Willie Mullins makes further inroads into Dan Skelton's British Trainers' Championship lead after Perth double
Skelton led the way to the tune of £57,777 prior to the start of play, but Mullins was the first to strike a significant blow in Scotland, as Kiss Will and Paul Townend picked up £22,780 with victory in the British EBF Gold Castle "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle.
Skelton did saddle the runner-up Royal Infantry to lessen the blow, but Mullins then pocketed another £25,889 in total after the Townend-ridden Fun Fun Fun and Paggane provided the master of Closutton with a one-two in the Quilter Cheviot Fair Maid Of Perth Mares' Chase.
Townend told Racing TV: "It (Perth) is a brilliant place to come, it's a great atmosphere and lovely weather and they've done an incredible job with the ground. I couldn't give them enough plaudits for that, it's beautiful out there.
"I don't know what happened to Kiss Will in Cheltenham, but he travelled well throughout the race today and I hope he can have a bright future.
"Fun Fun Fun made harder work of it than I was hoping, but there was plenty in the tank when I needed it and she's done an important job today."
On the title race, he added: "I'll leave someone else to figure the maths!"
While Mullins was the big winner on the day, Skelton did not finish the afternoon empty handed, with Etalon's triumph in the Phil Nelson Capercaillie Handicap Chase at Perth earning him £8,713 and the subsequent success of Jeffery's Cross in the hunter chase at Ludlow worth a further £3,388.
Madajovy also placed for Skelton in the bumper at Ludlow, while his last runner of the day, Jo's Rainbow at Taunton's evening meeting, was fifth to add £273 to the pot.
Etalon's rider Harry Skelton said: "He's been difficult to get right at home, but he's brought it all together hopefully when needed. I'd say we need every penny we can get!"
Mullins' sole runner on Thursday is Magic McColgan at Perth, while in contrast Skelton sends out a formidable team of 18 across meetings at Perth, Warwick and Bangor.
Mullins is not represented at all in Britain on Friday, with Skelton declaring two runners at Perth and two at Chepstow, potentially giving him the opportunity to further add to his total ahead of what promises to be an enthralling final day of the season at Sandown on Saturday.
Following collaboration between the British Horseracing Authority and Sandown, the high-profile meeting will begin 30 minutes earlier than originally scheduled to ensure ITV viewers can see the final six races on the card and therefore the conclusion of the trainers' championship.
Sandown's clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said: "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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Tennis fans slam BBC live coverage of Queen's after Emma Raducanu snub ahead of Wimbledon
TENNIS fans slammed the BBC for snubbing live coverage of Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter's doubles debut. The all-star British duo teamed up for the first time at Queen's in the opening grass-court event ahead of Wimbledon. Advertisement 3 Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter played their first competitive doubles match together Credit: Getty 3 The British pairing beat Fang-Hsien Wu and Xinyu Jiang 6-4 6-2 Credit: PA But despite the BBC holding the rights to the tournament and the euphoria around tennis after yesterday's epic French Open final, they opted against spotlighting two of GB's biggest names and instead only showed the singles action on the main show court - now called the Andy Murray Arena. While Sonay Kartal, Jodie Burrage and two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova were live on TV, that meant that And their match against Fang-Hsien Wu and Xinyu Jiang was not available for British tennis fans to watch on either the red button or iPlayer. BBC presenter Isa Guha said: "Unfortunately, we won't be able to show you this match because we're focused on Andy Murray Arena, but we will be bringing you updates throughout the course of the afternoon." Advertisement READ MORE ON TENNIS But wannabe viewers were not happy. One moaned: "Errrrr you've got two Brits linking up in the doubles - don't you think that might have been of an interest to the British viewers?" Another blasted: "You have the British women 1 and 2 playing together in doubles and you're not showing it? Make it make sense!! So frustrating!!" A third added: "You just showed a clip of Court 1 where Emma and Katie are starting their match; so why not show the match as a second option or one court on iPlayer and one on BBC Two? Very frustrating!" Advertisement Most read in Tennis CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS A fourth complained: "Literally just showed us a clip of it why can't we watch it?!!!!" A fifth fumed: "Absolutely ridiculous you're not showing Boulter/Raducanu in doubles." Katie Boulter destroys tennis star fiance Alex de Minaur in four words after newly-engaged couple lose in doubles And a final user typed: "Why isn't Court 1 on BBC iPlayer though? Can't watch Boultercanu?" Advertisement The match was Raducanu's second WTA doubles match of her career - and a first win. Quizzed if they would team up again at Wimbledon, the former US Open champion downplayed their ambitions. Advertisement "We thought about it in Madrid, Miami and Paris. 'Moving to the grass, which is a very different surface, it helps us get a feel of serving, returning and playing some points." Tennis stars' new careers PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring. But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best… I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up I'm last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I'm singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts I'm former world No1 but quit aged 29 - instead I went on to play professional poker and golf I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist But partner Boulter interjected: 'Scrap what she said - we're going for the Wimbledon title! "No, just kidding… we haven't thought about that. Advertisement "We both return very well and have great volleys, so if one of us hits a good ball we can capitalise on that. "I'm very confident that Emma is going to put the ball away if I hit a good shot." World No37 Raducanu - who Boulter, three places higher than her partner in the WTA rankings, takes on Ajla Tomljanovic. Advertisement SunSport has contacted the BBC for comment on the snub, which comes after news that the 3 Raducanu had only played one WTA doubles match before Credit: Getty Wimbledon ditching line judges a double fault for British tennis By THE absence of line judges at Wimbledon will be a sad sight. For as long as I can remember, the men and women decked out in their Ralph Lauren outfits have been part of the furniture at the All England Club. Yes, they provided some mild entertainment on the court when one would call "fault" with plenty of extra, and unnecessary, gusto and volume that boomed around Centre Court, prompting a snigger from the fans. Then there was the ongoing game of dodgeball they had to play when a big serve nailed a mammoth ace down the line and they had to take rapid evasive action or take a whack to the top of the head. And challenges provided some audience participation, excitedly joining in the clapping countdown before the inevitable "oooh" when the graphic showed just how close the ball was to landing in or out. Purely objectively, Wimbledon's decision to replace line judges with Hawk-Eye Live makes total sense. The accuracy and consistency of calls in real-time will speed things up, save time and should mark the end of arguments over the tight incorrect calls - well, until the technology malfunctions. And Wimbledon's hand was somewhat forced to ditch tradition for their standing in tennis. The Australian Open and US Open already use electronic line calling and the ATP Tour is adopting Hawk-Eye Live across all of its tournaments from 2025. Wimbledon's refusal to comply would leave them lagging behind and exposed to the threat of needless controversy over human error. But the impact - as is so often the case in these decisions - has ramifications further down, below the surface with very little impact on Wimbledon's Championships or the players. It is on the line judges themselves. Approximately 300 officials - aged from 18 to 80 - covered more than 650 matches at Wimbledon. A fraction travel internationally with the circuit but the vast majority of those are part-time line judges based in the UK, earning up to £180 per day to work at the prestigious tournament and their chance to play their part at Wimbledon. For many, they will help out at British tournaments throughout the year, spurred on by the possibility of taking to the lawns of the All England Club. But it is understood many of those officials would be reluctant to work at the lower-level tournaments without the carrot of Wimbledon dangling in the summer. That in turn will put a major stumbling block in the pathway for British tennis umpires, who grind up through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Like football with referees, tennis needs umpires and line judges. So the inability to call "out" at Wimbledon could prove to be a major "fault" for the future of the UK's tennis officials and therefore the state of the sport on these shores.
Irish Independent
8 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Inside a chaotic press conference: Holtz's silence over selecting convicted domestic abuser Gerson Rodrigues speaks volumes
When Ireland last faced Luxembourg in an international friendly, it wasn't just the Del Trotter-type sheepskin coat which made their manager stand out, but the battles he fought over the airwaves. Luc Holtz is the second longest-serving international manager in European football, so clearly a man with experience. Before Ireland last visited Luxembourg, he said that Stephen Kenny's team had somehow abandoned their principles and reverted to a 'British' style of play, while after the game – a 3-0 win for Ireland – he hit out at the 'unsporting behaviour of the staff of Ireland' at the final whistle.
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Mica Malpic gives Bolger second Connacht National triumph
For the second time in three years, Enda Bolger won the Tote Connacht National for owner JP McManus as Mica Malpic, ridden by Charlie O'Dwyer, mastered Ambitious Fellow on the run-in to land Roscommon's annual National Hunt highlight. The eight-year-old stayed on dourly from the final fence to score by a length and a quarter, the pair stretching eight lengths clear of the third, Fairyhill Run. 'It's a nice race to win and the rain definitely helped him,' said Bolger. 'We won it with Stealthy Tom two years ago and it's great to win it again. 'Charlie gave him a great ride and said his jumping was fantastic, bar the second last.' Gordon Elliott and Kevin Sexton shared a 10-1 double, sparked when Pied Piper, placed in Cheltenham's County Hurdle twice, retained his unbeaten record over fences in the Dermot Hughes Car Sales Novice Chase. The seven-year, now three-from-three over fences, by an aggregate of 70 lengths, put favourite Zenta to the sword on the final circuit and, ultimately, powered clear to triumph by 27 lengths, with Midnight Moonshine coming past a weary Zenta (8-11 favourite) in the straight. 'That was as straight-forward as you can get it, ' declared Sexton. 'He was a bit exuberant the first day in Down Royal but, now, he's brilliant — long, short, whatever you want. 'He galloped the other horse into the ground with his jumping and won really well. It's been a tough few days — I've had five seconds, so this winner is important.' Sexton delivered again in the George And Joan McCourt Memorial Beginners Chase, brining 4-1 joint-favourite Boston Rover to master long-time leader Iamagetaway at the second last for a snug five lengths success. Trainer Pat Doyle stated: 'The last time we were here, we won the Connacht National with Kaiser Black (in 2018),' after watching 6-5 favourite Brave Fortune, ridden by his son Jack, brush aside Uncle Pat in the Beginners Chase, adding: 'This is a nice horse, a real natural over a fence and, hopefully, there's a good day in him.' Runner-up to the classy Westport Cove in Ballinrobe last time, the Paul Gilligan-trained Itsalladream proved a fortunate winner of the Castlerea Beginners Chase, coming home 16 lengths clear of Encanto Bruno. In a race which saw favourite Birdie Or Bust and A Law Of her Own exit at the second, the Willie Mullins-trained Runcok (Sean Cleary Farrell) blazed the trail and was still a long way clear when crashing at the third last, leaving Itsalladream to win unchallenged. 'We were lucky winners, but Willie has won enough and this horse was second to one of his in Ballinrobe,' quipped winning trainer Gilligan. 'All the credit goes to my son Liam who does all the work with this horse at home. I suppose we'll head to Galway now, for a novice.'
