A 'win and you're in' race for the National? Haydock might well have stumbled across one

I've long thought Haydock's Grand National Trial was one of the biggest misnomers in the racing calendar, but now I'm not so sure.

The race has hardly been the greatest pointer to Aintree in recent times with, before Saturday's running, just two of the previous ten winners going on to run in the National two months later. In fact, no horse has won both races in the same year. 

Going back further, it proved its worth by producing National winners Freebooter, Red Rum, Earth Summit, Mon Mome and Neptune Collonges, but clues for Aintree have become a lot thinner on the ground.