'There were lots of bad words between us' - inside the most compelling and controversial title race of all time

As the final, post-Cheltenham phase of the season begins, with the glittering prizes of Aintree still left to scrap over, Dan Skelton has a commanding lead in the trainers' table, leaving Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson scrambling to keep up.

The race may become more frantic, who knows, but it would take something truly extraordinary for it to match the 2004-05 campaign for intensity and, indeed, controversy, as Nicholls and Martin Pipe went toe to toe for the title on the final day. 

When all was said and done it came down to £72,545, which may sound like a lot of money, but as a winning margin in the context of a season-long battle, it really isn't. And believe me, a lot was said and done, some of which probably shouldn't have been.