User Review
( votes)Haydock Grand National Trial – Race Preview
Haydock hosts its Grand National Trial on Saturday as the countdown to the April’s Aintree Grand National intensifies. The Haydock Grand National Trial is a Grade 3 handicap chase run over 3 miles and 4 furlongs with a total of 22 fences jumped. Saturday’s race is set to see the lowest number of runners in 11 years with only eight horses set to go to post. Despite the low number of runners, the race is set to be a competitive betting heat.
The current ante-post favourite is the Kerry Lee trained Mountainous. A staying on winner of the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow in January, Mountainous comes into Saturday’s with a 10lb rise in the weights. Lee is in her first season as a trainer having taken over from her father Richard and she has enjoyed a number of staying handicap successes so far this season. With conditions again set to play to Mountainous’s strengths, he looks set to take all the beating.
The Sue Smith trained Cloudy Too is the current ante-post second favourite and he comes into Saturday’s race on the back of an impressive course victory over 3 miles at the end of January. A 10lb rise in the weights for that success looks fair and although victory on Saturday would require a career best effort, it may well be that the ten-year old can find the necessary improvement.
Rigadin De Beauchene won the race in 2014 and he is set to run on Saturday off a make only 2lbs higher. Victory at Haydock at the end of December was followed up with a fall at Warwick in the middle of last month. He was badly hampered by a loose horse at Warwick however and if on a going day, he could well run into a place on Saturday.
Davis Pipe is set to saddle Broadway Buffalo in Saturday’s race as he looks to follow in his father’s footsteps who trained the winner of this race in 2004. Broadway Buffalo was sent off as favourite for last year’s renewal and was travelling nicely when falling six fences from home. He then placed second in the National Hunt Chase at last season’s Cheltenham Festival before running in a Grade 1 Hurdle contest in France. Katie Walsh is again set to take the ride and off a mark of 141, a strong run looks to be on the cards.
Gas Line Boy was travelling nicely behind Cloudy Too last time out when unseating his jockey five fences from home and the Jim Best trained ten-tear old could again go well off a mark of 140 in what appears to be a wide open race.
Saturday’s field is completed by Bishops Road, Harry the Viking and Minella On Line.
Mountainous is the current ante-post favourite at 4.5 (9/2) with Cloudy Too available at 6 (5/1). Gas Line Boy and Broadway Buffalo are both 6.5 (11/2) with Rigadin De Beauchene 8 (7/1). The horse racing betting tip for Saturday’s Haydock Grand National Trial is Broadway Buffalo at 6.5 (11/2).
By: Scott McGlynn