Since coaching I Am Maximus to win the Nationwide at Aintree 11 days in the past, to turn into an actual reside contender, Mullins has made no secret of his need to go all out and financially outflank Britain’s high trainers.

The plan, ever since Aintree, was “to enter all the pieces certified in no matter races and see what occurs”.

Whereas the jockeys’ title is set on who has probably the most winners, for the trainers it’s all about who wins probably the most cash.

Mullins started the day on £3,087,248, however Warwickshire-based Skelton (£2,907,463) and Somerset’s Nicholls (£2,834,334) are nonetheless inside touching distance and able to overhauling Mullins if they’ve a great day at Sandown, the place there’s a complete pot of £700,000 on supply in prize cash.

After 4 winners from 18 entries at Ayr on Saturday, capped by outsider Macdermott’s shock victory within the Scottish Nationwide, and a brief odds-on winner at Ffos Las on Monday, it speaks volumes that Group Mullins are warming up for Sandown by chasing such comparatively small prizes.

If Dr Eggman (£4,357), Daddy Lengthy Legs (£4,357), Loughglynn (£14,238), Instit (£18,509) and Figaroc (£8,714) had all completed first, collectively they’d have earned lower than a tenth of the £500,000 that I Am Maximus earned at Liverpool – British bounce racing’s largest prize.

Because it was, the Mullins haul on Wednesday got here to £18,640, into which Nicholls, who did have a winner in Scotland when Bryony Frost rode Ioupy Collonges to victory, hoped to make additional inroads on the night assembly at one in every of his native Somerset tracks – and Cobden bought him off to an ideal begin.

However each victory counts. And to have been chasing a primary prize of £4,357 at Ludlow was a measure of Mullins’ immense will to win.