Turf Talk: Haydock Park stages important trial for Grand National

The Cheltenham Festival is now just four weeks away. At this time of year, very few clues are available for picking winners at the Festival as most of the fancied horses will have already completed their big race preparations.

So, with no Cheltenham hints forthcoming, Haydock Park stages an important trial for the Grand National. This race was inaugurated in 1947 with the last horse to win both this race and the National being Party Politics in 1993.

Previous course form at Haydock is always useful, so the win of Fontaine Collonges in November should help. He has an extra three furlongs to travel on Saturday but was staying on well when fourth at Kempton over Christmas so stamina should not be a problem.

My main concern with this horse is the going. He has won on soft and heavy but we saw last week that we are having an unseasonal spell of weather and the forecast going is currently good.

The Rendelsham Hurdle on the same card can fall to Proschema. He looked good when winning the West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby when raised in distance to three miles. He ran too bad to be true behind Champ at Newbury and hopefully can show his true form on Saturday.

The Betfair Chase at Ascot sees Shiskin trying to restore his battered reputation. He tries two miles and five furlongs for the first time but a much safer bet is last year's winner Fakir D'oudairies.

He will skip Cheltenham for a crack at the Mildmay Chase at Aintree which he won last year. Although the defection of hot favourite Allaho from the Ryanair Chase may have connections now taking in that race on his way to Aintree.

Ashtown Lad has the Grand National as his seasonal target and he has three entries on Saturday. I hope he is sent to contest the three mile chase at Ascot as that seems his best winning opportunity.

Garlick’s Goodies: Haydock Saturday 2.05 - Proschema 2.40 – Fontaine Collonges; Ascot 2.25 – Ashtown Lad; 3.35 – Fakir D'oudairies.