Paul Nicholls: 'If Dan doesn't win the title I'll feel for him, but he'll put his hand on that trophy one day'

Paul Nicholls is adamant that Dan Skelton will one day win the British jumps trainers' championship but has conceded that his friend and protege has his work cut out to resist the onslaught of Willie Mullins over the last three weeks of this season. 

Skelton saw a lead of more than £1.3 million over Mullins going into last week’s three-day festival at Aintree whittled down to less than £125,000 by Saturday evening and he is now the outsider of two in the race to lift the trophy at Sandown on April 26.

The title race was turned on its head when Mullins saddled the first three home in Saturday's £1 million Grand National, after which he stated his intention to go all out to retain the title he won for the first time only on the final day of last season.