The Grand National Trial is a Premier Handicap

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at

Haydock Park Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield ...

over a distance of about 3 miles and 4½

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s (3 miles, 4 furlongs and 97 yards, or ), and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in February. The event was established in 1947 and took place every year until 1984. From 1985 to 1990 there was no race at the meeting over this distance, but in 1991 the

Greenall Whitley Gold Cup The Greenall Whitley Gold Cup was a National Hunt Listed handicap chase in England. It was run at Haydock Park over a distance of 3 miles (4,828 metres), and it was scheduled to take place each year in February or early March. The event was est ...

was increased in distance from 3 miles (4,828 metres) to 3 miles and 4 furlongs (5,633 metres), effectively recreating the original Haydock Grand National Trial. The Grand National Trial name was readopted in 1996. Subsequent sponsors included

De Vere Group De Vere is a hotels and leisure business, which until the late 1990s was a brewing company known as Greenall's. It used to be listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. History Greenall's Brewery was ...

, Red Square Vodka and Blue Square, the race title suffixing the sponsor's name with "Gold Cup".

The Tote The Tote is a British gambling company which is the largest pool betting operator in the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Wigan, England, its main products are sports betting and online casino. Founded in 1928, the company was owned by the U ...

took over sponsorship from the 2011 running and the race title was changed to the totesport.com Grand National trial. As the name implies, the race serves as an important trial for the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

. It is now sponsored by William Hill. The race held Grade 3 status until 2022 and was re-classified as a Premier Handicap from the 2023 running when Grade 3 status was renamed by the

British Horseracing Authority The British Horseracing Authority, also known simply as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain. It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) and the Horseracing Regulato ...

Winners

* ''Weights given in

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

s and pounds.''

References

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...

: ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , , , , , **, * Timeform Chasers & Hurdlers Statistical Companion 1992–93
pedigreequery.com
– ''Blue Square (ex-Red Square) Gold Cup Chase – Haydock.''

– ''Red Square Vodka Gold Cup (2007).'' * {{cite book, title=Ladbrokes Pocket Companion 1990/91, year=1990, publisher=Aesculus Press, isbn=1-871093-21-X, page=55

External links

* Race Recording

National Hunt races in Great Britain Haydock Park Racecourse National Hunt chases Recurring sporting events established in 1947 1947 establishments in England

Winners

See also

References

External links