'It was tough work the last few weeks and I feel sorry for Dan' - Willie Mullins' relief after final-day title triumph

Willie Mullins expressed his huge relief after he secured the British jumps trainers' championship on the final day of the season for the second year running. 

The Irish champion led for the first time after Kitzbuhel's third in the Select Hurdle, before Il Etait Temps's victory in the Celebration Chase put clear water between himself and Dan Skelton, who had led from the first day of the season last May. 

Mullins, who had started the day £68,483 behind Skelton, secured the title when saddling the second, third, fourth and fifth in the bet365 Gold Cup, and rounded off the day in style with Jump Allen's victory in the 2m4f handicap hurdle. 

"The feeling is relief," said the most decorated jumps trainer of his generation. "It was tough work the last few weeks and I feel sorry for Dan who was leading the whole way. We had a fantastic last few months and, when it became a possibility, we went for it. It's tough when you're beaten in what we can nearly call a photo-finish but we're very happy to win." 

Skelton was still £1.3 million clear of Mullins at the end of the Cheltenham Festival but the reigning champion turned the title race on its head at Aintree, winning eight races and pocketing £860,000 in prize-money when Nick Rockett led home a 1-2-3-5-7 for the trainer in the Grand National. 

"They had to run out of their skin for us to win and thankfully the stable has been in form the whole time," said Mullins. "Probably the first time you win is sweeter but this has been tougher. I'm very happy for all our owners who once again told me to come to Britain with their horses. 

"It shows they're all sportsmen and are good people to have on your side. I like training for good people who are good for the sport and I'm lucky to have a lot of those people."

Il Etait Temps: helped to secure the title for Willie MullinsCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Last year Mullins became the first trainer from Ireland since Vincent O'Brien 70 years earlier to win the British trainers' title and he emulated O'Brien again by securing back-to-back championships. 

"To be thinking you've done something similar to him is out of this world but he did it again on the Flat, which I won't be doing," said Mullins. "I'm very happy doing what I'm doing and very happy to have the owners and staff that I do, starting with my wife Jackie." 

Skelton held his head high after suffering defeat in the dying strides of the title race for the second year running and vowed to come back stronger next year, when he will continue his pursuit of a coveted first championship.

"There was an air of inevitability today so I knew what was coming," said Skelton. "It would have been easy for me to lie down after Aintree but that's not in our genetics. We fight and we try and I've absolutely loved the last three weeks.

"The crowds and support we've had has been phenomenal but at the end of the day we couldn't legislate for Willie taking £860,000 out of the National and that's why he's here today. 

"Il Etait Temps was fantastic. How does a horse do that to Jonbon? It was staggering and they had a fantastic day. Well done to Sean Bowen too. There have been some great stories today and I'm very proud to be involved in it all. It's something I love doing."

Sharpening his teeth for the new season, Skelton added: "This will motivate us to try harder and aim higher. We aren't going to give up and we've got an army of hungry owners now. They want this as much as I do. A few of them haven't liked seeing me get beaten, so the team will only get stronger. 

"The staff understand what we're trying to do and they've seen it all in the last three weeks. We've got a good bunch of horses for the first two weeks in May, so we'll start again."

Paul Nicholls, who finished in third, said it was only a matter of time before his protege wins a first title but warned he would also be going for a 15th next season.

"Dan has done brilliantly," said Nicholls. "He's got the right attitude and a big team behind him. He set his stall out from the start and has been a bit unlucky but he's just been beaten by numbers. 

"He'll be champion trainer one day. Whether it's next year or two years he'll do it, but we're going to give it a rattle too next season. I'm proud of him and told him not to be too downbeat. He'll take it on the chin and next week he'll already be thinking about how he can win it."  

Read these next:

More Willie Mullins magic as 'unbelievable' Il Etait Temps downs Jonbon in Celebration Chase 

'The best two weeks of my life' - Sean Bowen shows why he is champion jockey as he delivers Resplendent Grey in style 

Willie Mullins is a genius - he threw caution to the wind and moved all his centre halves up front 

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