Dan Skelton Saturday runners blog: 'We'll try and do it all again next season'

Dan Skelton shares his latest exclusive blog with Ladbrokes, previewing his runners on Saturday and giving his thoughts on the season.

It's the last day of the season on Saturday and 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 go and give it our best.

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.

Willie [Mullins] is just going to come over on the last day of the season with waggons 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. 

We've got Riskintheground running in a Novices' Handicap Chase, and he’s had a great spring so far, winning two from two up at Ayr and Cheltenham. He's in great form, he loves the ground, the track will be no issue - he's got to have a nice chance. Whether the handicapper has caught up with him, we'll find out here.

Boombawn runs in the Oaksey Chase, and in normal circumstances for him I'd say he'd have a nice chance of picking up plenty of prize money. But the way it's turned out, with Willie [Mullins] bringing over those four runners, bless him, Boombawn is going to have a hard time. But he’s in the form of his life and he ran really well in a Grade 1 last time out, but this is going to be hard for him. 

Gwennie May Boy and Take No Chances run in the Select Hurdle. They're both in good form - Gwennie May Boy underwhelmed last time, but he's in good form at home. I don't know why he didn't live up to expectations the last day, but this is a very uncomplicated horse, and so the track should be no problem and he’ll like the ground. Take No Chances has been in the form of her life all year; third in the Mares' Hurdle, third in the Aintree Hurdle - she's been brilliant and she'll love the track and the ground at Sandown. Hopefully she's got a nice chance.

Two run in the Celebration Chase: Unexpected Party and Harper's Brook. Unexpected Party is one who've we've kept as fresh as we can for this. Under normal circumstances, you'd expect him to go and pick up plenty of prize money, but Willie's brought over two - and Jonbon is in there - so it's going to be hard. He's in good form, though, and the track is no problem. Harper's Brook is a bit of a rascal who runs how he wants... who knows, but we'll do our best with him. I'm sure he'll write a little chapter of his own, because he's a bit like that; he does what he wants, really.

Hoe Joly Smoke runs in the bet365 Gold Cup, and he's 12-pound out the handicap because Grangeclare West runs. So were 12 pound wrong with every horse before we start, which isn't ideal. But we've got to run in the race to give us any chance of looking at the championship. We don't want to be letting it go without doing our best. Harry [Skelton] has got to do 10st 2lb, but he'd do 9st 2lb for us; he wants to win this championship as much as I do. We'll give it our best, but it's going to be very, very hard.

Got Grey and Mostly Sunny run in the last at Sandown, and for Got Grey, this trip could be a little bit of a stretch, but he loves the ground. Mostly Sunny is in great form; he won at the weekend so gets a penalty here, but I think he'll go very well again. 

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