Dan Skelton added over £30,000 to his tally to take his lead to almost £70,000 as he took advantage of a blank day for Willie Mullins in the race to be champion trainer.

With title holder Mullins not represented in the UK on Saturday, Skelton will have hoped to put some real daylight between the two of them, with big-money meetings at Plumpton and Perth on the horizon before Saturday’s Sandown finale.

The day began well for Skelton at Haydock, with his brother Harry producing Soleil d’Arizona to win the opener and bag £8,169.

Strolling Along then added £820 when placed at Huntingdon before Got Grey got going a little too late in the JCB Challenger Two Mile Hurdle Series Final Handicap Hurdle and just failed to reel in Givemefive.

First prize was over £20,000, while Got Grey took home £9,460.

It was then the turn of Le Milos, once a very smart handicapper, in the Unibet Middle Distance Veterans’ Handicap Chase and he added £6,095 to the cause in fourth.

Over at Newton Abbot, Tristan Durrell made a bold bid from the front on Heltenham in the feature Plymouth Motor Company Handicap Chase but he was agonisingly caught by Scarface, picking up £4,860 for coming second.

Back at Haydock, Queens Venture was another to run her race, finishing second in the JCB Hydrogen Novices’ Handicap Hurdle and adding £2,430.

In total, Skelton added £31,834, meaning his overall lead is now £69,358.

Paddy Power make Mullins the 1-3 favourite to hold on to his title, with Skelton a 9-4 chance.