Grand National Trial

Grand National Trial Overview

The Grand National Trial Steeple Chase is a Premier Handicap that is run usually each February. It attracts high-class chasers over an extended three-and-a-half-mile trip.

The race is run at Haydock Park and there are twenty-two fences to be jumped. The race carries a valuable first prize of almost £56,000. It is almost always run on soft or heavy ground so the ability to be a proven mudlark is essential. You need a horse with proven stamina and who will not mind the rough terrain ahead.

Grand National Trial Betting Trends and Statistics

• There are two leading trainers in the Haydock Grand National Trial Steeple Chase in recent years with both Venetia Williams and Lucinda Russell who have both won the race three times.
• Venetia Williams winners have been Rigadin De Beauchene (2014), Yala Enki (2018) and Quick Wave (2023).
• Lucinda Russell’s winners have been Silver By Nature (2010 & 2011) and Lie Forrit (2015).
• Multiple trainers have not had the best of times in this particular race including Paul Nicholls (0-15), Sue Smith (0-12) and Philip Hobbs (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
• The leading jockey in the Haydock Grand National Trial Steeple Chase in recent years is Harry Bannister who has won the race twice. His two winners came on board Smooth Stepper (2020) and Quick Wave (2023).

Grand National Trial History

The Grand National Trial was first run in 1947. It took place annually until 1984. The race did not take place between the years of 1985 and 1990 over the distance. However, it was restarted in 1991 when the Greenall Whitley Gold Cup had its distance extended to 3 miles and 4 furlongs. This essentially recreated the initial incarnation of the Haydock Grand National Trial.

The original name of the Grand National Trial was not given back to the race until 1996. Before this, the sponsors’ names of previous years, including De Vere Group, Red Square Vodka, and Blue Square, had their name alongside the “Gold Cup” as the title name for the race.

It was in 2011 that the Tote took on the sponsorship rights and the race was re-named the Totesport.com Grand National Trial. This ensured it was now considered a vital trial race for the Grand National itself. The race is currently sponsored by odds comparison website Oddschecker.

The race was classified as Grade 3 but in 2023 the race was re-classified as a Premier Handicap by the British Horseracing Authority as part of a huge restructuring of the horseracing schedule across the UK and Ireland.

Grand National Trial Winners