The action continues to come thick and fast with the Welsh Grand National the feature race on Wednesday December 27th.
Our expert, Colm Doyle, takes you through his two selections for the big race at Chepstow on Wednesday afternoon, due to take place at 2.50.
2.50 - Coral Welsh Grand National Handicap Chase
At the time of writing, the going is good-to-soft but the forecast suggests Chepstow will get- 13mm of rain before Wednesday and a further 34mm of rain on the day of racing with plenty of that arriving in the morning.
That will leave the ground heavy and finding one that is proven in those sorts of conditions is likely to be key to finding the winner of the race.
One that has proved he relishes a bog is Chambard. He was only narrowly denied on soft ground at Cheltenham when making his seasonal reappearance behind Hascouer Clermont in November and he went one better when bolting up by 13 lengths in a heavy ground Becher Chase at Aintree subsequently, a race that usually works out well from a form perspective.
He’s due to resume racing off a 9lb higher mark when the handicapper has his say but with this race being an early closer, he only has to carry a 4lb penalty for that success, leaving him 5lb well in.
His record on heavy ground reads 22P121 and there’s the potential for him to improve over this trip, having his first start over further than 3m2f. While he has to prove he stays, he wasn’t stopping when staying on really well at Aintree, suggesting stamina won’t be an issue here, and Venetia Williams excels with her stayers, particularly National types.
An early price of 16/1 looks too big and he could be worth supporting each-way at the current odds. A win would give Venetia Williams a second success in the race, having won it with Emperor’s Choice back in 2014, and the yard could hardly be arriving in better form given that they are running at roughly a 37% strike-rate in recent weeks.
Another at the same price that is of interest is Truckers Lodge, who is another lover of testing ground with his form reading 21211 on heavy.
He’s come down a long way in the weights having been rated 155 a couple of seasons ago, but he got back on track with a win at Sandown last time out when beating Beauport by just over a length.
He’s proven at this trip and further, having won the Midlands National back in 2020 in very testing conditions, and having been placed in each of the last two renewals, he must be a big player arriving in better form this time around.
A mark of 141 still looks very workable and Freddie Gingell’s 5lb claim will be a big help. It would be a poignant success for the young jockey given that this race is run in memory of Kim Gingell, his late mother.
