IT all comes down to this. On the final day of the British National Hunt season at Sandown, Dan Skelton has implied that he may well need his own type of Manchester City-Sergio Agüero moment that snatched the Premier League title from Manchester United in the dying embers of that epic 2011/’12 campaign.

Heavy artillery is certainly being rolled out from Closutton in the final furlong; no less than 21 runners across the afternoon at Sandown, to be exact. Eight of them are Grade 1 winners. Meanwhile, Skelton must rely on nine representatives to cling onto a lead he has been defending with his life in recent weeks.

As it stands, the Warwickshire handler is maintaining a lead of just over £65,000, though he has all but conceded that the most successful trainer in Irish racing history is set to pip him with the finish line in sight.

It’s hard to argue with that stance either, given the travelling team includes top sorts such as Gaelic Warrior, Grangeclare West, Gentleman De Mee, Energumene, Kitzbuhel, Il Etait Temps, Minella Cocooner, High Class Hero and Dancing City.

“We’ve got to face a wall of Willie Mullins horses to try and defend our lead in the trainers’ title, which is going to be borderline impossible, but we’re going to give it our best” said Skelton.

“It’s just been a phenomenal year for us, really. At the start of the season, I wanted to win close to £3.4 million in prize money. I thought that would be enough, and under normal circumstances it would; I think the amount of prize money we’ve won would’ve had us winning every trainers’ championship there’s ever been, bar four. So that just shows you what a great year we’ve had.

Fighting on

“Willie is just going to come over on the last day of the season with wagons full of horses and blow us clean out of the water, I’d have thought. But we’ve loved this season, it’s been absolutely amazing. The team have been great, the owners have been phenomenal.”

Speaking in his Ladbrokes-sponsored blog, he added: “We’re odds-on to get beat on the last day of the season, having led for the rest of the way. We’ve got a lot to be proud of, and we’ve got a better team again for next year. Maybe somehow we hang on? Whatever the outcome, we’ll just try and do it all again next season.”

Saddling five of the first seven home in the Randox Grand National was the key turning point in the entire season for Mullins.

Later approach

“It’s tough for Dan because I think people were calling him the champion all year and he’s done everything right,” said Mullins.

“We have come along late in the play but that is always what we do every year, we don’t start early as I find that is what works best for us. Dan is out in front and has the points on the board. It will come down to Sandown. I think the title is still up for grabs – it’s never that simple.

“We had a great day last year on Jump Finale Day and we’re looking forward to it once again.”