Grand Geste's Haydock Love Affair: Sue Smith's First National Trial Winner in 26 Years

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Grand Geste had every excuse to have a quiet afternoon. Pulled up at Doncaster last time, a novice chaser in a Premier Handicap against seasoned stayers, sent off 13/2 in a race the jolly Myretown was supposed to put to bed. Nobody would have blamed connections for lowering expectations.

Instead, the seven-year-old grey stayed on like a horse who’d been doing this for years, seeing off Top Of The Bill by 1¾ lengths in the William Hill Grand National Trial to hand Sue Smith her first win in this race since The Last Fling in 2000.

Sue Smith on The Race Lab

Grand Geste's Haydock Love Affair: Sue Smith's First National Trial Winner in 26 Years