Skelton strikes at Aintree to ‘put a few more quid’ in title bank

A long-awaited win and more placed prize-money ensured Dan Skelton’s bid for a first National Hunt trainers’ title race remained on track after day two of Aintree, but his rivals were all on the board too.

Skelton arrived at the meeting with a large buffer and plenty of winning chances, and though four second places on the opening day showed his stable to be in good form, a winner proved elusive.

There were more placed prizes added to his fund on Friday, the most notable of which was Protektorat’s reward for finishing second in the Melling Chase, but She’s A Saint at 25-1 got him off the mark at the fixture in the concluding Hallgarten And Novum Wines Handicap Hurdle.

The race was worth £25,720 to the winner, and Skelton said: “We’ve knocked on the door a bit this week so far, but they’ve all run super and I’m very proud of them. That’s a few more quid in the bank, keep it building!”

Nicky Henderson, third in the table, trained the Melling winner in Jonbon and second-placed Paul Nicholls also enjoyed a valuable win with Caldwell Potter taking the Mildmay Novices’ Chase.

The latter success confirmed Nicholls cannot be counted out of the title race just yet, especially as he has five runners in the Grand National and Skelton has none.

He said: “It’ll be interesting if we win the National, won’t it? Bring it on!”

Reigning champion Willie Mullins is looming in fourth place and had no less than four winners on Thursday, with Friday’s racing then providing two further wins to add to that tally.

In a portent of what might be to come with the National in mind, Gentleman De Mee won over the big fences in the Topham. Salavator Mundi was another Grade One winner for Closutton in the Top Novices’ Hurdle.

He said: “I was pleasantly surprised how well things went for us here last year so I said we better try to do something similar this year.

“Normally we keep all our horses for Punchestown, but it looks like we’ll be changing that tactic after last year’s success and this year’s success so far.

“It looks like you could have two separate teams, one for Punchestown and one for Aintree – and Ayr!”

The National proved so pivotal in the championship 12 months ago when won in brilliant style by I Am Maximus, who has been well-backed to repeat the feat.

Mullins added: “All the horses are running well and we’re looking forward to it.

“I Am Maximus is in good shape. I wish I’d got the last run into him, but it didn’t work out that way.”