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Perhaps it requires two top British trainers to take out a joint licence to create a super-yard to take on Mullins at his own game. Won’t make the game any more interesting to watch though.
Mind you if Rachel from Accounts has her way and betting duty is increased there might no longer be any British racing left to compete against any outside competition.
Galopin is a decent horse probably capable of winning a new style National off top weight but let’s be honest, and after accepting he can only beat what’s put in front of him, but this is hardly a golden age for steeplechasing.
Fastorslow had his measure twice and might well have done again in the Gold Cup but for unseating.
That was a desperately poor Grade 1. The 2nd was last seen out easily beaten in the King George and doesn’t like good ground. The 3rd is a handicapper winning only 1 of his 8 Chase starts and the 4th was beaten out of sight in the Gold Cup with his King George win beginning to look like a race that fell apart due to the non staying front runner.
If a trainer wins the title by having 80% less winning horses than the person in 2nd place I’d say the rules need serious tinkering with whoever those individuals may be.
I realise hindsight is a wonderful thing and the fickle hand of fate plays its major role too but IMHO there was probably enough evidence to suggest Dancing City was an afterthought and a potentially dangerous one at that. Mullins was suggesting owners were contacting him to run but I don’t know if that was the case in this instance?
I don’t know if it’s an impression based on fact but I don’t like Jonjo jr riding horses over fences.
Nicholls must have been deluded if he thought Threeunderthrufive had any chance considering he was 13th in the race last year off just 2lbs higher and that was off the back of a Grade 3 win at Ascot. This time his last run was a pretty moderate effort in the National.
Incidentally that’s the 18th horse fatality involving O’Neill since 2020. I don’t know how many times his mounts fall but perhaps somebody else can supply that figure.
“Using Dancing City to make a point against Mullins when the horse’s owners and groom are likely to be very upset strikes me as inappropriate and unfair”
The fact remains he wouldn’t have been seen within 400 miles of Esher but for Mullins trying to win the title.
It was only 3 weeks ago he took a bad fall at Aintree and that was 3 weeks after finishing last in the Brown Advisory where again his jumping let him down.
He is then asked to run in a 19 runner highly competitive handicap when he had never run in a chase with more than 9 runners before. And as Mullins admitted himself he doesn’t like to school his horses.
I’ve no doubt those who care for him were very upset by yesterday’s events but he there were enough warning signs he shouldn’t have been asked to be one of the ten. The jockey booking itself was enough to worry me before the race was even run. I wouldn’t have backed him for that alone.
Thanks for those stats Zanybody. So on a points based system (if giving 8 points for PHs as with Grade 1s) Skelton would have scored 474 points and Mullins 226.
It says it all because Mullins doesn’t bother with anything below Class 3 but Skelton won 103 races in Class 4/5 races. I wonder how much those races won?
What is interesting is that Skelton & Mullins both had 18 graded winners each. It’s the sheer number of horses in-behind that works in Mullins favour.
Ran at both Spring Festival’s and was then asked to run in the Bet365 in Mullins bid to win the trainers title. He wouldn’t have been seen anywhere near Sandown but for that. Perhaps all those involved might like to think about that.
And I’ll ask this. Dancing City ran in both Spring Festival’s. Would he have run in the Bet365 yesterday if Mullins had not been chasing the title? I think we all know the answer to that and witnessed the dire consequences for the horse in making that decision.
Mullins likes a challenge and if the format was changed I still believe he’ll take it on. When his son takes over the reins it’ll be no surprise if more horses are campaigned this side of the Irish Sea away from the Spring Festivals. There isn’t much else to achieve in Ireland. That kingdom has long been conquered.
Is prize money a simple system? Try explaining to a layman that finishing a distant 10th in a Grand National might help win a title!
My points based system would be very easy to explain and makes every race relevant and more equitable. As I said in an earlier post having to win over 125 Class 5 events to match one Grand National win is unjustifiable and plain wrong.
The prize money system only came about following the unedifying sight of watching horses being run into the ground chasing the trainers title. We weren’t far off watching that again this year. The title rules need changing.
Thanks for that. So Mullins could still potentially win the title but would need to target a few more early season races which would make them more interesting. He would also have to visit a bit more regularly with his lesser lights.
I don’t know how many of Skelton’s winners were at the lower end of the scale in Class 4 or 5 and I’m assuming Mullins didn’t have many other than when his son was rocking up at the some of the smaller tracks which added a little bit of intrigue too.
It would be interesting to get a full breakdown of Skelton’s winners in each class to see what he would have scored across a whole season. Are those sort of stats available?
Mine is not sour grapes at all. It wouldn’t matter if it were O’Neill or O’Brien being caught in the same manner. And it’s not an Irish thing (my ancestry is very much Irish).
As it’s the London Marathon today would we like someone to join in 24 miles into the race and storm home and then say well he was the best anyway?
To me if a Class 1 Grade 1 wins 8 points at the Festivals and a Class 5 at Worcester in July wins 1 point that seems a lot fairer than the current system.
I don’t have the data but it would be interesting to calculate how the table would look based on my system. Perhaps someone could show how this would have panned out between Skelton & Mullins this season.
I’m not disputing prize money at the lower level is pathetic and sponsors throw top dollar at the high profile races. It utterly skewers the trainers title.
Imagine if the jockeys title was based on prize money alone as Paul Townsend wins 10 of the richest races in the UK and beats Bowen to the title having won over a 150 races.
I still think a points based system is fairer. It might encourage Mullins to bring over some of his better horses earlier in the season.
I’ve no idea how it would have panned out had the season been decided on points based on class of race won but at least it would reflect the type of race won over a longer period. It might offer up more betting opportunities if that’s your want.
Of course those who support Mullins and the behemoth he has become will want to keep the status quo and won’t want any change. Nowadays the all powerful King Mullins can pretty much decide if and when he wants to win the UK trainers title.
Just as deciding the trainers title on total number of winners was proven to be wrong back in Pipe/Nicholls era so is prize money now.
Why should finishing unplaced in any race help you win any title? Perhaps someone might like to enlighten me? Mullins is using his vast horse numbers to not only win races but pick up as much money in-behind.
I’ll repeat the trainers title should be based on a WHOLE season. It should reflect those type of races won and shouldn’t take into account horses that didn’t win.
Why should winning the Grand National (one race) be worth more than winning approx 125 Class 5 races in the trainers title? I know which one is the bigger achievement throughout a season and it ain’t the former.
It’s not just the Spring Festivals being given far too much weight in the Trainers title but also taking into account the prize money for horses that have been beaten which Mullins takes full advantage of by swamping races with his runners.
Just score each race by the winner alone and Class of race won.
