Title race: final day teams for Mullins, Nicholls and Skelton

A three-way battle for the British Jump Trainers’ Championship will go all the way to the wire at Sandown Park on Saturday even if is effectively on the run-in with a clear lead, glancing over his shoulder to see and struggling to bridge the gap. 

He’s going to need to do a Devon Loch to lose this one, isn’t he? 

Skelton suggested as much at Warwick on Thursday, despite saddling a treble. "It's over," he said less than a week after still being ahead, before adding what a pleasure it had been to be involved. Watch below.

Mullins is on the brink of a momentous triumph and will look to seal the deal with the help of such as

El Fabiolo

, Impaire Et Passe and

Sir Gerhard

. It’s handy having three Cheltenham Festival winners up your sleeve for a final push.

If El Fabiolo, the odds-on favourite, wins the bet365 Celebration Chase, then surely it will be game over. 

It would mean the best part of another £100,000 in the bank for a man who already has a healthy cushion and is seeking to become the first Irish-based trainer since the legendary Vincent O’Brien to take the British spoils some 70 years ago.

On Thursday morning, in a media call organised by Great British Racing, he was taking nothing for granted. Wearing a souvenir cap picked up at Ludlow this week and drinking tea from a Hurricane Fly mug, he was quick to deflect praise and suggest it would be a victory for Team Closutton.

“As we saw the other night with Manchester United against Coventry City (in the FA Cup), you can’t count your chickens," Mullins said. "You just have to go through and keep playing – and that’s what we’re doing. Hopefully it will work out on Saturday for us.”

Worryingly for his rivals, he admitted recent weeks had whetted his appetite for next season and beyond. He hinted he may get going a little earlier next campaign and, if he does, it will mean he might have had more than one winner on these shores by January 1 (like this term) and not be the best part of £2 million off the lead come the start of the Cheltenham Festival.

Nicholls was also on the call and said the best he could hope for was overhauling Skelton for second. It's fanciful, but if he were to win all the races he has runners in, he would be guaranteed at least £275,000.

He was in philosophical mood but his stable jockey, Harry Cobden, was a little more regretful. He’s on the brink of being champion jockey for the first time but says what would have been “a brilliant party” won’t be the same if his employer is denied a 15th title.

Here's the prize money up for grabs on Saturday, plus who runs what among the protagonists. Before racing started on Saturday, the standings were: 1 Mullins (£3,116,171); 2 Skelton  £2,934,539 (trails by £181,632) ; 3 Nicholls  £2,863,6221 (trails by £252,549) 

Race: bet365 Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle 

Prize money: £100,000 (first prize £51,440 with second getting £23,650) 

MULLINS runners: -- 

SKELTON: Be Aware, Goonhilly 

NICHOLLS: Panjari, Fire Flyer 

Verdict: Mullins clearly has no intention of rushing his lunch because he’s sitting this one out. He will be able to cheer the 16 runners not trained by either Skelton or Nicholls. It’s a wide-open race with the bookmakers going 15/2 the field. None of the runners representing Skelton or Nicholls are quoted shorter than 10/1. 

Race: bet365 Oaksey Chase 

Prize money: £80,000 (first prize £45,560, second £17,096) 

MULLINS: Easy Game 

SKELTON: -- 

NICHOLLS: Hitman (above)

Verdict: Nicholls has won three of the past four editions of this race andHitman is likely to take some beating if showing his best, although he’s gained only one win in the past three years, often finding ways to lose races he has looked on course to win. Nicholls is putting blinkers on him to try and rectify that. Easy Game is the highest-rated horse in the line-up but he has to try and give Hitman 6lb plus pulled up in the Melling Chase at Aintree on his first start since September. He is likely to be sharper and is equipped with first-time cheekpieces. 

Race: bet365 Celebration Chase 

Prize money: £170,000 (first prize £96,815, second £36,329) 

MULLINS: El Fabiolo (below)

SKELTON: Nube Negra 

NICHOLLS: -- 

Verdict: El Fabiolo is no bigger than 4/5 and, depending on what happens before, could clinch the title for Mullins if he can put his surprise defeat at Cheltenham last time. He blundered away his chance early on that day but his trainer said on Thursday morning he had been particularly “brave” in his latest schooling session, having “not been himself” for a couple of weeks after his lapse. Nicholls won’t be winning this for an eighth time, while odds of 40/1 seem to reflect Nube Negra’s prospects. 

Race: bet365 Gold Cup 

Prize money: £170,000 (first prize £95,659, second £36,040) 

MULLINS: Minella Cocooner, Nick Rockett, Aime Desjy, 

SKELTON: Le Milos 

NICHOLLS: Threeunderthrufive, Enrilo, Flash Collonges 

Verdict: Nick Rockett, Le Milos, Threeunderthrufive and Micalla Cocooner are all prominent in the market although the warm favourite is the admirable Kitty’s Light, trained by Christian Williams. Nicholls and Skelton will need to have the winner to have any chance of keeping the title race alive. The never-say-die Nicholls will have probably already spotted he could scoop £150,000 if he has the 1-2-3. 

Race: bet365 Select Hurdle 

Prize money: £80,000 (first prize £45,560, second £17,096) 

MULLINS: Impaire Et Passe, Sir Gerhard 

SKELTON: Langer Dan 

NICHOLLS: Blueking D’Oroux 

Verdict: Impaire Et  Passe’s dramatic victory over Bob Olinger and Langer Dan in the William Hill Aintree Hurdle at Aintree this month was pivotal in the title race – only being confirmed after a lengthy stewards’ enquiry. Many believed the stewards would demote him to third and promote Langer Dan, to second. But they didn’t. If they had, Mullins would be £140,000 worse off with Skelton in the present standings. Now, they meet again, with Mullins throwing in Sir Gerhard for good measure. 

Race: bet365 Josh Gifford Novices' Handicap Chase 

Prize money: £40,000 (first prize £20,812) 

MULLINS: -- 

SKELTON: -- 

NICHOLLS: Outlaw Peter, Golden Son. 

Verdict: If the earlier Nicholls runners on the card have carried all before them, then he will be able to enjoy this one without his eyes flicking elsewhere. 

Race: bet365 Handicap Hurdle 

Prize money: £35,000 (first prize £18,211) 

MULLINS: Sa Majeste, Gold Dancer. 

SKELTON: -- 

NICHOLLS: Red Risk, Emailandy 

Verdict: Mullins has obvious prospects of a final hurrah as Gold Dancer and Sa Majeste head the early betting. By this time, though, his celebrations may already be in full swing.