3.35: bet365 Celebration Chase (Grade 1, £175,000) Energumene, Il Etait Temps
4.10: bet365 Gold Cup (£175,000) Grangeclare West, Minella Cocooner, Dancing City, High Class Hero, Lombron, Olympic Man, O’Morre Park, Spanish Harlem, Chosen Witness, Klarc Kent
4.45: bet365 Handicap Hurdle (£35,000) Bunting, King Alexander, Dr Eggman, Jump Allen
Gaelic Warrior is the highest-rated horse Willie Mullins is sending over to Sandown on Saturday. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
Preamble
And they’re off. Welcome to the new regular Guardian racing blog. We’ll be here on every big racing Saturday throughout the year (including “Super Saturday” in July when the blogger on the day will have to be stretchered off before the last race) and what a way to start with the trainers’ title duel set to be decided on the final day of jumps racing of the season.
Dan Skelton, who has led all the way from day one, is set to be overtaken (spoiler alert) by the relentless Willie Mullins steamroller this afternoon who the bookies are currently quoting at a prohibitive 1-5. For every five quid you put on Willie to lift the trophy you get one back (plus your stake of course). But this is sport and glorious uncertainties are always possible. Dan has nine runners declared at Sandown and Willie has sent 21 over from his Irish base; Dan has amassed £3,325,540 in prize money this season so far and Willie £3,284,057. Skelton currently leads by £68,483.
Mullins, though, outnumbers Skelton 10 to one in the big betting race of the day, the bet365 Gold Cup at 4.10pm, and has twice as many runners in the concluding bet365 Handicap Hurdle at 4.45pm with four.
Twelve months ago Mullins headed to Sandown, which traditionally hosts the final day of the jumps season, with a six-figure lead over Skelton and perennial champion Paul Nicholls and never looked in serious danger of being reeled in, with victories for Minella Cocooner and Impaire Et Passe ensuring he became the first Irish-based trainer since Vincent O’Brien 70 years earlier to lift the British title.
There is a slightly different feel to the conclusion of this year’s race, with Skelton having led the way for virtually the entire campaign and he appeared home and hosed before Mullins fired in eight winners across three days at Aintree and saddled five of the first seven home in the Grand National.
Willie Mullins in his traditional pose. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Skelton, though, admits he is fearing the worst. “Everyone here is full of hope and full of the possibility, but I feel like I know what’s coming [today],” he said. “I’ve known since Aintree that Willie was going to bring a few over for the Scottish National and a few for the midweek meetings and then he was going to attack Sandown with some vigour.
“But I didn’t sit back after Aintree and say the inevitability of all this is going to subdue me and my team. We’ve come out and done everything we can, our horses have been phenomenal and I’m so proud of everybody.”
Stay with us to follow all the twists and turns of the title race but that’s not all today. We have Ascot Gold Cup hero Kyprios returning at Navan with a third victory in the most prestigious race at Royal Ascot his main target.
And we’ll have all the news and action throughout the day. The eyecatchers, the gambles and the ones that got away. Keep tuned to this blog and you won’t miss a thing.
