#Grand National Trial

Newcastle's Flat card features a conditions race over a mile and a quarter with some smart older performers entered up. They include the John & Thady Gosden pair Harrovian and Forest of Dean who finished third and fifth respectively in a listed race at Lingfield in November which has thrown up some winners since. This looks a bit less competitive,…

Saturday sees the 174th running of the Grand National at Aintree. The Charlie Longsdon-trained Snow Leopardess heads the betting but here we run through the entire field, in order of allotted weight. 1) MINELLA TIMES (Henry de Bromhead) Rating (out of 10) 6, weight 11st 10lbs Created history for Rachael Blackmore last year but he has only run twice…

With Christmas fast approaching, so too is Chepstow's flagship event. The Welsh Grand National is almost upon us. So, are the Welsh Grand National 2022 entries confirmed? Absolutely. 26 horses are still in with a shout of getting down to business over the mammoth trip. Whether every single one of those horses starts the race is another matter, but…

The Welsh Grand National, Chepstow's flagship racing event, is almost upon us, so it's time to delve into the form book, assess the runners and riders and deliver our Welsh Grand National 2022 tips. As things currently stand, two days before the race is due to begin, 26 runners are due to go to post for the big race, which means there's plenty for…

The crowds are about to descend on Aintree - the Grand National is finally upon us. Bookies will hold their collective breaths at 4.15pm, hoping for one of the outsiders to storm to the front and be first past the post. All of the best jockeys have a horse. The departing AP McCoy is on the favourite, Shutthefrontdoor, while Ruby Walsh will be…

Sky Sports Racing presenter Alex Hammond is back with her Christmas blog, taking aim at the King George, Long Walk Hurdle and the Welsh Grand National. Amongst all the rushing around for Christmas in the Hammond house, there is some serious racing to look forward to over the festive period, it's no wonder my house guests choose to leave on Boxing…

The Randox Grand National is underway and racegoers have returned to the world's greatest steeplechase for the first time in three years. Punters have not been at Aintree to cheer on the Grand National runners since 2019, after the race meet was cancelled in 2020 and held behind closed doors last year. They braved rain and chilly temperatures on…

The Big Dog will bid to provide connections with another major payday in the Coral Welsh Grand National later this month, with trainer Peter Fahey optimistic of another "huge" performance from his in-form chaser. It may turn out to be a shrewd piece of placing from the Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer to target the Chepstow marathon on December…

What a day of horse racing lies ahead at Haydock and Ascot with plenty of top names set to have their rugs removed and unleashed on the course for the first time this season. A Plus Tard, Constitution Hill, L' Homme Presse and Edwardstone were all festival winners last March and will have their seasonal reappearances in front of the ITV cameras on…

We could see the next winner of the Welsh National as a classy field head to the trial at Chepstow on Saturday, while there is All-Weather Fast-Track Qualifier action at Wolverhampton, all live on Sky Sports Racing. Last year's Coral Welsh Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (1.37) unearthed the winner of the big race itself Iwilldoit bolted up…

I served a couple of days' suspension on Monday and Wednesday this week which was frustrating as the horses have been in great form on the track and I've got some cracking chances this weekend too with a bit of luck. Looking back on Carlisle last Sunday, Zambella was brilliant in the Listed mares' chase, making most of the running and eventually…

The Paddy Power Gold Cup, which takes place at Cheltenham's November Meeting, can often be a pointer towards the December Gold Cup and Midnight River and Il Ridoto, who finished third and fourth in that contest, figure prominently in the ante-post market. Midnight River had been hit with an 8 lb rise following a 25-length romp on his return at…

The Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase (14:20) at Navan on Sunday is available as a free Race Pass, which means logged-in customers can view all our premium comments and ratings. The Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase (14:20) is always one of the most competitive handicaps in the Irish National Hunt racing calendar and this year looks no…

Henry Daly reiterated that the exciting Hillc rest (Evens Favourite) is the best horse he has ever trained, after he picked up a fourth victory over hurdles with a facile victory in the Grade Two Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices' Hurdle (3m ½f) at Haydock Park this afternoon. That victory means that the seven year old has now won on each of his…

Jockey Daryl Jacob believes three-time winner Bristol De Mai still has "a great chance" of landing a record-equalling fourth victory in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park on Saturday. Nigel Twiston-Davies' popular grey is now an 11-year-old and turns 12 on January 1 but his regular rider Jacob thinks he can still run a big race against last year's…

The Betfair Chase seems to attract more chat than most when it comes to high-profile small-field horse races. It's far from being alone in the genre but here we have a race where the entry stage is now being debated. Would switching from an early-closing race to the usual six-day entry make any difference to field sizes for the first Grade One of…

A Plus Tard will take centre stage when he defends his Betfair Chase crown at Haydock Park on Saturday but connections of mud-loving Protektorat, who is a class act in his own right, will be enjoying all the weather bulletins suggesting plenty more rain at the track between now and the weekend. It's not that A Plus Tard does not handle deep ground…

Snow Leopardess: Becher Chase winner has options at Exeter on Sunday There are several Grand National entries pencilled in this weekend and there could be ramifications for the ante-post market. Here are four horses who could be cut for Aintree's famous race. . . The Grand National has been a long-range target for the 2019 Ladbrokes Trophy winner…

Bristol De Mai: three-time winner of the Betfair Chase Retirement talk surrounded Bristol De Mai last season but the popular mudloving grey is on course to make his seasonal reappearance in the Betfair Chase - a race he has won three times. A grand servant to the Nigel Twiston-Davies yard, Bristol De Mai is close to turning 12 but he has shown…

THE Irish Grand National is upon us - and it promises to be a belter. Here, Steve Mullen - Templegate to you and me - takes us through every horse with his unbeatable runner-by-runner guide. He goes through the pros and cons for each horse and gives them a rating out of five. At the bottom is our top tipster's verdict. LATEST EXHIBITION 4 LATE…

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