Bookies cut Dan Skelton to favourite ahead of Paul Nicholls for trainers’ Championship after strong start to season

THE RED-HOT Dan Skelton has been cut to favourite for this season's National Hunt trainers' Championship.

Coral bookmakers have the Lodge Hill trainer as evens (where he was previously 5-4), while Irish raider Willie Mullins is second favourite at 7-4

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Meanwhile, fourteen-time Champion Paul Nicholls is behind at 3-1 after a relatively slow start to the season.

Although, the Somerset-based team have picked up big-time in the last couple of weeks and have been firing in winners left, right and centre, with 11 wins from just 39 runs in the last 14 days.

Skelton, who has not won it before, came close last season when finishing on £2,934,539 prize money and 117 winners, not shy of Mullins' whose 25 UK winners made him £3,116,171.

Mullins also became champion trainer in Ireland for the 17th time last season.

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Skelton just nipped Nicholls in the bud. While the Ditcheat man trained the most winners with 131 of his horse's striking gold last season, at £2,863,622 prize money it was quantity rather than quality.

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Skelton is currently operating at a 23 per cent strike rate and has fired in 84 winners this season and made over £900,000 prize money already.

And he's got some real firepower in his yard, not least last year's Turners Novices Chase winner Grey Dawning and fan-favourite .

Nicholls on the other hand has made less than £500,000 and only trained 34 winners.

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is also having a good season with 41 winners and £419,00 in prize money.

John Hill, spokesperson for Coral, said: "It is early in the season, but Dan Skelton has already built a decent lead at the top of the Trainers' Championship standings, and the Lodge Hill man is now just evens to covert this position into his maiden title."

Nicky Henderson, who has trained just 16 winners this season, is 12-1 to make a comeback.

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