Grand National Trial Preview: Haydock marathon an excellent trial for itself

Much has been made of how this year the Grand National Trial at Haydock is the wrong side of the publication of the weights for the National itself. In practice, the timing is largely immaterial as only once in the last 10 years has a horse featured in the finish of both races: that was Neptune Collonges, second here before winning the Grand National in 2012.

More accurately, the Grand National Trial is, along with the Eider a week later, the last in a diet of winter marathon chases that are best treated as a self-contained series: the likes of the Welsh National, Classic Chase and Grand National Trial are far more likely these days to impact on each other rather than the more competitive Grand National in the spring.

If that series did exist in more than a nominal sense, Monbeg Dude and Rigadin de Beauchene would be near the top of the order of merit: the former for his consistency in such races, the latter for having the majority of them on his mantelpiece already.

Rigadin de Beauchene has particularly strong links with the Grand National Trial. He was second in the race in 2013 after winning the Classic Chase and went one better in some style 12 months ago. In the intervening time he's failed to complete in five runs, reflecting chiefly his need for testing ground and easy fences.

This is therefore the race for Rigadin de Beauchene. He flopped at Warwick last time, but apparently needed the run and he gets a significant ease in the weights as a bonus. He's still in here off 7 lb higher than last year, but you'd struggle to argue that so little extra weight would have stopped him winning that day. The handicapper has taken a chance and so have the layers: a price around 16.015/1 makes a bet on Rigadin de Beachene difficult to resist.

In contrast, Monbeg Dude rarely leaves much out on the course so long as his stamina is tested sufficiently. Few if any horses have built up the sort of record in long-distance handicap chases that he has in the last two years since he won at the Open Meeting in 2012. He's won the Welsh National, taken another Grade 3 at Cheltenham and has placed countless times since including all three starts this winter.

The fact Monbeg Dude hasn't won in over a year isn't to be taken as proof that he's plateaued: he just isn't improving fast enough. He's put up two career-bests in three starts this winter and, thanks to another slice of generous handicapping, finds himself just 1 lb higher than where he started the campaign. He really should be thereabouts again, this race more friendly to closers than the Welsh National (fourth in that last time) tends to be. At over 8.07/1, he's worth an each-way bet as the place element is about as confident as you can get in a race like this.

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Experience in similar races has its benefits, though it has to be traded off against how exposed it leaves a horse. We have the inverse issue with Super Duty, who has never tried an extreme trip but has long promised to benefit from it. He was an admirable second in the 2013 Kim Muir, just going down having tried to make all from a BHA mark of 142. He looked all about stamina in his novice season and his struggles since have nothing to do with any failure to realise that.

Super Duty has switched to the Ian Williams yard this season and the initial signs are good for a recovery. He shaped as though retaining his ability while seeming to need the run at Wetherby a couple of weeks back and the timing of that reappearance suggests this race may well be the short-term target. For a big-price saver, he'd be top of the list.

We should also touch on Benvolio. He's an obvious candidate, coming here on the back of a bold second in the Welsh National. His new connections are presumably trying to follow the route of their 1992 Grand National winner Party Politics, who was second in the Welsh National and fifth in this race before taking the big one at Aintree. Times have changed since then, though, and if Aintree is the ultimate aim Paul Nicholls mightn't have Benvolio as hard-fit as you need to be to cope with a race of this nature. There's also the small matter of a 6 lb rise for failing to overcome Emperor's Choice in what was a fairly ordinary Welsh National last time.

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As we've alluded to earlier, the Grand National Trial represents Chepstow's National more than Aintree's in its make-up, and for that reason former Welsh National winner and this year's fourth Monbeg Dude has to be near the top of the list given an 8-lb pull at the weights with Benvolio from Chepstow.

With such a solid sort on our side, we can be a bit bolder with our second selection. Super Duty is tempting and, if pressed, we'd nominate him as likeliest to turn this into a true Aintree trial.  Narrow preference on Saturday, though, is for Rigadin de Beauchene. When he's good he's very good, at least in these races. He has shown as much in this race the last two years and, still realistically handicapped, he can hopefully do so again.

Recommended bets:

Back Monbeg Dude and Rigadin de Beauchene in the Grand National Trial