2024 UK Jump Trainers' Championship: Mullins 1/2 to beat Skelton and Nicholls

• Mullins leads the standings after Aintree win

• Nicholls says he won't give up on retaining title

• Ayr and Sandown races will be the deciders

Willie Mullins is 1.68/13 on the Betfair Exchange to win the Jump Trainers' Championship after rocketing to the top of the table thanks to I Am Maximus's Grand National win on Saturday.

The victory means that the Championship looks certain to go down to the wire on the final day of the season at Sandown.

Last Saturday was the second time a Mullins horse has won the Grand National and followed his nine Cheltehnam Festival winners last month, which included a consecutive Gold Cups for Galopin Des Champs.

The Irish yard's dominance of the big races has been phenomenal this season with Mullins' earnings in Britain now standing at £2,874,693 after he added the National - the richest prize available in jump racing - to the four Grade 1s he had already won at the Aintree meeting.

Now he has his sights set firmly on making sure that the award for the best trainer in British Jump racing goes to the Emerald Isle.

Paul Nicholls is not giving up on Trainers' Championship

On Monday's Ditcheat Diary, Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls said that he was not giving up in his bid to retain the Trainers' Championship and land his 15th in total.

He has insisted for weeks that he would rather see Harry Coben win the top jockey award and the Ditcheat rider is heavy odds-on to do that.

Nicholls vowed to give the Trainers' Championship everything he has got, however, in the final fortnight of the season.

Watch Paul Nicholls' Ditcheat Diary

Paul's Ditcheat Diary

Willie Mullins is odds on favourite to land the Trainers title, but team Ditcheat won't be going down without a fight.

Betfair Barry spoke to Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls on the latest from the yard.@PFNicholls | @BetfairBarry pic.twitter.com/44qGp6Xu0H

-- Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) April 15, 2024

Dan Skelton sits between Mullins and Nicholls in the jump trainer standings.

He is 3.8514/5 on the Exchange to win and just over £50K behind the leader.

Ayr and Sandown will decide Trainers Championship

The big races that could change the destiny of the title are this Saturday's Scottish Grand National at Ayr.

Mullins has never won the Scottish National but Macdermott is 5/16.00 in the antepost market on the Betfair Sportsbook.

The race is worth £112,540 and the Ayr Scottish Champion Hurdle, which takes place the same afternoon, sees £56,720 go to the winner.

After Ayr, Sandown on the final day of the season could prove crucial, in particular the Gold Cup which is worth £95,659 to the winner.

The bid to win the 2024 UK Trainers' Championship is set to go down to the final day of the season, which culminates at the Esher track on Saturday 27 April.

Now read Paul Nicholls' Ditcheat Diary: I won't give up in the Trainers' Championship