Blue Square Gold Cup
Encyclopedia
The Grand National Trial is a Grade 3 National Hunt
chase in Great Britain
which is open to horses
aged five years or older. It is run at Haydock Park
over a distance of about 3 miles and 4 furlongs (5,633 metres), 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 1968, and during the early part of its history it was contested over 3 miles. It was extended to its present length in 1991. Former sponsors have included Greenalls (later known as De Vere Group), Red Square Vodka and Blue Square
, and the race title combined the sponsor's name with "Gold Cup". The Tote
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 race was abandoned in 1986 due to frost, and in 1987 because of snow.
The 1994 running took place at Kempton Park
.
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
chase in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
which is open to horses
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
aged five years or older. It is run at Haydock Park
Haydock Park Racecourse
Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Haydock, Merseyside, England. The track is a mostly flat left-handed oval of around 1 mile 5 furlongs with a very slight rise on the run-in. There are courses for flat racing and National Hunt racing...
over a distance of about 3 miles and 4 furlongs (5,633 metres), 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 1968, and during the early part of its history it was contested over 3 miles. It was extended to its present length in 1991. Former sponsors have included Greenalls (later known as De Vere Group), Red Square Vodka and Blue Square
The Rank Group
The Rank Group plc is a European gaming and leisure business. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, and the race title combined the sponsor's name with "Gold Cup". The Tote
The Tote
The Tote, formerly the Horserace Totalisator Board, is a British bookmaker with head offices in Wigan. It was owned from its formation in 1928 by the UK Government but was sold to Betfred in July 2011. Under the brand totesport the Tote has 514 high street betting shops, outlets on Britain's 60...
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
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
.
Winners since 1980
- Weights given in stones and poundPound (mass)The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
s.Year Winner Age Weight Jockey Trainer 1980 Cavity Hunter 7 11-01 Ridley Lamb Tony Dickinson 1981 Sunset Cristo 7 11-07 Chris Grant Ray Hawkey 1982 Scot Lane 9 10-00 Craig Smith Martin Tate 1983 Righthand Man 6 10-09 Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson 1984 Midnight Love 9 10-03 Chris Grant Denys Smith 1985 Earls Brig 10 10-06 Phil Tuck William Hamilton no race 1986–87 1988 Yahoo Yahoo (horse)Yahoo was a successful National Hunt racehorse, who is best remembered for a memorable second in the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup to Desert Orchid....7 10-10 Tom Morgan John Edwards 1989 Eton Rouge 10 10-01 J. Bryan Mercy Rimell 1990 Rinus 9 10-04 Richard Dunwoody Richard DunwoodyThomas Richard Dunwoody MBE is a retired British jockey in National Hunt racing. He was a three-time Champion Jockey, riding 1699 British winners in his career. His father was a leading Point to Point rider...Gordon W. Richards Gordon W. RichardsThis article is about the racehorse trainer. For the jockey, see Gordon Richards----Gordon W. Richards was a British racehorse trainer specialising mainly in National Hunt racing...1991 Twin Oaks 11 11-00 Neale Doughty Gordon W. Richards Gordon W. RichardsThis article is about the racehorse trainer. For the jockey, see Gordon Richards----Gordon W. Richards was a British racehorse trainer specialising mainly in National Hunt racing...1992 Cool Ground Cool GroundCool Ground is a former National Hunt racehorse. He won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1992, as well as the Kim Muir in 1989, the Mildmay Cazalet in 1990 and 1991, the Welsh National in 1990 and the Greenalls Gold Cup in 1991...10 11-03 Adrian Maguire Adrian MaguireAdrian Maguire, born 29 April 1971 in Kilmessan, County Meath, Ireland, is a racehorse trainer and former jockey.Maguire began his career in Irish pony racing at the age of nine, in which he rode more than 200 winners. In 1990 he rode his first winner under rules, at Sligo, before his first victory...Toby Balding Toby BaldingGerald Barnard Balding, Jr. OBE , known as Toby Balding, is a retired British racehorse trainer.-Biography:He was born in the United States where his father, Gerald Barnard Balding, Sr., ran a polo team and is part of a famous racing family. His brother, Ian Balding, also a retired trainer, trained...1993 Party Politics Party Politics (horse)Party Politics was a Thoroughbred racehorse most famous for his victory in the 1992 Grand National at Aintree Racecourse, ridden by Carl Llewellyn, trained by Nick Gaselee and owned by Patricia Thompson...9 11-07 Carl Llewellyn Nick Gaselee 1994 Master Oats 8 10-02 Norman Williamson Norman WilliamsonNorman Williamson is a professional jockey in the Irish National Hunt.- References :...Kim Bailey 1995 Nuaffe 10 11-00 Sean O'Donovan Pat Fahy 1996 Lo Stregone 10 10-00 Charlie Swan Tom Tate 1997 Suny Bay 8 10-08 Jamie Osborne Jamie OsborneJamie Osborne is a jockey and race horse trainer. Born 28 August 1967 he rode his first winner in March 1986 and in 1999 obtained his trainers licence. Once a favourite of the Queen Mother, he was acquitted of race fixing in 1998.-References:...Charlie Brooks 1998 Dom Samourai 7 10-00 Chris Maude Martin Pipe Martin PipeMartin Pipe was a racehorse trainer until his retirement in April 2006.The son of a West-Country bookmaker, Pipe was an amateur jockey before turning his attention to training in 1974 at Nicholashayne, Devon, near Wellington, England....1999 Young Kenny 8 10-00 Brendan Powell Peter Beaumont Peter Beaumont (racehorse trainer)Peter Beaumont is a British racehorse trainer. He retired in 2010 after a 24-year career- References :...2000 The Last Fling 10 11-01 Seamus Durack Sue Smith 2001 Frantic Tan 9 10-04 Carl Llewellyn Nigel Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-DaviesNigel Twiston-Davies is a British racehorse trainer specialising in National Hunt racing. He is based at stables at Naunton, Gloucestershire....no race 2002 2003 Shotgun Willy 9 11-12 Ruby Walsh Ruby WalshRuby Walsh is the reigning Irish National Hunt champion jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.-Success:...Paul Nicholls Paul Nicholls (horse racing)Paul Nicholls is a British National Hunt horse trainer with stables at Ditcheat, Somerset. A relatively successful jump jockey, Nicholls has become the leading National Hunt trainer of his generation, finishing the 2007-2008 season with 155 winners and a record £4 million in prize money...2004 Jurancon II 7 10-06 Joey Elliot Martin Pipe Martin PipeMartin Pipe was a racehorse trainer until his retirement in April 2006.The son of a West-Country bookmaker, Pipe was an amateur jockey before turning his attention to training in 1974 at Nicholashayne, Devon, near Wellington, England....2005 Forest Gunner 11 10-10 Peter Buchanan Richard Ford 2006 Ossmoses 9 10-00 Richard McGrath Don Forster 2007 Heltornic 7 10-00 Tom Scudamore Tom ScudamoreTom Scudamore is a third-generation British flat and steeplechase jockey. He is the son of eight-time champion jockey Peter Scudamore; his grandfather Michael won the Grand National on Oxo in 1959.-Background:...Michael Scudamore 2008 Miko de Beauchene 8 11-12 Andrew Thornton Andrew ThorntonAndrew Thornton is a National Hunt jockey. He was born on October 28, 1972 in Cleveland and schooled at Barnard Castle School in County Durham. He rides mainly for Caroline Bailey,Seamus Mullins,Henrietta Knight,Ben Pollock and Richard Rowe.as well as for many other trainers. He is not related to...Robert & Sally Alner Robert AlnerRobert Alner is a British racehorse trainer specializing in National Hunt racing. He is based at stables at Droop, near Sturminster Newton in Dorset, England. He trained the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Cool Dawn in 1998....2009 Rambling Minster 11 11-00 James Reveley Keith Reveley 2010 Silver by Nature 8 10-11 Peter Buchanan Lucinda Russell 2011 Silver by Nature 9 11-12 Peter Buchanan Lucinda Russell
The race was abandoned in 1986 due to frost, and in 1987 because of snow.
The 1994 running took place at Kempton Park
Kempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, which is a western suburb of London 16 miles from the city centre. The site is set in of land....
.