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Remind me next time

DISCLAIMER: ODDS AND ARTICLE UPDATED 14/02/2019, 19:40.

With the Aintree Grand National on the horizon, here we look ahead to Saturday's trial race at Haydock.

William Hill Grand National Trial

(Sat, 15:35 Haydock)

There will be few Grand National Trials quite as competitive as Haydock’s feature event on Saturday and it stands alone as a fantastic betting heat, despite having a poor record of producing future winners of the Grand National.

Horses such as Red Rum and Freebooter have wins in the race prior to winning the National but there has been no horse since the trial’s inception in 1948 that has ever won both races in the same season - a damning statistic.

However, with 7/1 the field, there’s plenty of each-way value to be found in the race and none more so than with 2017’s Haydock Grand National Trial winner, Vieux Lion Rouge.

Vieux Lion Rouge to Win and Each-way @ 14/1 - BET NOW

The son of Sabiango has failed to see out the Grand National trip on multiple attempts now but he’s still highly effective at the three miles four furlongs that he encounters here.

He finds himself still on the same mark as his excellent second at Aintree back in December in the Becher Handicap Chase over a similar trip and he set an unsustainable gallop in the Welsh National last time out so can be forgiven that run.

He may not have won since his success in this race in 2017 but he returns on the same mark here and gets his optimum conditions given he’s ideally suited to this flat track over this trip and doesn’t want the ground too soft.

Given he’s only a 10-year-old, we still may not have seen quite the best of him yet and, furthermore, the yard is in good form at present, running at a 20 per cent strike-rate in recent weeks.

Course form can be underestimated at Haydock with their testing fences and galloping track and Vieux Lion Rouge would appear to have been completely underestimated in the market, available to back at 14/1. He must be high on anyone’s list from an each-way perspective.

Carole’s Destrier to Win and Each-way @ 16/1 - BET NOW

At a slightly bigger price, Carole’s Destrier rates as the next best bet in the race after a return to form this season.

The eleven-year-old will probably always be remembered for his effort when a fast-finishing runner-up to subsequent Gold Cup winner Native River in the Welsh Grand National back in 2016 but he’s still on a workable mark, even on subsequent form since that effort. 

Given that he’s not rated high enough to get into the Aintree Grand National, this will likely be his main target for the season, and he finished an excellent fourth last time out having won at Newbury the time before.

Last year’s winner Yala Enki will no doubt prove popular with punters again but he’s been well found at the head of the market and carrying top weight in this gruelling test will not be an easy task.

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