Warwickshire-based trainer Dan Skelton won the British Jump Trainers’ Championship after a record-breaking 2025/26 campaign, and he’s already set himself even higher targets next season.
The jump Finale at Sandown brought down the curtain on the British National Hunt calendar, as Skelton claimed the trainers’ title for the first time. Attention now turns to the flat season, which fans can follow by checking out plenty of new horse racing betting sites.
Skelton’s record-breaking year
For Skelton, though, the summer will allow him to collect himself after an impressive year that saw him record multiple landmarks.
Across 1,023 runs, his horses managed an impressive 194 wins, along with 513 places, putting him head and shoulders above those behind him.
Those wins came across the UK, and his brother Harry’s win at Perth with Heltenham ensured that Skelton made history, becoming the first trainer to send out a winner at all 41 National Hunt tracks in a single year.
It was also a record-breaking year for Skelton in terms of prize money, as results ensured that he surpassed the £5 million mark.
He had privately set himself the target of becoming the first trainer to break through the £4 million barrier, and a fantastic November that saw Panic Attack and Grey Dawning record big wins set the tone for the rest of the season.
Skelton targets Martin Pipe’s record in 2026/27
After being beaten to the Trainers’ Championship by Willie Mullins in two consecutive seasons, a maiden honour was a near-certainty for Skelton following his accomplishments across 2025/26 – but the Warwickshire trainer isn’t resting on his laurels.
Next season, Skelton is hoping to break Martin Pipe’s historic record for all-time British jump wins in a season. The 15-time champion trainer managed to reach 243 in 1999/2000, and the record has remained unchallenged since then.
Skelton himself became only the second trainer after Pipe to reach 200 wins – a feat he managed during the 2018/19 season – and he will now be looking to cement his dominance in jump racing.
He has already revealed that he is working on ‘Operation 244’, targeting a specific number of wins each month as he bids to surpass Pipe. It’s a strategy that’s worked for him in the past, having employed a similar approach when plotting to break the £4 million prize money record.
Skelton’s odds of breaking Pipe’s record
Skelton certainly appears to be confident that he can break the 243 mark next season, and bookmakers also believe that he stands a decent chance.
Currently, he’s 12/1 to beat the record, but a strong opening to the season by his large stable could well see those odds shorten.
As he bids to break that record, he will also be working towards another Trainers’ Championship, with current odds of 1/3 indicating that many expect him to record consecutive titles in 2026/27.
Article written by Gareth McGray
