Myretown goes on trial for Cheltenham and Aintree
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Fri 13 Feb 2026
With £100,000 in prize-money on offer for the William Hill Half A Mill Grand NationalTrial at Haydock it is a race worth winning in its own right, but when you consider the £500,000 bonus if you go on to glory at Aintree then it is no wonder Myretown’s connections are interested.
Arguably the most impressive winner at last year’s Cheltenham Festival in the Ultima Handicap Chase, this season has not quite gone to plan for Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore’s nine-year-old.
He took a crashing fall when favourite in the Coral Gold Cup and still held every chance in the Peter Marsh when he belted three out. In the circumstances he did well to be beaten only three and a half lengths by Imperial Saint.
Scudamore said: “He was in the process of running a big race last time prior to the mistake. You can never say he’d have won, but he wouldn’t have been far away so a repeat of that would see him go close again.
“It was a proper race-stopper, but he did well to get going again and he wasn’t beaten far in the end, he was still coming back at them so without the mistake he’d have gone very close.
“If he can do the same again, without the mistake, he shouldn’t be far away. You’d also think an extra two and a half furlongs won’t be a problem, but he has to go and prove it. He’s given plenty of reasons to suggest he’ll get it, though.”
As for the future and a potential National tilt, Scudamore said: “Based on previous years, if he were to win this he’d be high enough in the weights for Aintree and then we’d have a discussion if the National is the right call or if the Ultima is.
“We’ll get Saturday out of the way first and then talk about it, but they are the nice discussions you like having.”
It would not be a valuable handicap without Dan Skelton having a runner towards the head of the betting and this time it is Deafening Silence, third in the Welsh National last time out.
“It was a great run in the Welsh National and I was very proud. It would have been nice to have been a couple of places further up, but those marathon distances you have got to be respectful when they are there at the end as it is a big effort for them,” said Skelton.
“He is lightly raced for his age, and we can’t race him too much, but the programme for these long-distance chases does suit this horse as you can give him a month to six weeks in between them.
“It feels like this is a nice straightforward situation for him. He is definitely still well treated over this trip as not many of them get it.”
Git Maker was another who ran in the Welsh National but for a horse who likes the mud, he found the ground on the quick side at Chepstow and Jamie Snowden has reached for the headgear.
“We’ve put blinkers on him, but that’s just to help Gavin (Sheehan) out in the early part of the race and it’s certainly not because I doubt his resolution. It will just help him get into a nice position early in the race,” said Snowden.
“He’s off a nice mark, soft ground should suit and he’s in good order, so hopefully he can go well.”
Joe Tizzard’s Rivers Corner fairly bolted up at Wincanton but off his new mark in a deeper race could find things tougher.
“He won a much lesser race than this last time albeit won it very well, but he was the only one who stayed home,” said Tizzard.
“He went up 9lb, which puts him in a different bracket and this is a much more competitive race – it’ll be the toughest race he has ever run in.
“He’s in good form with himself and will love the trip. He won’t mind the ground and he gallops and stays, which puts him in good stead.”
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