Grand National Trial Tips & Odds
The Grand National Trial at Haydock Park is one of the feature races in the middle of February, and is an ideal race for those trainers looking to give their Grand National contenders a prep run before heading to Aintree for the marathon showpiece in April. You can find the latest odds here...
Haydock 15:15
William Hill Half A Mill Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race)
- 5yo+, 22 Runners
- Jumps , 3m 4f 97y , GOOD TO SOFT, Soft in places (GoingStick: 4.3)
- Winner £56,950, 2nd £21,370, 3rd £10,700, 4th £5,330, 5th £2,680, 6th £1,340
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• 1 (5) = Horse number with the draw number in brackets.
• Number alongside the horse name is the days since the horse last ran.
• Numbers/letters under the jockey silk is the horse form with the most recent figure on the right. Numbers = finishing position (0 = finished outside the top 10), P = pulled up, F = fell, U = Unseated, B = brought down, R = refused, C = carried out, D = disqualified, HR = hit rails, L = left at start, O = ran out, S = slipped up, V = void race. A dash between figures indicates a year between the runs and a slash indicates a new season.
• % alongside jockey/trainer names = strike rate in last 30 days.
• Key to pointers: C = Course winner, D = Distance winner, CD = Course & Distance winner, BF = Beaten Favourite last time out, WS = Has had wind surgery since last run, LT = Longest Travellers, b = Wearing blinkers, b1 = Wearing blinkers for the first time, h = Wearing a hood, h1 = Wearing a hood for the first time, t = Wearing a tongue strap, t1 = Wearing a tongue strap for the first time, v = Wearing a visor, v1 = Wearing a visor for the first time, p = Wearing cheek pieces. OR = Official Rating. RPR = Racing Post Rating. Topspeed is a figure calculated using race times and the going to show how fast the horse can run.
Grand National Trial Tips
Our editor Billy Grimshaw has previewed the Grand National Trial at Haydock, with his full thoughts on the race and his best bet noted below...
What is the Grand National Trial?
The Grand National Trial is a race run at Haydock Park over three miles, four furlongs and 97 yards and takes place in February. A Grade 3 handicap chase open to horses aged five years and older, it's a race that can throw up a classy winner that can often been seen bidding for Grand National glory at Aintree.
Established in 1947, the Grand National Trial may have struggled to produce Aintree Grand National winners of late, but with its marathon test only seeing the best stayers prevail then it can prove to be an ideal preparation for a contest that is extremely tough to win.
With it being a handicap contest, then it's paramount that your horse has an eye-catching weight to carry, as with such energy-sapping conditions then it's hard to land glory if you are too high up in the handicap./
What happened in the 2024 Grand National Trial?
The Gavin Cromwell-trained YEAH MAN was a smashing winner of the 2024 renewal of this race, further adding to his Irish trainer's phenomenal record when coming over to Britain and taking big Saturday prizes.
The history of the Grand National Trial
Since its inception in 1947, the Grand National Trial is one of the most exciting staying handicap chases on the calendar and has been a breeding ground for stars of the future.
A Grade 3 handicap chase, which has a notable prize fund going to the winner, it's no shock that down the years it has seen some classy performers line up, and none more so than the mighty Red Rum, who stormed to victory in the 1975 Grand National Trial.
Cool Ground (1992), Party Politics (1993), and Master Oats (1994) enhanced the race's reputation with all three names tasting victory during their illustrious career, while more recently Silver By Nature won back-to-back renewals in 2010 and 2011.
Who is the most iconic winner of the Grand National Trial?
It's hard to veer away from the mighty Red Rum, who bounded to victory in the 1975 Grand National Trial for jockey Brian Fletcher and trainer Ginger McCain.
With two Grand National wins at Aintree to his name in 1973 and 1974, Red Rum was already a legend of the sport when he won this race in 1975, but he will still continue to excel over marathon tests and went on to win a third Grand National at Aintree in 1977.
Are there any trials for the Grand National Trial?
The likes of the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase and Peter Marsh Handicap Chase could prove to be two notable trials for the Grand National Trial, but the race is often a contest that is a test to see if a horse is good enough to be targeted at Aintree in April, so horses can warm up for a run at Haydock Park in this event at various venues, so it's hard to give out clear trials.
Who is the most successful jockey in the Grand National Trial?
Peter Buchanan has ridden the winner four times and he can thank Lucinda Russell for three of his wins, as he piloted Silver By Nature (2010 + 2011) to glory twice and also Lie Forrit in 2015. Buchanan's first win in the race came in 2005 onboard the Richard Ford-trained Forest Gunner, who grabbed victory in the race in fine style
Who is the most successful trainer in the Grand National Trial?
Fred Rimell and Lucinda Russell have both tasted victory in this race three times during their training careers. Rimell's standout winner was the legendary Andy Pandy, who won the 1977 Grand National Trial, while Russell saddled the aforementioned Silver By Nature to back-to-back wins in the race.