Grand National Trial
The Haydock Park Grand National Trial is a Grade 3 handicap over three and a half miles in February.
The race has been run under various titles and has been regarded as a significant trial for Aintree since Red Rum won here in 1975.
Other notable winners include Cool Ground (1992), Party Politics (1993) and Master Oats (1994).
Find out more about the Haydock Park Grand National Trial:
Contents
- 1 Race Overview – The Haydock Park Grand National Trail
- 2 Grand National Trial 2023 Odds
- 3 Grand National Trial Tips
- 4 Grand National Trial Previous Winners
- 5 Grand National Trial Previous Result
- 6 Famous Haydock Park Grand National Trial Winners
- 7 Key form races for Haydock Park Grand National Trial
- 8 Haydock Park Grand National Trial Betting Trends
- 9 Haydock Park Grand National Trial – Top Trainers and Jockeys
- 10 Betting on the Haydock Park Grand National Trial
- 11 Facts about the Grand National Trial
- 12 Summary of the Grand National Trial
- 13 Related February Horse Racing Posts
- 14 Resources
Race Overview – The Haydock Park Grand National Trail
Horses five years old and older may enter the Grand National Trial, a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase.
Twenty-two fences must be jumped during the race, which is raced at Haydock Park over a distance of around 3 miles and 4 and a half furlongs (3 miles, 4 furlongs, and 97 yards, or 5,721 metres).
The Grand National Trial will take place on Saturday 18th February 2023. This race is a major race in February.
Grand National Trial 2023 Odds
The Grand National Trial odds are listed below:
The odds for this race have not yet been released.
Grand National Trial Tips
The Grand National Trial tips are below:
2 points to win for TBC at odds of TBC
1 point each way for TBC at odds of TBC
Many Grand National Trial horses will race in more races throughout the years. Stay updated on the horses and place ante-post bets if you want to wager on them.
If you are looking for more racing tips for events taking place at Aintree Racecourse then check out our Aintree racing tips page.
Grand National Trial Previous Winners
1948 | Gallery | 10 | 11-03 | M Prendergast | W Bissill |
1949 | Freebooter | 8 | 11-11 | Tim Molony | Bobby Renton |
1951 | Cardinal Error | 7 | 11–12 | R Curran | J Wight |
1953 | Witty | 8 | 10-09 | G Slack | W Hall |
1955 | Goosander | 7 | 11-04 | A Thompson | Neville Crump |
1956 | Sundew | 10 | 11-10 | Fred Winter | F Hudson |
1957 | Goosander | 9 | 11-08 | H East | Neville Crump |
1958 | Giles Farnaby | 12 | 09-07 | P Madden | T Lord |
1960 | Highland Dandy | 8 | 10-03 | R Langley | G Owen |
1901 | Uncle Isaac | 8 | 10-05 | C Scott[a] | T Scott |
1962 | Solfen | 10 | 12-00 | Toss Taaffe | W O'Grady (Ir) |
1964 | Reproduction | 11 | 09-07 | Stan Mellor | G Owen |
1966 | The Ringer | 7 | 10–11 | Paddy Broderick | Arthur Stephenson |
1967 | Bassnet | 8 | 10–12 | David Nicholson | A Kilpatrick |
1969 | Game Purston | 11 | 10-01 | Ken White | Matt McCourt |
1970 | French Excuse | 8 | 10-01 | Ken White | Fred Rimell |
1971 | The Otter | 10 | 10-01 | T M Jones | R Dening |
1972 | Rouge Autumn | 8 | 10–13 | Ken White | Fred Rimell |
1973 | Highland Seal | 10 | 10-00 | R Dennard | R Dening |
1975 | Red Rum | 10 | 12-00 | Brian Fletcher | Ginger McCain |
1976 | Forest King | 7 | 10-07 | D Munro | K Hogg |
1977 | Andy Pandy | 8 | 10–13 | John Burke | Fred Rimell |
1978 | Tregarron | 11 | 10-07 | Jonjo O'Neill | Ken Oliver |
1980 | Narvik | 7 | 10-00 | Colin Hawkins | Neville Crump |
1983 | Ashley House | 9 | 10-01 | Robert Earnshaw | Michael Dickinson |
1991 | Twin Oaks | 11 | 11-00 | Neale Doughty | Gordon W. Richards |
1992 | Cool Ground | 10 | 11-03 | Adrian Maguire | Toby Balding |
1993 | Party Politics | 9 | 11-07 | Carl Llewellyn | Nick Gaselee |
1994 | Master Oats [b] | 8 | 10-02 | Norman Williamson | Kim Bailey |
1995 | Nuaffe | 10 | 11-00 | Sean O'Donovan | Pat Fahy |
1996 | Lo Stregone | 10 | 10-00 | Charlie Swan | Tom Tate |
1997 | Suny Bay | 8 | 10-08 | Jamie Osborne | Charlie Brooks |
1998 | Dom Samourai | 7 | 10-00 | Chris Maude | Martin Pipe |
1999 | Young Kenny | 8 | 10-00 | Brendan Powell | Peter Beaumont |
2000 | The Last Fling | 10 | 11–01 | Seamus Durack | Sue Smith |
2001 | Frantic Tan | 9 | 10-04 | Carl Llewellyn | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
2003 | Shotgun Willy | 9 | 11–12 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
2004 | Jurancon II | 7 | 10-06 | Joey Elliot | Martin Pipe |
2005 | Forest Gunner | 11 | 10-10 | Peter Buchanan | Richard Ford |
2006 | Ossmoses | 9 | 10-00 | Richard McGrath | Don Forster |
2007 | Heltornic | 7 | 10-00 | Tom Scudamore | Michael Scudamore |
2008 | Miko de Beauchene | 8 | 11–12 | Andrew Thornton | Robert & Sally Alner |
2009 | Rambling Minster | 11 | 11-00 | James Reveley | Keith Reveley |
2010 | Silver by Nature | 8 | 10–11 | Peter Buchanan | Lucinda Russell |
2011 | Silver by Nature | 9 | 11–12 | Peter Buchanan | Lucinda Russell |
2012 | Giles Cross | 10 | 10-5 | Denis O'Regan | Victor Dartnall |
2013 | Well Refreshed | 9 | 10-03 | Joshua Moore | Gary Moore |
2014 | Rigadin De Beauchene | 9 | 10-05 | Robbie Dunne | Venetia Williams |
2015 | Lie Forrit | 11 | 11-06 | Peter Buchanan | Lucinda Russell |
2016 | Bishops Road | 8 | 11-07 | Richard Johnson | Kerry Lee |
2017 | Vieux Lion Rouge | 8 | 11-06 | Tom Scudamore | David Pipe |
2018 | Yala Enki | 8 | 10-11 | Charlie Deutsch | Venetia Williams |
2019 | Robinsfirth | 10 | 11-04 | Sean Bowen | Colin Tizzard |
2020 | Smooth Stepper | 11 | 10-00 | Harry Bannister | Alex Hales |
2021 | Lord Du Mesnil | 8 | 11-06 | Paul O'Brien | Richard Hobson |
2022 | Bristol De Mai[c] | 11 | 11-12 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
2023 | Quick Wave | 10 | 11-08 | Henry Bannister | Venetia Williams |
Grand National Trial Previous Result
What a brilliant race! 😮
The Galloping Bear throws everything at Bristol De Mai and just about manages to get the better of the gallant grey to win the Grand National Trial 🏆pic.twitter.com/jbvD2f4iQY
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) February 19, 2022
Famous Haydock Park Grand National Trial Winners
The race was first run in 1947 and was later run as the Greenall Whitley Gold Cup. It did not adopt the title of Grand National Trial until 1996.
Red Rum is of course a Grand National legend. He won this race under 12 stone in 1975 having already won the Aintree marathon in 1973 and 1974. He gained his record third victory in 1977.
The race produced a trio of top-class winners from 1992 to 1994. Cool Ground (1992) and Master Oats (1994) both went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup for Toby Balding and Adrian Maguire.
Master Oats won this race with only 10st 2lbs on his back but improved rapidly to become the leading chaser in Britain and Ireland, also landing the Cheltenham feature.
Party Politics had won the Grand National in 1992 and won here in 1993. He started favourite for the void National that year but returned to Aintree to finish runner-up in 1995.
Other notable winners of the Grand National Trial include Suny Bay (1997), Miko De Beauchene (2008), Silver By Nature (2010, 2011) and Bristol De Mai (2022).
Key form races for Haydock Park Grand National Trial
The key form race for the Grand National Trial has been the Welsh Grand National. Three of the last twelve winners ran in that race last time out.
Only four of the twelve winners had been successful on their most recent outing.
The race has not provided any clues to the outcome at Aintree in recent seasons.
Four of the last twelve winners ran at Aintree but none of them reached the frame.
In fact, there is an argument to suggest that this race can damage a horse’s prospects at Aintree. It can be quite a gruelling contest and none of the last twelve winners were even placed next time out.
Haydock Park Grand National Trial Betting Trends
Only two favourites have won this race in the past twelve seasons; Giles Cross (2012) and Well Refreshed (2013). Bristol De Mai (2022) was awarded the race after finishing second as the 11-2 second favourite.
Smooth Stepper (2020) was the longest-priced winner in recent years at 33-1.
Rigadin De Beauchene (2014) won at 16-1 while Silver By Nature (2011) returned at 10-1.
There is no real age bias in this race with horses winning from 8 to 11.
The last seven-year-old to win was Heltornic in 2007.
Haydock Park Grand National Trial – Top Trainers and Jockeys
Neville Crump and Fred Rimell both trained the winner of this race on three occasions.
Lucinda Russell joined the illustrious company with her three more recent victories; Silver By Nature (2010, 2011) and Lie Forrit (2015).
Peter Buchanan was in the saddle for all three races, equalling the record of Ken White (1969, 1970 and 1972).
Betting on the Haydock Park Grand National Trial
The Haydock Park Grand National Trial usually attracts a big field and the winner can be difficult to find.
In terms of a trial for Aintree, it may be that this is too gruelling a contest and it seems to take its toll on the winner.
Facts about the Grand National Trial
- The Grand National Trial is a National Hunt Steeplechase in the United Kingdom for five-year-old and above horses.
- The race is run over a distance of around 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5,906 metres), and during its running, there are 22 fences to be jumped.
- The race is scheduled to take place each year in February at Haydock Park Racecourse.
Summary of the Grand National Trial
Thank you for reading our Grand National Trial page.
We have looked at facts and stats about the race, so you can make an informed decision before placing a bet or just wanting to enjoy the race.
Here are all of February’s horse racing related posts:
- Adonis Juvenile Novices' Hurdle
- Ascot Chase
- Betfair Hurdle
- Denman Chase
- Dovecote Novices' Hurdle
- Dublin Chase
- Dublin Racing Festival
- Dublin Racing Festival Day 1
- Dublin Racing Festival Day 2
- Game Spirit Chase
- Grand National Trial
- Heroes Handicap Hurdle
- Hever Sprint Stakes
- Horse Racing In February
- Irish Arkle Novice Chase
- Irish Champion Hurdle
- Irish Gold Cup
- Jane Seymour Mares' Novices' Hurdle
- Kachy Stakes
- Kingmaker Novices' Chase
- Kingwell Hurdle
- Liffey Handicap Hurdle
- National Spirit Hurdle
- Pendil Novices' Chase
- Prestige Novices' Hurdle
- Rendlesham Hurdle
- Reynoldstown Novices' Chase
- Scilly Isles Novices' Chase
- Spring Juvenile Hurdle
- Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle
- Towton Novices' Chase
- Winter Derby
- Winter Derby Trial