Willie Mullins goes for broke with 15 horses in last big jumps race of season

Willie Mullins has gone for broke in an all-out effort to win a second British jumps trainers’ championship. In the final week of the 2024-25 season the champion of Ireland trails leader Dan Skelton by just under £28,000 in the battle to retain the crown which Mullins secured for the first time 12 months ago.

The season closes with the jumps finale meeting at Sandown on Saturday when £685,000 will be up for grabs across seven races. Between them the two trainers have made a 71 entries on the card, but Mullins has included some of his star names in his team and trains 15 of 35 confirmations in the bet365 Gold Cup. Skelton has three.

They include the Scottish Grand National winner Captain Cody and Grand National third Grangeclare West, who with top weight will keep a majority of the field out of the handicap if he is declared. Another of his challengers, High Class Hero, heads the betting.

Skelton’s contenders are Sail Away, Holy Joe Smoke and Theformismighty, but all three would be a long way out of the weights if Grangeclare West runs.

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In the Celebration Chase, Mullins has Aintree winners Gaelic Warrior, who is also engaged in the Oaksey Chase, and Impaire Et Passeas well as two-time Champion Chase winner Energumene. Skelton is more strongly represented in this race, with six in contention against Jonbon.

He has entered Lossiemouth, the two-time Mares’ Hurdle winner and winner of the Aintree Hurdle, in the Select Hurdle.

Mullins trained an unprecedented 1-2-3 in the Grand National and saddled the 1-2 in the Scottish Grand National a week later and his horses are 1-2-3 in the ante-post market with Coral betting 5-1 High Class Hero, 6 Captain Cody, 8 Dancing City, 10 bar.

Coral’s David Stevens said: “With £175,000 up for grabs, Saturday’s Bet365 Gold Cup could well decide the outcome of this season’s trainers’ title race, and the ante-post betting says it’s advantage at this stage, with the first three in our market trained by the reigning champion.”

Mullins assistant, David Casey, said running plans would be confirmed much later in the week.

When asked if Lossiemouth or Gaelic Warrior will run at Sandown, Casey said: “I’ve no idea at this stage. Give me a shout at 9.55 on Thursday when the decs are out! They are all fine, they are all grand and they are all being prepared for Punchestown anyway.

“Who knows (who will win), Dan (Skelton) is going to have a lot of runners this week in races we don’t have runners in, so we will see by Thursday what way it is standing and then make a plan. Obviously, we were probably in front last year coming out of Aintree. We are behind this year, so it is a little bit harder.

“If it happens, great, and if it doesn’t, sure we gave it a try.”