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Dan Skelton targets bogey track as rivals jockey for Scottish Grand National glory
TL;DR
Dan Skelton aims to secure his first UK champion trainer title over jumps, targeting the Scottish Grand National. He seeks to surpass £5m in prize money, having already achieved £4m this season.
Key points
- Dan Skelton is the UK’s champion trainer over jumps this season.
- He has reached £4m in prize money and aims for £5m.
- Skelton has won at 39 of 41 jumping tracks this season.
- He has not won at Perth and Plumpton yet.
- The Scottish Grand National is crucial for his championship title.
Mentioned in this story
Dan SkeltonWillie Mullins
Scottish Grand National
Dan Skelton is already certain to be crowned the UK’s champion trainer over jumps for the first time this season, but still has a few remaining targets in the final days of what is already a record-breaking campaign.
Skelton became the first trainer to reach £4m in prize money in a British jumps season less than a month ago, and will send five runners on the 320-mile trip to Ayr on Saturday as he looks to make a big dent in the £200,000 required to pass £5m.
Nor has it escaped Skelton’s notice that his yard has sent out a winner at 39 of Britain’s 41 jumping tracks so far this season. The only gaps left to be filled are Perth and Plumpton – where the stable has somehow drawn a blank from 20 runners including several favourites – and both tracks stage meetings over the next few days.
“It’s never been done before so we’re going to give it our best shot,” Skelton said on Friday. “We just can’t quite seem to get over the line at Plumpton, but maybe Sunday [when the yard has two runners in the feature event, the Sussex Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle] will be the day that we do.”
The Scottish Grand National has been a turning point in the trainers’ championship race in the last two seasons, but with Willie Mullins having already relinquished his grip on the title, his stable has only one runner on Saturday as he attempts to complete the Grand National double at Aintree and Ayr for the third year running.
Patrick Mullins, who was unshipped from Grangeclare West at the first in the big one at Aintree last weekend, takes the reins on Road To Home, who was beaten less than a length in the Fulke Walwyn/Kim Muir at Cheltenham last month.
He is 6lb higher in the weights on Saturday, though, and King Of Answers (3.35), trained locally by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, looks a strong bet at about 7-1.
King Of Answers was also a runner-up at Cheltenham, where he made plenty of ground from well off the pace in the National Hunt Chase. He is just 3lb higher on Saturday, when the four-mile trip could well see further improvement.
Q&A
What is Dan Skelton's current achievement in UK horse racing?
Dan Skelton is set to be crowned the UK’s champion trainer over jumps for the first time this season.
How much prize money does Dan Skelton need to reach £5m?
Dan Skelton needs to earn an additional £200,000 to surpass £5m in prize money this season.
Which tracks has Dan Skelton not won at this season?
Dan Skelton has not won at Perth and Plumpton this season, despite sending 20 runners to Plumpton.
What is the significance of the Scottish Grand National for Dan Skelton?
The Scottish Grand National has been pivotal in the trainers' championship race in the last two seasons, and Skelton aims to capitalize on this opportunity.
