Willie Mullins gets winner at Ludlow as British trainers title race hots up
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The year-long race to become British horse racing's champion jockey and champion trainer is still very much alive with just three more days left of the 2023-24 jumps season.
Two wins for Welsh jockey Sean Bowen on Wednesday at Perth took him to 154, within five of leader Harry Cobden, who then immediately hit back on the Paul Nicholls-trained Meatloaf in the first race of the evening meeting at Taunton to move to 160.
As for the trainers' title, Irishman Willie Mullins remains out in front ahead of Dan Skelton and Nicholls with just two more full racing days before Saturday's season-closer at Sandown Park.
But after crossing the Irish Sea to send out five well fancied runners, Mullins managed just one winner at Ludlow - Daddy Long Legs, ridden by his son Patrick Mullins - while his stable jockey Paul Townend could only ride two seconds, a third and a fourth at Perth.
Mullins would be only the second Irishman to win the British title after Vincent O'Brien, who secured the prize for a second time 70 years ago.
Such was his keenness to claim a first British title, Daddy Long Legs was the first time he had entered a runner at the charming South Shropshire course.
But after a successful start to the day for son Patrick, who eased to a three-length win in the opener, Mullins Sr then failed north of the border when Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National-winning jockey Townend failed to get home on four short-priced hopes: Dr Eggman, Loughglynn, Instit and Figaroc.
Since training I Am Maximus to win the National at Aintree 11 days ago, to become a real live contender, Mullins has made no secret of his desire to go all out and financially outflank Britain's top trainers.
The plan, ever since Aintree, was "to enter everything qualified in whatever races and see what happens".
Whereas the jockeys' title is decided on who has the most winners, for the trainers it is all about who wins the most money.
Mullins began the day on £3,087,248, but Warwickshire-based Skelton (£2,907,463) and Somerset's Nicholls (£2,834,334) are still within touching distance and capable of overhauling Mullins if they have a good day at Sandown, where there is a total pot of £700,000 on offer in prize money.
After four winners from 18 entries at Ayr on Saturday, capped by outsider Macdermott's shock victory in the Scottish National, and a short odds-on winner at Ffos Las on Monday, it speaks volumes that Team Mullins are warming up for Sandown by chasing such comparatively small prizes.
If Dr Eggman (£4,357), Daddy Long Legs (£4,357), Loughglynn (£14,238), Instit (£18,509) and Figaroc (£8,714) had all finished first, collectively they would have earned less than a tenth of the £500,000 that I Am Maximus earned at Liverpool - British jump racing's biggest prize.
As it was, the Mullins haul on Wednesday came to £18,640, into which Nicholls, who did have a winner in Scotland when Bryony Frost rode Ioupy Collonges to victory, was hoping to make further inroads at the evening meeting at one of his local Somerset tracks - and Cobden got him off to a great start.
But every victory counts. And to have been chasing a first prize of £4,357 at Ludlow was a measure of Mullins' immense will to win.
