Key Points
- Today’s betting tip loves Haydock and he has never been out of the first three here!
- He shaped like this longer trip would suit him when staying on strongly last time
- These silks of the late Trevor Hemmings regularly do well in this race
Today’s betting tip runs in the Grand National Trial at Haydock (15:15), where I feel he is overpriced at 12/1. It’s a competitive race but I believe he’ll relish this marathon trip, and we already know he loves the track and the testing ground. With question marks hanging over the favourite, there is plenty of value in my selection.
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Betting advice
- 15:15 Haydock -
Richmond Lake
@ 12/1 (4 places) -
1pt each way
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The top two have an obvious chance but I’m taking them on!
Myretown has tons of ability but his jumping keeps letting him down, and while Deafening Silence is reliable, I’m not convinced that he’s handicapped well enough to win, especially after another 2lb rise. That’s why I’m taking the pair on with Richmond Lake.
Richmond Lake loves Haydock and he’s never been out of the first three here!
2132 are the form figures Richmond Lake has recorded when running at Haydock His first run at the track was back in January 2022 when he ran in the Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) which is a trial for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. He finished second that day over the 1m 7.5f trip on Soft ground and who did he bump into? None other than 11-time Grade 1 winner Jonbon! It’s safe to say that form worked out well.
His second start at Haydock came in a 2m 4f Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase in March 2023 where he faced just three rivals, and made all to win by four lengths. Considering he jumped left and he was also giving a stone or more to the field, it was a very impressive performance and one that received a RPR of 150.
Richmond Lake’s third race here was the Peter Marsh Handicap Chase over 3m 1.5f in January 2025 where he finished third, beaten 3.25 lengths. He was going easily at three out, and was outpaced before the last, but he rallied inside the final 110yds. Mr Vango won that day and Trelawne finished fourth, so that form looks rock solid. I’ll cover his fourth and final run at Haydock in the next section!
Richmond Lake shaped like this longer trip would suit him when staying on strongly last time
Richmond Lake’s fourth run was in the 2026 renewal of the Peter Marsh Chase over 3m 1.5f. Brian Hughes held Richmond Lake up at the back, then made eye-catching headway after five out. He wasn’t fluent at three out, which was bad timing, and he soon switched right. Once he saw daylight he was ridden, but was challenged on the run-in. Despite staying on he was just held by Imperial Saint.
Given how strongly he stayed, it makes sense that he can stay further. Although he has never been tried beyond 3m 1.5f, I’m fascinated to see how he gets on over this marathon trip, and I think he will relish it. Also, Richmond Lake’s last race here was on Good to Soft, but his best form has come on Heavy or Soft going. At the time of writing, the going at Haydock is officially described as Soft, Heavy in places, so the conditions should be right up his street.
These silks of the late Trevor Hemmings regularly run well in this race and Richmond Lake can further that record
If you look back through the last ten renewals of this race, you will see the results littered with runners carrying the famous yellow, green and white silks of the late Trevor Hemmings.
- 2025 - Famous Bridge won the race at 6/1 by three lengths but was later disqualified for a banned substance
- 2024 - Iron Bridge finished third after being sent off 5/1 and Famous Bridge unseated after being sent off 9/2 joint favourite
- 2023 - Cloudy Glen finished third at 28/1 after only being headed at the last
- 2022 - No runner
- 2021 - No runner
- 2020 - Vintage Clouds finished 5th after being sent off 15/2
- 2019 - No runner
- 2018 - No runner
- 2017 - Vintage Clouds finished third after being sent off 5/1
- 2016 - No runner
As you can see, the Trevor Hemmings colours have a fantastic record in this race. Six runners in five renewals produced form figures of 3533U1, albeit the 2025 winner, Famous Bridge, was later disqualified. I expect Richmond Lake to continue this fine record and put in a big performance here.
Can Richmond Lake go one better over a marathon trip?
Richmond Lake loves Haydock, he likes softer ground conditions, and he shaped like this 3m 4.5f trip will suit him last time out. When you factor in the owner’s record in the race, he is surely of strong interest. All of that before considering that he is handicapped at 6lb below his last winning mark, and it was only this time last year that he came second off the same mark of 142.
Of course, he needs to prove he can handle this trip, and we won’t know for sure until he tries it. Also, at the age of 10, he has reached the Veteran stage of his career. There’s also the fact that he has been hitting the woodwork all season, with form figures of 322. Despite that he is 2lb higher after his latest run, he is actually 1lb lower than he was at the start of the season.
Overall, I think he is underestimated at 12/1, especially with four places on offer. There are also question marks when it comes to the favourite, mainly relating to his jumping. I’ll certainly be disappointed if Richmond Lake isn’t in the first four at the finish, and he’s more than capable of doing better, so I’m playing a full 1pt each way here.
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