Dan Skelton or Willie Mullins? It’s time for all of us to pick a side as the trainers' title race comes to a head

What do we value most in a champion jumps trainer? It's an interesting moment to ask the question because the title race is in the balance as we approach the start of Ayr's Scottish Grand National meeting. 

There's no point waiting for Saturday night to chew this over. One of the protagonists might easily have established a clear lead by then and any heat will have gone out of the issue. It's time to decide who you really want to cheer for and why.

On one view, Dan Skelton versus Willie Mullins is a straightforward example of quantity versus quality. I intend no rudeness. It's simply the case that one of these trainers has sent out more runners than the other – a lot more.