The Grand National Trial (formerly The Gold Cup)

This premier jump race will be staged on Saturday 18th February 2012 and with a guaranteed prize money fund of £75,000, this Grade 3 Channel 4-televised race is one of the most valuable races in the jump racing calendar, attracting the very best long distance steeplechasers from around the Country.

The Grand National Trial changed its name in 2011 from The Gold Cup and is for 2012 sponsored by Betfred, has attracted high profile sponsors since its inception in 1968, with previous sponsorship banners including Greenalls and De Vere, but one thing has remained constant during the race’s lengthy history and that is its habit of producing high-quality action.

The Grand National Trial is a valuable staying handicap chase and certainly served its purpose as a stepping stone to Aintree during the ‘70s.  Indeed the most successful National horse of all time, Red Rum, has used this Haydock race as his prep run for all 5 years of his remarkable Aintree era and both Party Politics (1992) and Earth Summit (1998) gained their Aintree wins after finishing 5th in the same season’s Gold Cup.

The Grand National Trial is not solely confined to its effectiveness as a National trial, in fact, in many ways it has proved a better trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with Royal Frolic (1976), Alverton (1979) and Cool Ground (1992) all victorious at Haydock en route to landing the Cheltenham Gold Cup.