullins flexes muscles with TEN runners in championship-deciding race

Willie Mullins has flexed his muscles in the British jumps trainers’ championship-deciding race by declaring TEN horses for the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown on Saturday.

In a show of intent that he will not hand over the crown he claimed 12 months ago for the first time lightly, he has half the 20-runner field for the £175,000 showpiece. Skelton, who still leads race for a title he has yet to win by £24,561, has just one runner and that horse Holy Joe Smoke has to run from 10lb out of the handicap because Mullins declared top weight Grangeclare West.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Mullins sealed last season’s championship last April when Minella Cocooner landed the bet365 Gold Cup in an end of season spree which included victories in the Grand National and Scottish Grand National.

This year he put himself right on Skelton’s heels when pulling off an unprecedented 1-2-3 in the Grand National and followed Aintree success with another victory in the Scottish Grand National.

His ten bet365 Gold Cup team again includes Minella Cocooner, alongside Grangeclare West, Dancing City, High Class Hero, Lombron, Olympic Man, O'Moore Park, Spanish Harlem, Chosen Witness and Klarc Kent.

He has declared four in the Oaksey Chase, in which Skelton has one, one in the Select Hurdle, in which Skelton has two runners. The rivals have two horses each in the £175,000 Celebration Chase while in the last Mullins has declared four against Skelton’s two at a meeting where £685,000 up for grabs.

The contest has proved so gripping that has changed the running order to ensure the outcome of the Mullins vs Skelton battle gets live coverage.

So in collaboration with Sandown and the BHA the first race of the day will now start at 1.20pm, 30 minutes earlier than originally scheduled.

Skelton has Thursday and Friday to reassert his lead over Mullins before the weekend and says he is feeling relaxed.

Speaking to Ladbrokes, he said: “I’m feeling good about the race for the trainers’ title. It’s going to be what it will be and it’s going to be hard to stop on Saturday because he’s got so many big-name horses.

“It’s going to be very, very hard - we need all the other to run well for us too.”