Willie Mullins forces major ITV Racing coverage change in blockbuster title bout with Dan Skelton
A MAJOR change to ITV's coverage of Saturday's racing from Sandown has been confirmed - so punters can see Willie Mullins and Dan Skelton slug it out in their epic title fight.
A little over £57,000 separates the two trainers in their bid to come out on top in the season-long race.
1
Bookies make Mullins - who has entered an army of superstars at the Surrey track - just 2-7 to regain his crown.
He currently trails Skelton in the standings as he looks to make it two championships in a row.
But with hundreds of thousands up for grabs in the jumps season finale, ITV and racecourse bosses have pulled out all the stops in their efforts to give fans what they want.
All races have been moved forward 30 minutes, and the televised races switched to show the very last contest at its new time of 4.45pm.
A Jockey Club statement read: "This Saturday's bet365 Jump Finale fixture at Sandown Park will begin 30 minutes earlier than originally scheduled, to ensure racing fans can watch the thrilling conclusion to the Jump Trainers' Championship live on ITV 1.
"As the seventh and final race on Saturday's card, the bet365 Handicap Hurdle was due to start at 5.20pm, 20 minutes after ITV Racing go off air.
"However, Sandown Park Racecourse and the British Horseracing Authority have collaborated to bring forward the first race of the day, the bet365 Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle, from 1.50pm to 1.20pm and the closing race from a 5.20pm to 4.45pm start.
"Further changes to Saturday's running order include moving the bet365 Josh Gifford Novices' Handicap Chase from the sixth to the second race, the bet365 Oaksey Chase from the second to the third, the bet365 Celebration Chase from the third to the fifth, the bet365 Select Hurdle from the fifth to the fourth and the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase from the fourth to the sixth.
"The changes will ensure ITV Racing's 1.30pm to 5pm show covers the last six races of the season live, giving fans the chance to see the outcome of this year's Jump Trainers' Championship title race between Dan Skelton and Willie Mullins."
While Andrew Cooper, Clerk of the Course at Sandown Park, said: "Saturday promises to be a gripping end to the jumps season and we wanted racing fans who can't join us on the day to be able to watch all the drama unfold live on ITV Racing.
"We're incredibly grateful to the BHA, participants and the teams at Haydock Park and Leicester racecourses, who have moved races to accommodate our changes at very short notice.
"All of us at Sandown Park are excited about bringing the curtain down on what has been a fantastic season and showcasing its thrilling conclusion to fans on course and at home."
Mullins broke Skelton's heart with victory on the final day at Sandown 12 months ago.
British handler Skelton, whose brother Harry rides all his best horses, has had well over 100 more winners than Mullins this season.
But Mullins - who could block his biggest rival from having a runner in the feature race on Saturday - has struck when it mattered.
He was once again top trainer at Cheltenham Festival, had a 1-2-3 in the Grand National and followed that up with a 1-2 in the Scottish National.
.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
England star will be 'fuming' with Thomas Tuchel after Senegal loss, says Keane
Roy Keane believes Ivan Toney will be 'fuming' with Thomas Tuchel after England's 3-1 defeat to Senegal on Tuesday night. Tuchel suffered his first loss as England manager as his players were booed off at The City Ground. Harry Kane put England in front from close range in the seventh minute but Senegal were level before the break as Ismaila Sarr met Nicolas Jackson's cross to fire past Dean Henderson. England struggled to get out of the blocks at the start of the second half and Habib Diarra gave Senegal a deserved lead in the 62nd minute. Former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy made two fine saves to maintain Senegal's lead before England thought they had equalised through Jude Bellingham. However, referee Stephanie Frappart disallowed the goal with the help of VAR after the ball hit Levi Colwill's arm in the build up. Senegal then sealed their win with a superb counter-attack in the 90th minute which was finished by Cheikh Sabaly. Toney, meanwhile, was left on the bench for the 1-0 win over Andorra on Saturday and was brought on as a substitute in the 88th minute for the defeat to Senegal. And Keane feels the 29-year-old, who scored 30 goals in his first season for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli this season, will be unhappy with Tuchel's decision. 'The other subs had a bit of an impact, better than the other day [against Andorra], so that's a bit of a plus,' Keane told ITV. 'But if you're Toney and you're getting three, four, five minutes, do you know what you'd be fuming.' Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright added: 'I can only look at it like he's seen him all week, he didn't look to put him on until that late, I don't know what he's seen in training that he may not like up to this point. 'I was very surprised to see him not come on, especially when we saw Morgan Gibbs-White and Morgan Rogers come on, I would be disappointed if I was him but you've got to keep going.' When asked by ITV about his decision to bring on Toney so late in the game, Tuchel replied: 'First of all it was more than three minutes. 'Second of all, I think Ivan is a specialist for these situations, we created a lot of chances with Morgan Gibbs-White, with Ebs [Eberechi Eze], with Morgan Rogers and with Jude [Bellingham] in fluid positions. 'I think Ivan is the strongest if we have a phase where we have a lot of balls into the box, and that was the case so after 80 minutes we made him ready. 'Then we scored and they took the goal away so it took a while longer than we wanted. 'Basically that's what he can give – presence in the box and a goal late in the match.' More Trending Tuchel then added in his post-match press conference: 'No, it was too early. 'We wanted to play there with Morgan Rogers, more fluid, much more physical player, I think it was too early for Ivan because the game was so, so physical, the opponent was so physical, we were not close enough to the goal consistently to get his strengths into play. 'We tried to bring him on for a special task to be in the end in the box and use his experience in finishing. 'For me, he is on this kind of level, a player who needs to be in the box, and he needs to be in and very, very close to the box, and in the moment earlier when we had the changes we were not so close in the box, it was a more open game, it was a lot of intensity needed against the ball to get into a higher pressing situation because we struggled on the ball, so we wanted to bring more bodies into the opponent's half to play a higher press and we chose different players for that.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Roy Keane blasts 'lazy' England star during Senegal defeat MORE: When does the transfer window reopen and why has it closed? MORE: Liverpool hero's agent speaks out on rumoured return to Anfield
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘That's what he can give' – Stroppy Tuchel suggests Ivan Toney will NOT get more playing time due to ‘specialist' role
TUCH TO TAKE 'That's what he can give' – Stroppy Tuchel suggests Ivan Toney will NOT get more playing time due to 'specialist' role Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THOMAS TUCHEL hinted Ivan Toney may have to get used to limited game time due to his "specialist role". The striker was an unused substitute against Andorra and had to wait until the 88th minute to feature against Senegal. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up "Would we have expressed our joy the same as Senegal if we won?" 🗣 Listen to Thomas Tuchel's full post-match interview with @gabrielclarke05 after England's defeat to Senegal#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions — ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 10, 2025 2 Thomas Tuchel hinted Ivan Toney will be used in a limited role 2 The striker watched on glumly as he waited to come on with England trailing Credit: ITV Toney watched on glumly from the bench with England trailing 2-1 as Morgan Rodgers, Morgan Gibbs-White, Noni Madueke and Jude Bellingham all got the nod ahead of him. He was eventually brought on for three remaining minutes plus stoppage time but was unable to impact the match, with Senegal instead scoring a third to win 3-1. After the match Tuchel spoke to ITV and was asked to explain the reason behind Toney's late introduction. He said: "First of all it was more than three minutes. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL clash suspended World Cup qualifier suspended due to medical emergency in stands "Second of all I think that Ivan is a specialist for exactly these situations. "We created a lot of chances with Gibbs-White, with Ebs [Eberechi Eze], with Morgan Rodgers, and with Jude in fluid positions. "I think Ivan is strongest when we have a phase where we have a lot of balls in the box and that was the case, so after 80 minutes we got him ready. "Then we scored and they took the goal away and it took a little while longer than we wanted but that's what he can give - presence in the box and a goal later in the match." BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Captain Harry Kane started ahead of Toney for both matches and scored in both. Toney was recalled to the England squad for the first time since his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli last summer. Roy Keane slams 'LAZY' Kyle Walker for role in Senegal goal vs England as ITV star says 'can't make mistakes like that' He last featured for the Three Lions in the final of Euro 2024 against Spain, but played just one minute. Tuchel spoke of Toney deserving his recall ahead of the fixtures against Andorra and Senegal. He said: "Ivan deserves to be with us. I'm convinced. "He's scored over 20 goals for Al Ahli this season, he won a major title - the Asian Champions League - and had a big involvement in the team in goals and assists."
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Thomas Tuchel snaps back in blunt interview as England fans turn on manager
England boss Thomas Tuchel claimed he gave Ivan Toney more than three minutes to save the Three Lions before they were beaten by Senegal as he criticised aspects of his side's performance Thomas Tuchel snapped back when quizzed on his decision to hand Ivan Toney three minutes at the end of England's loss to Senegal - claiming the striker was given longer. The German saw his side meander to a win over Andorra at the weekend, with Harry Kane scoring the only goal, but his problems deepened as Senegal became the first African nation in history to down the Three Lions with a memorable win in Nottingham - which saw the home crowd again boo their team. Despite opening the scoring at the City Ground England were pegged back, conceding a third deep into stoppage time. They were 2-1 down on the hour but Tuchel rang the changes, bringing off Harry Kane, yet only introducing his other striker in the final moments. Toney has been prolific in Saudi Arabia but wasn't used at the weekend and then only given a matter of minutes on Tuesday night. Tuchel took issue with the reference to a three-minute stint as his decisions were put under the microscope. He told ITV: "It was more than three minutes. I think Ivan is a specialist for these situations, we created a lot of chances with Morgan Gibbs-White, Ebs [Eberechi Eze], Morgan Rogers and with Jude [Bellingham] in fluid positions. I think Ivan is the strongest when we have a lot of balls into the box, and that was the case so we got him ready at 80 minutes." When the camera panned to the official holding up the substitute board for Toney to come on the clock had struck 87:01 - meaning the interviewer's question was valid. There was five minutes of added time, but that wasn't known at that point. Given the lack of time available Toney struggled to have any impact and instead saw Senegal break and score a third through Cheikh Sabaly. Tuchel made wholesale changes to his team for the clash on Tuesday night, but that failed to get the results he wanted. The German said: "Yeah of course, it's a disappointing result. Not sure if we did not deserve a little bit more result-wise. Felt a bit frozen, not active enough for a long time over the match. We defended quite well for long periods in the first half and then our best period came when we were 2-1 down. We conceded the first two goals - very easy goals, we need to defend better. "The reaction was good after we were down. We suddenly were more active, more free, more fluent, more aggressive. We had big chances to equalise."
