Willie Mullins aims to seal first British jumps title with nine runners at Sandown

Willie Mullins is taking nothing for granted as he closes in on a landmark first British jumps trainer’s title.

Despite holding a lead of more than £180,000 over nearest pursuer Dan Skelton, he has declared nine horses for Saturday’s meeting at Sandown, the last fixture of the 2023-24 season.

The team is headed by El Fabiolo, Ireland's 2m champion chaser who was pulled up when hot favourite for the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

He runs in the Celebration Chase for which he is the odds-on favourite to land the £96,000 first prize.

Mullins also runs Impaire Et Passe, who clinched a back-to-form victory in the Aintree Hurdle at the Grand National meeting two weeks ago, and Sir Gerhard in the Select Hurdle..

And he will saddle three horses in the bet365 Gold Cup, the highlight of the Jumps Finale meeting, Nick Rockett, Minella Cocooner and Aime Desjy.

Easy Game contests the Oaksey Chase while Sa Majeste and Gold Dancer run in the handicap hurdle that ends the card.

Mullins, the 17-time champion jumps trainer in Ireland, enjoyed another outstanding Cheltenham Festival at which he registered nine winners and took his total score at the meeting past the century mark.

El Fabiolo: runs in the Celebration Chase at Sandown
(Image: Getty Images)

Up till then perennial champion Paul Nicholls headed the standings but then his former assistant Dan Skelton entered the race by bagging four winners of his own at the fixture.

Mullins put himself in the frame to become the first Irish trainer since Vincent O’Brien in 1954 to win both the Irish and British jumps championships with I Am Maximus’s victory in the Grand National.

A week later he added the Scottish Grand National when Macdermott prevailed by a nose in a photo-finish at Ayr.

It will be the first time since the 2004-5 campaign that the title has not been held by either Paul Nicholls or Nicky Henderson.