Lord Du Mesnil (Saint Des Saints) wins the William Hill Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (Grade III) at Haydock for owners Paul Porter & Mike & Mandy Smith and trainer Richard Hobson.
Having managed to finish second in this race last year it was wonderful to see Lord Du Mesnil go one better this time. He has an excellent record at Haydock with form figures of 1121 at the track and his brilliant jumping and stamina saw him through testing conditions here.
He was sent out in from by regular partner Paul O’Brien and jumped well in the main and putting the field under pressure throughout. He was joined for the lead three from home but stuck on grimly to gain the upper hand on the run in, running out a 1/2 length winner at the line.
After the race trainer Hobson said ”That was a great performance today, to carry 2lb more than he did last year. If you get him in that rhythm he’s a hard horse to catch. If it was soft ground at Aintree that would be good enough, anything quicker than that and it’s not going to be his race. He’s got a beautiful weight and we know he stays well.”
