Dan Skelton’s hopes of maiden title extinguished by imperious Willie Mullins
Willie Mullins’s first salvo of runners on the last day of the season extinguished Dan Skelton’s hopes of a first title, as the imperious Irishman retained his status as No 1.
One day Skelton might reflect that taking the trainers’ championship down to the wire was the Herculean effort of his career.
In most normal years against normal opposition he had done more than enough, with over £3 million in prize-money. But his horses finally started running like they might be leaden legged while Mullins’s just kept doing what Mullins’s do; namely winning.
No other trainer in jump racing history could muster 21 for the last push – particularly with his home festival of Punchestown three days away – and though Mullins brought quite a few members of his second XI, an on-song Gaelic Warrior is very much top order first XI as is Il Etais Temps.
When Gaelic Warrior duly led home a 1-2 4-6 for Mullins in the Oaksey Chase, the third race on the card, it was effectively game over and Skelton’s wish to be beaten by five figures rather than pounds and pence, to ease the pain, was granted. By the end of the day it was not even close; he was down to the tune of £200,000.
“It’s relief and it’s been tough work the last few weeks,” said Mullins. “I feel sorry for Dan who has been leading the whole way and then we’ve had a fantastic last few months which made this a possibility. It’s tough when you are beaten in almost a photo finish but we’re very happy to win.
“It’s out of this world to be thinking that I have done similar to Vincent O’Brien (who retained his title in 1953-54), but then he went and did it again on the Flat which I can assure you I won’t – I’m very happy doing what I am doing and lucky to have the team that I have, starting with Jackie my wife and then the whole way down. I’m thrilled.”
A prime example of the Mullins genius came when Il Etais Temps, a very smart novice last season but having his first start for a year, and nephew Danny Mullins inflicted a first defeat on Jonbon outside of Cheltenham, beating him five and a half lengths in the bet365 Celebration Chase. In terms of the title it was the coup de grace.
“He is a smart horse but my nephew is in for it again – he never follows my instructions!” joked Mullins. “I said go easy and get some place money and he goes and wins it. I did not expect that performance. To do what he did was one of the moments of the whole year.”
Though Mullins filled out three of the first four places in the bet365 Gold Cup, he did not have the winner which was the Olly Murphy trained Resplendent Grey.
If Skelton has been looking over his shoulder at Mullins for a couple of seasons, one day it might be his near-neighbour Murphy who has, in effect, been kingmaker for Sean Bowen this season, providing him with over 100 winners.
Murphy started his career very brightly but it plateaued a bit until he got Bowen in as first jockey. Obviously the trainer-jockey relationship is symbiotic and together they have grown into a potent force. “I texted Sean this morning and said I was sorry I hadn’t provided him with a Grade One winner,” said Murphy. “But this makes up for it.”
In every generation of jockeys there is one who you do not want to see coming after you going to the last, no matter who is on the leader; the sort of person who could pick up a horse and carry it if necessary. Stan Mellor, Peter Scudamore, AP McCoy, Richard Johnson all fitted that category.
Now that jockey is Bowen, crowned champion for the first time, and going to the last there was – as there had been at Perth all this week – a certainty that even Rachael Blackmore on the Mullins-trained Lombron would succumb to him in his current form. And so it proved.
