Course specialist Bristol De Mai heads the current 16 entries and will carry top weight of 12st for this Saturday's Betfred Grand National Trial Handicap Chase at Haydock Park.
The popular grey is now a 12-year-old but has always thrived at Haydock, particularly when landing the Grade One Betfair Chase three times in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
The Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned veteran has won five times overall at the Merseyside track, including in the 2017 Peter Marsh Chase. He was awarded victory in this race last year after initially being second to The Galloping Bear, who was subsequentlyy disqualfied after a banned substance was found in his sample. But on his most recent start he was a distant fourth behind impressive winner Protektorat when bidding for a record-equalling fourth victory in the Betfair Chase on his seasonal return in Haydock in November.
Bristol De Mai is currently vying for favouritism at a best-priced 5-1 with William Hill and Unibet for Saturday's Trial. He is just behind Venetia Williams' Fontaine Collonges in most the bookmakers markets with the eight-year-old a best-priced 4-1 with William Hill, BetVictor and Unibet.
Fontaine Collonges won at Haydock in a 3m1 1/2f handicap chase in November before finishing fourth at Kempton over Christmas. He could be joined on Merseyside this weekend by stable-mate Quick Wave, who is a best-priced 7-1 with William Hill. The 10-year-old will carry second top weight of 11st8lb and is one of four who could run at Haydock who are also entered in the Randox Grand National itself. They are another Williams-trained contender Cloudy Glen, Henry Daly's Fortescue and Grumpy Charley from the Chris Honour stable.
The weights for this year's Grand National at Aintree Racecourse will be revealed next Tuesday at the traditional Weights Lunch, this year being held at St George's Hall in Liverpool city centre.
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Nicky Martin's Welsh Grand National winner The Two Amigos – who has finished fourth and third in this Haydock Trial in the past – is also entered and is currently a best-priced 10-1 with Coral and Bet365.
Other entries include Charlie Longsdon's 2021 Becher Chase heroine Snow Leopardess, the Jonjo O'Neill-trained former Midlands Grand National winner Time To Get Up, Sue Smith's Small Present and course and distance scorer Tim Pat, from the Cheshire stable of Merseyside-born Donald McCain. Small Present is generally a 10-1 chance with Snow Leopardess and Tim Pat available at 16-1 and 25-1 respectively.
There were initially 17 entries for the Grand National Trial at Monday's five-day declaration stage but Colin Tizzard's Fiddlerontheroof – another who is entered in the Aintree showpiece as well – has now been declared a non-runner.
Also on the seven-race card at Haydock is the Grade Two Betfred Rendlesham Hurdle which currently has 11 entries including Dan Skelton's Ashtown Lad, who won the Becher Chase over the big fences at Aintree in December and is also entered in the Grand National. The nine-year-old is also entered in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle on the same seven-race card at Haydock and in the Swinley Handicap Chase at Ascot ahead of a potential crack at the world's greatest steeplechase back on Merseyside on April 15.
The current 2-1 favourite for the Rendlesham Hurdle is Nicky Henderson's Next Destination, who if he lines up would be having his first start in 704 days. Other potential runners are Nick Kent's Erne River, the Skelton-trained Proschema and former course winner and recent Sandown scorer Green Book, from the Venetia Williams' stable.
There are currently nine entered for the Betfred Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle including the Paul Nicholls' unbeaten Afadil and Gary Moore's Bo Zenith – both of whom will be looking to book their ticket to next month's Cheltenham Festival.
Haydock clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright has said it had been "bone-dry" at the Merseyside course in the build-up to this weekend's meeting. He will make a decision on Wednesday as to whether to water with the going currently described as good following less than 2mm of rain in the last week.
Tellwright said: "We're the same as the rest of the country. It's been bone-dry and we have been due some rain for a bit. We might get some modest showers on Wednesday, but that might be it. We'll take a view on whether to water then, and we'll have no difficulties doing so as our licence means we can do it when we want to."
Haydock's Grand National Trial day features seven races with the opener, the Betfred Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle, due off at 1.30pm. The finale, the Betfred Steve Hope Walrus Open Hunters’ Chase, is at 5pm. Gates open at 11.30am and general admission tickets start at £22. For tickets and more information on Haydock's Grand National Trial day go to https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/haydock/events-tickets/grand-national-trial/
For information regarding tickets for the Cheltenham Festival visit thejockeyclub.co.uk/Cheltenham and for the Randox Grand National Festival visit thejockeyclub.co.uk/Aintree.
Full list of 17 entries for the 2023 Betfed Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (Grade 3) at Haydock Park this Saturday (2.40pm)
No. Form Horse Age Weight Trainer
1 P31P-4 Bristol De Mai 12-12-0 Nigel Twiston-Davies
2 5/1-1P Quick Wave 10-11-8 Venetia Williams
3 P/1P9- Cloudy Glen 10-11-5 Venetia Williams
4 1U-44P Fortescue 9-11-3 Henry Daly
5 P7-P1P Grumpy Charley 8-11-0 Chris Honour
6 141-14 Fontaine Collonges 8-10-11 Venetia Williams
7 P-P876 Snow Leopardess 11-10-11 Charlie Longsdon
8 211P-3 Omar Maretti 9-10-10 Alex Hales
9 230-PP Time To Get Up 10-10-7 Jonjo O'Neill
10 42-731 The Two Amigos 11-10-6 Nicky Martin
11 22-222 First Lord De Cuet 9-10-6 David Pipe
12 823-43 Notachance 9-10-6 Alan King
13 1111-5 Movethechains 9-10-1 Gary Moore
14 5P-453 Small Present 8-10-1 Sue Smith
15 11-562 Tim Pat 7-9-13 Donald McCain
16 6-6415 Saint Xavier 11-9-13 Richard Hobson
NR Fiddlerontheroof
