Minella Cocooner grabs Sandown Gold for Mullins team

WINNER: Willie Mullins with his trophy after winning British Jump Trainers' Championship 2023/24 and becoming the first Irish based champion to achive it in 70 years at Sandown. Pic: Steven Cargill/Sportsfile

Seven days on from winning the Scottish National in a photo finish, Willie and Danny Mullins repeated the trick as Minella Cocooner was delivered right on the line to catch long-time leader Annual Invictus in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.

Mullins had been confirmed as champion trainer just 30 minutes earlier when El Fabiolo finished second in the Celebration Chase, so it was perhaps inevitable that he would claim the last feature handicap of the jumps season.