Danny McMenamin: Reading the Pace, Northern Precision in the Grand National Trial

Danny McMenamin’s win on Grand Geste in the William Hill Half A Mill Grand National Trial Handicap Chase at Haydock on 14 February illustrated exactly why Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith trust him with their most important rides. He did not win through brilliance or boldness. He won by reading the pace better than everyone else in the race and acting on what he read at exactly the right moment.

The Northern Specialist

McMenamin followed Sir Anthony McCoy and Brian Hughes, both Northern Irish, when crowned Britain’s Champion Conditional Jockey in 2021. He has since become one of the most consistent figures on the northern racing circuit, building his win tally incrementally with a 16% strike rate across 168 runs in the current season. That consistency reflects something important: McMenamin rides mainly for yards whose horses are proven stayers with established jumping techniques and steady temperaments. His job, in most races, is to find a position that lets those qualities express themselves without interference.

The Haydock Blueprint

On the day, the going was Soft (Heavy in places), with temperatures that had reached -2.8C overnight before the 14 February card. Haydock’s notorious back straight, exposed to prevailing westerlies and slow to drain, rides materially differently from the wide home straight. The horses that won their energy battles at Haydock in February 2026 were the ones positioned to benefit from the better ground on the run-in.

McMenamin settled Grand Geste in midfield from the start. Trainer Joel Parkinson had been explicit beforehand: Grand Geste is “not a quick horse, he’s an out-and-out stayer.” Working with that profile, McMenamin did not try to manufacture pace or exploit a position close to the pace-setter. He waited. The front-running favourite Myretown, trained by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, set off briskly and led into the back straight but was making mistakes and weakening before the third-last.

McMenamin’s position gave him a clean route through as Deafening Silence briefly took over at the three-fence marker. He had Grand Geste travelling, balanced, and directed at the final two fences. The grey came through between the last two obstacles and went on to win by a length and three-quarters from top-weight Top Of The Bill. Neo King was a further length back in third.

The Trainer’s Verdict

Joint-trainer Parkinson was generous and specific in his assessment: “Danny is a good jockey and it is nice for him to get a big winner. He is a good lad for us and a good, strong jockey.” The emphasis on “strong” is telling, Haydock in soft ground over 3m 4? furlongs demands physical strength in the final half-mile when heavy ground saps the energy of horses that have been asked hard questions earlier.

Sue Smith last won the Grand National Trial 26 years earlier with The Last Fling. Her partnership with co-trainer Parkinson has now added a fresh chapter, and with Grand Geste too low-rated to enter this year’s Randox Grand National, the Cheltenham Festival is the next target. “Three-mile-six around Cheltenham we will have to give serious consideration to that now. He would need the soft ground there, but the stiff track should suit him,” said Parkinson. If Cheltenham rides deep in March, McMenamin will get that same question again and he has already shown he knows how to answer it.