L’Eau Du Sud is looking to make history at Tingle Creek for title leader Skelton

AAfter his Crisp-like capitulation around the elbow in the last two National Hunt trainers’ championships, Dan Skelton has moved at an even faster pace in this season’s title race and has already amassed more than £1.7 million in prize money, almost £1 million more than second-placed Olly Murphy.

The count that is likely to matter most in April 2026 will, of course, belong to Willie Mullins, who has shown that quality trumps quantity by winning the last two titles by a wide margin at the spring festivals, despite a winning total of 300-66 in Skelton’s favour.

But there is encouragement in that respect too for Skelton, who secured 20 fewer winners from May to the end of November than in the 2024-2025 campaign, but increased his prize money overall by almost £450,000 on an annual basis.

It is a step forward in terms of quality that could be further underlined on Saturday at Sandown when Skelton’s L’Eau Du Sud lines up for the Grade One Tingle Creek Chase against two top rivals in Mullins’s Il Etait Temps and Nicky Henderson’s popular and consistent Jonbon, the winner of the past two seasons.

The Tingle Creek is the last of four major chases on consecutive Saturdays in November and December following the Paddy Power Gold Cup, the Betfair Chase and the Coral Gold Cup, and Skelton will become the first trainer ever to win all four in the same season when L’Eau Du Sud is at home for the first time on Saturday.

And while statistical nitpicks might point out that the Betfair Chase only dates back to 2005, the Tingle Creek is the second youngest on the list, having first been run in 1969. Skelton is said to be the first trainer to also complete the Paddy Power/Coral/Tingle Creek treble.

A win for L’Eau Du Sud could also be a useful nerve stimulant for his manager, with Il Etait Temps having the potential to be among Mullins’ biggest money earners this season.

The Flat season had already started when the seven-year-old returned from a 359-day absence in the Grade One Celebration Chase during Saturday’s circuit and trip in late April, and so Il Etait Temps’ impressive five-and-a-half long defeat to Jonbon perhaps did not get the attention it deserved.

However, it was a Grade 1 performance in every respect, backed by an excellent time, and although Jonbon was much further behind L’Eau Du Sud in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham last time, on better ground Nicky Henderson’s runner could improve significantly for the run.

With the top contenders all priced between 10-11 and 4-1, this is a three-way contest for the Tingle Creek that brings back memories of the match between Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop and Well Chief in this race in 2004. All three captains are Grade 1 winners on course and distance, and while nine-year-old Jonbon may struggle to replicate his recent form with Il Etait Temps and L’Eau Du Sud to reverse, there is very little between the last pair. on assessments, form or the choice of their time marks.

This makes betting on prizes in a race something to enjoy Southern Water (3.00) around 5-2. He won as he wanted last time out at Cheltenham, but still put in a very strong time in the conditions. While he may not have as much room for improvement fitness-wise as his main rivals, a repeat of his latest form could well be enough.

Sandown 1.20 A £7 for a second successive win seems generous Turn signals down and is largely offset by Freddie Keighley’s claim.

Sandown 1.50 Four exciting newcomers are chasing the card’s Grade One prospects, and none more so than the four-year-old Draining, second place in last year’s Triumph Hurdle.

Aintree 2.05 Nice, a product of the Aga Khan’s breeding, did enough on the Flat for Johnny Murtagh to suggest he would be an interesting recruit for the fledgling hurdling ranks.

Sandown 2.25 Rail specialist Go Dante is only 1 pound higher than for the first of his two Imperial Cup victories.

Aintree 2.40 It’s still early for that White rhino as a fighter and his return to action over the national fences in the Grand Sefton was a non-event after being hampered at the third. The step up in the trip will fit and he has lost 4 pounds since then.

Aintree 3.15 The shape of Rambo Ts Chepstow’s victory in October was rewarded by two subsequent winners from the first four home games.

Sandown 3.35 The strong traveler Tanganyika has the right profile to give Venetia Williams a second victory in this race in four years.