#Welsh National

Sheikh Mohammed winning the Champion Hurdle with a horse who'd been first past the post in the Gold Cup at Ascot... Barry Hills and Robert Sangster combining to land the Stayers' Hurdle... Saeed Manana's silks carried to victory in the Sun Alliance Hurdle and a Gold Cup that caused such a rumpus it ended with a Jockey Club Enquiry at Portman Square…

13:37 Fairyhouse - Martha Divine 13:57 Wetherby - Hattons Gardens 14:40 Kempton - West Balboa 15:00 Warwick - Iwilldoit *All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change. Each and every day of the racing year we bring you a bumper NAPs Table to give you the inside…

Cobblers Dream: seeking to be the first back-to-back winner of the Lanzarote Cobblers Dream will bid to become the first dual winner of the Coral Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle as he takes on 19 rivals at Kempton on Saturday. The Charles Byrnes-trained Green Glory and Persian War runner-up Outlaw Peter head the market at 5-1 but Ben Case hopes Cobblers…

Newcastle's Flat card features a conditions race over a mile and a quarter with some smart older performers entered up. They include the John & Thady Gosden pair Harrovian and Forest of Dean who finished third and fifth respectively in a listed race at Lingfield in November which has thrown up some winners since. This looks a bit less competitive,…

The veterans' final has always been used as a gateway to big handicaps by a certain few - even going back to its first winner, Soll, who used the race as a Grand National prep. But such runners had been limited to one or two a year - until now. Look down the field of 18 - the biggest ever, if they all go to post - and there are potentially as many…

Well, we've finally arrived at my final blog of 2022. Have you had enough of racing yet this festive period? Of course not! Let's kick off 2023 as we ended 2022, with more superb sport headlined by Cheltenham's New Year's Day fixture. The first horse I'm pinning my hopes on to get the new year off to a flyer is SECRET REPRIEVE in the AIS Handicap…

THERE is one jockey all punters need to keep on side in a Pinch. That's the in-form Lilly Pinchin, who has been tearing it up this winter for her new boss Charlie Longsdon. It helps that nice guy Longsdon is doing his best Midas impression at the moment - everything he touches turns to gold. But you still have to get the job done in the saddle, and…

Fresh from riding two winners in front of the ITV cameras at Newbury and Cheltenham at the weekend, the 23-year-old will bid to take centre stage once again, this time aboard the Saint Des Saints-gelding in the £100000 three-mile contest. Having finished fifth in the race 12 months ago for Hobson aboard Valadom the Winchcombe based rider hopes she…

There's plenty of top-class jumps racing this weekend with New Years Day kicking off 2023 in style at Cheltenham with the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle and big fields at Fairyhouse. There's multiple races to get behind on Sunday with graded, Class 1 and 2 contests ushering in the new year with a bang at Cheltenham, including the Paddy Power New Year's Day…

Newbury's Mandarin Chase has unearthed some real talent among staying chasers down the years Considering it has not been part of the Pattern since 1989, the Mandarin holds a strong roll of honour. Its first winner after demotion was Party Politics, with Jodami a couple of years down the line. Over the last 15 years or so it has become one of the…

Rachael Blackmore will be hoping to write another chapter in her incredible racing career as she gears up for this year's Grand National. The 32-year-old made history last year, becoming the first female to win the world's most notorious steeplechase with Minella Times and the duo are back this year to retain their crown. Fresh from her Cheltenham…

Horse racing takes centre stage over the Christmas period with over twelve meetings taking place on St Stephens Day alone. From the William Hill King George VI Chase to the Lexus Chase and the Paddy Power Chase to the Welsh National, there is some brilliant racing to look forward to. Here is ten things you must know ahead of the action getting…

IF at first you don't succeed - try, try again! That's certainly the case for TRUCKERS LODGE in today's big betting race of the day, the Coral Welsh National on ITV. The three-mile-six marathon is sure to spark tremendous reaction from the back-again Chepstow fans… and hopefully a Truckers revival! I think this is a wide open renewal, and Truckers…

Ben Clarke: trainer hoping to land a valuable pot with Endless Escape Monday: Wincanton Trainer Ben Clarke geared up for The Galloping Bear's Welsh National run in the best possible style when bargain buy Endless Escape routed her rivals in the 1m7f mares' novice hurdle. The race wasn't without drama as Roccstar Bay became unsteerable on the home…

The crowds are about to descend on Aintree - the Grand National is finally upon us. Bookies will hold their collective breaths at 4.15pm, hoping for one of the outsiders to storm to the front and be first past the post. All of the best jockeys have a horse. The departing AP McCoy is on the favourite, Shutthefrontdoor, while Ruby Walsh will be…

Jockey Adam Wedge will miss the Cheltenham Festival next week after sustaining a fracture to his T12 at Newbury on Friday. Wedge won last year's Stayers' Hurdle on Lisnagar Oscar, and is expected to be replaced by Tom O'Brien on Tuesday's Champion Hurdle hope Silver Streak. Trainer Evan Williams said: "Adam has a fracture to his T12 - he did it at…

Kempton's Ladbrokes King George (3.00) was won by the outsider Frodon, giving trainer Paul Nicholls his 12th success in the race Bryony Frost judged her fractions to perfection as Frodon served up a 20-1 shock in the 2020 Ladbrokes King George VI Chase. The pair have had a tremendous partnership in recent seasons and hit the heights in the festive…

A scroll through Twitter on the evening of December 26 in recent years has tended to reveal Paul Nicholls celebrating King George success with a McDonald's on the way back from Kempton. The Ditcheat maestro, who is seeking a record-extending 13th win in the race, could well be lovin' it again on Monday with Bravemansgame and Hitman among the main…

Five winners have been aged eight and another trio were aged seven, while we've seen one winner apiece aged six and nine in the past decade. The only six-year-old was Clan Des Obaux, who represents the same connections as this year's sole six-year-old Hitman, who coincidentally also carries the same official rating (160) into the race Clan Des…

Good Morning Bloodstock is Martin Stevens' daily morning email and presented here online as a sample. Here he ruminates on a once familiar part of jumps racing in Britain and Ireland that is now almost extinct - subscribers can get more great insight from Martin every Monday to Friday. All you need do is click on the link above, sign up and then…

Join our channel for our exclusive free betting tips, picks and offers. The Welsh Grand National is another big festive horse race to look forward to, but what are the main 2022 Welsh Grand National trends to look for ahead of the big Chepstow race? For example, 80% of the last 20 Welsh Grand National winners carried 11st or less in weight - you…

Regarded by Gordon Elliott as the best he had trained, Don Cossack looked an exceptional prospect in bumpers, but he spent a couple of seasons in the wilderness, failing to meet expectations over hurdles or in his novice chase campaign, occasionally looking a bit weak in the finish. There can be no faulting his record over his final two campaigns,…

CHELTENHAM GOT off to a flyer yesterday on the opening day and day two promises to produce more of the same. Today punters and racing fans will get to see Sir Gerhard in the The Ballymore Novices Hurdle and Tiger Roll in the Glenfarclas Chase along with many other horses. Paul Nicholls has trained 3000 winners, won the 2012 Grand National, four…

Chepstow runner Airshow is Newsboy's Nap selection for Friday, May 27. There are also horse racing fixtures at Brighton, Carlisle, Stratford, Haydock and Pontefract The Coral Welsh National is Chepstow's biggest event AIRSHOW is fancied to land a fourth victory of 2022 by beating six rivals By £10 Get £10 With Vickers.Bet Handicap (3.05) at…

TRAINER Joe Tizzard hopes for the perfect Christmas present by winning the race named after his late sister. The Dorset handler has four entries in the Coral Welsh Grand National on December 27 but expects to rely solely on one of the yard favourites The Big Breakaway. The Chepstow contest, the biggest race in the Welsh racing calendar, is named in…

The Newport-based trainer has both Pats Fancy and Wayfinder in the race, but will need plenty to come out if the latter is to take his chance in the big staying handicap chase on December 27. Pats Fancy won two novice chases at Chepstow last winter before chasing home the smart Bravemansgame at Newbury in February. Things did not go according to…

IT IS brilliant when a horse lives up to the hype and CONSTITUTION HILL more than justified his billing as champion hurdler in waiting. He boosted the Newcastle gate to an 11-year high too - if you run them, they will come. Any Grade 1 victory on the bridle by 12 lengths will make headlines but he destroyed former Champion Hurdler EPATANTE which…

Frost and snow has hit hard in Britain and Ireland but over the festive period ITV are planning on covering action from 14 race meetings, featuring 41 races in total, across six joyous days of high-octane racing. From Boxing Day right through to New Year's Day, the Christmas jumpers are out in force and here we highlight the full schedule including…

Since joining Fergal O'Brien the nine-year-old has run three times at Prestbury Park, scoring twice - including over the course and distance - and finishing a gallant third at the track in his most recent appearance during October's Showcase meeting. Having skipped the November meeting, he returns from a 48-day break off the same mark looking to…

The average winner of the opening-day highlight of Cheltenham's December Gold Cup meeting over the last ten years has been a nine-year-old, on their 17th chase start, beating eight rivals. Add in the fact only half went off at single-figure odds for their next race and there are definite trends that do not sit all that comfortably with the…

The Big Dog will bid to provide connections with another major payday in the Coral Welsh Grand National later this month, with trainer Peter Fahey optimistic of another "huge" performance from his in-form chaser. It may turn out to be a shrewd piece of placing from the Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer to target the Chepstow marathon on December…

Those who have backed Jonbon for the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival need not worry. Nicky Henderson confirmed after Jonbon's easy victory in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown on Saturday that he will stick to two miles this season. But it was a performance that didn't just have Henderson purring over what seemed like his latest cab…

We could see the next winner of the Welsh National as a classy field head to the trial at Chepstow on Saturday, while there is All-Weather Fast-Track Qualifier action at Wolverhampton, all live on Sky Sports Racing. Last year's Coral Welsh Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (1.37) unearthed the winner of the big race itself Iwilldoit bolted up…

SO here's a question for you. Is Greaneteen a really good horse or is he a massive over-achiever? I'm not sure. Paul Nicholls' warrior is primed for today's Grade 1 Betfair Tingle Creek Chase, one of the most anticipated two-mile events of the season. If all six declared runners turn up - lack of give in the ground could rule a couple out - I'll be…

The seven-year-old was a smart novice hurdler for Dan Skelton last season, finishing a fine fourth behind The Nice Guy in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, and last month's Colin Parker winner Beauport was among two rivals standing in the 13/8 chance's way in the Jewson St Helens Novices' Chase, alongside the Paul Nicholls-trained…

Horseracing's premier Flat meeting ends with a race run over a distance more suitable to the Cheltenham Festival, in conditions more in keeping with the Welsh National. The Queen Alexandra, Britain's longest Flat race, has attracted a maximum field of 20 runners, most of whom can be given a winning chance. Chester Cup winner Falcon Eight, whose…

Jake Price returns for yet another round of Saturday horse racing betting tips and predictions. This time his selections come from the meets at Ascot and Haydock. This Saturday Jake is tipping 3pts worth of tips spread over three races at Haydock and Ascot including a 1pt tip for a 8/1 selection. If any of these tips take your fancy, then click on…

Steve Davies is switching sports after being appointed new chief operating officer for Chester and Bangor racecourses. He will move from his role as operations director of Lancashire Cricket Club at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester early next year for the start of Chester's season, which begins with the track's flagship May meeting. It is the…

Christian Williams had nothing but praise for Potters Corner following the announcement the Welsh National hero has been retired. The 12-year-old, who landed the Grade 3 at Chepstow in December 2019, finished sixth of ten in a veterans' handicap chase at Warwick on Wednesday in what proved to be his final appearance. Williams said: "He has been a…

Snow Leopardess: Becher Chase winner has options at Exeter on Sunday There are several Grand National entries pencilled in this weekend and there could be ramifications for the ante-post market. Here are four horses who could be cut for Aintree's famous race. . . The Grand National has been a long-range target for the 2019 Ladbrokes Trophy winner…

John McConnell's Fennor Cross stayed on strongly to land a decisive blow in the Sky Bet Supreme Trial Novices' Hurdle. In a race where the hurdles were removed in the home straight it was the winner's fellow Irish raider She Is Electric that was allowed to stride on with the rest of the field willing to bide their time. The gap was closed as they…

Gericault Roque has the potential to be a contender in the major staying handicap chases and is a potential wildcard Spotting the improvers that few others will have considered is what will make the difference in terms of winning the Tote Ten To Follow. Do not go overboard, though: your list needs to be built on a solid base and that means giving…

Ballyandy: an encouraging third on his return at Perth The Cross Country Chase which once spearheaded this card is replaced by a veterans' event and we have a former Champion Bumper winner facing a past Welsh National hero in a race packed with old friends. Admittedly, we are winding the clock back to 2016 for Ballyandy's Grade 1 strike and 2018…

Cheltenham Festival-winning owner Dai Walters and Welsh Grand National-winning trainer Thomas were among five people involved in the accident on November 1. The former suffered more serious injuries than the other passengers when the crash occurred in woodland near Llanelidan, Ruthin, Denbighshire. Thomas, who trains at The Hollies Stables near…

James Knight, Coral Secret Reprieve was a really popular winner with punters when winning last year's Coral Welsh National (2.50 Chepstow) and I have a feeling he would be a very poor result for us again as he bids for a repeat win in the race. Frank Hickey, Paddy Power Forever Blessed has looked really good in two starts over hurdles and I don't…

We bring you day two of the Punchestown Festival as Allaho waltzes away with the Grade 1 Punchestown Gold Cup (5.55). In a cracker of a race which pits all-conquering Cheltenham Festival winner Allaho thumped Clan Des Obeaux and Al Boum Photo by at least eight lengths leading all the way. This followed Willie Mullins also winning the staying novice…

Screaming Colours and Conor Orr won the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter Saturday: Midlands Grand National, Uttoxeter Screaming Colours stirred memories of one of the best steeplechasing mares of all time, Anaglogs Daughter, when the familiar blue and white silks of the Durkan family were sported to an emotional big-race success in the Boulton…

Fiddlerontheroof (left): finished a clear second to Cloudy Glen in the Ladbrokes Trophy Out of nowhere, a race that some might have taken as a veterans' handicap going by its roll call could have a bearing on this year's Gold Cup, Grand National, or both. That hinges mostly on Fiddlerontheroof, who will be seen for the first time since finishing a…

The chill is in the air again and the core jumps season is poised to return. For me, Chepstow's two-day fixture is the point in the calendar when the shackles of pre-season buzz and anticipation for the new campaign can be released. It is back and the cards on Friday and Saturday certainly do not disappoint. I unashamedly favour jumps over the…

The 2023 Six Nations Rugby Championship will be the 24th edition of the annual rugby union competition. It will be held from 4 February to 18 March, and will be contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. Although the tournament will not take place until February and March, bookmakers are already…