Jamie Lynch, our Senior Kind Analyst, weighs up the credentials of ten of the highest candidates for Chepstow’s premier contest on Friday, dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing.
The Coral Welsh Grand Nationwide, at 2.50pm on Friday, is a race with a wealthy historical past, carried out within the nineteenth century, and it has stood the take a look at of time. It nonetheless has nice pulling energy, highlighted by this 12 months’s entries.
The trial on the observe in early December has been the pivotal pointer to the race in recent times, however we’ve no such clue this time after that assembly was misplaced to Storm Darragh, and so, to assist with the homework, this is a abstract of the primary contenders for the Chepstow showpiece and a (pre-declarations) verdict on the perfect guess.
Watch the Coral Welsh Grand Nationwide from Chepstow dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing (Sky 415 | Virgin 519) on Friday twenty seventh December.
Evies Vladimir
Coach: G P Cromwell
An intriguing contender from an Irish secure with a superb report with its British raiders (21 winners within the final three seasons). This lad sat on the sidelines for 18 months after laying the groundwork however took off final season whereas promising larger heights sooner or later, and remained within the combine when falling on the third-last within the Porterstown on his comeback. He has hidden depths, however one factor that is clear from his report is that he loves the mud.
Fontaine Collanges
Miss V Williams
This runner returned with a bang at Haydock (beating Monbeg Genius and firm) however that is common for her, given contemporary is usually the perfect time to catch her, in distinction to her dimmer second begin again which have seen her path in fifth, fourth and ninth in earlier seasons – a problematic sample for Chepstow. On the face of it, an 8lb rise to 148 for her demolition job at Haydock is under no circumstances harsh, however historical past warns of a copy, and he or she has obtained misplaced in huge fields up to now.
Galia Des Liteaux
D Skelton
Her two makes an attempt at marathons have arguably been her best-ever runs – second within the Basic Chase (from the mark she’s again to now) and eighth within the Grand Nationwide when nonetheless within the thick of issues approaching the final. She hasn’t hit her high line to date this season however the floor hasn’t been so gentle as fits her and he or she appeared pretty much as good as new for a lot of the Coral Gold Cup. This race is tailored for her.
Iron Bridge
Jonjo & A J O’Neill
It is best to concentrate on the 17 he beat reasonably than the one he could not (34 lengths behind runaway winner Nassalam) when assessing his second on this race final 12 months, and he is 6lbs decrease within the handicap now, by advantage of operating in arduous races reasonably than any lack of skill as such. His reappearance at Carlisle was hardly a ample stamina take a look at, due to this fact shaping properly for third underneath 12st1lb behind Val Dancer, and every thing is in place for a giant run from him. He is gone a bit of underneath the radar with the secure sending Monbeg Genius as properly.
Iwilldoit
S Thomas
He is been there, performed that and obtained a number of t-shirts. The 2021 Welsh Nationwide hero, in addition to almost profitable the race with out Nassalam final 12 months (simply behind Iron Bridge) when having high weight, partnered by a 7-lb conditional then as right here. He’ll be turning 12 in a number of days however he is comparatively low mileage and, although lengthy absent, he is presumably been saved contemporary for this, remembering that he gained the Basic Chase first outing in 2023.
Jubilee Specific
S Thomas
The least uncovered after simply ten runs, however he is already proven what he’s, a stamina-stacked mudlark, highlighted by the fruits to final season when grinding it out over 3½m on not simply heavy however Haydock heavy. No sooner did he cross the road that day than Sam Thomas in all probability hatched a plan in the direction of the Welsh Nationwide, an appropriate staying take a look at, and the shortage of a prep run is not so off-putting with him given the first-time report of the secure which produced Iwilldoit to win a Basic Chase after a 12 months out.
Monbeg Genius
Jonjo & A J O’Neill
What’s nonetheless implanted in my thoughts is his third within the 2023 Ultima behind none apart from Corach Rambler and Fastorslow, a marvel that he hasn’t managed to win since, however at the least he began this season higher than he ended the final one by ending second (to Fontaine Collonges) at Haydock. Along with his instruments and expertise, he may win this simply, however trusting him to do it’s one other matter, and the belief points lengthen to stamina at Chepstow, his first ever marathon.
Stuzzikini
G Elliott
This contender has youth on his facet at simply six years outdated, of which there’ve been 5 winners within the final 20 years. He sprang one thing of a shock within the Troytown at odds of 20-1 final time when the yard had 9 runners however the problem for the Welsh Nationwide is much less the elevated take a look at (shapes like an intensive stayer) and extra the elevated mark, up 9lbs.
Stuzzikini
That appears extreme on the face of it given the shape did not actually match the title at Navan however what underpins his probability is the easy truth he is an unexposed horse from an Irish superpower secure.
The place It All Started
G Elliott
Winless in his first seven chases however lastly flexing his stamina muscle groups made the distinction within the Grand Nationwide Trial at Punchestown (gained by 16 lengths on heavy floor) and doubtless sacrificed his probability within the Irish Nationwide itself by operating within the Kim Muir at Cheltenham the place he was a good fourth to Inothewayurthinkin. Nonetheless a way of unfinished enterprise about him, particularly in endurance phrases, however it’s a giant ask to return right here first outing even when we’re coping with Gordon Elliott.
Your Personal Story
Miss Lucinda V Russell
You do not want a level to diagnose the difficulty with Your Personal Story, a positive case of “seconditis,” ending runner-up on no fewer than eight events over fences, together with in endurance occasions at Punchestown final Could and Kelso, within the Borders Nationwide, final time. He’ll go properly for a great distance but when he could not win these how is he going to win this?
JAMIE LYNCH’S VERDICT
As soon as bitten twice shy, they are saying, however I put up GALIA DES LITEAUX for the Coral Gold Cup and assume that losses could be recouped right here within the face of a extra appropriate take a look at, the corporate rather less sizzling, the journey that for much longer and, crucially, the bottom appreciably softer. If Dan Skelton may have designed a race for her, I am fairly positive it will look quite a bit like this.
Watch the Coral Welsh Grand Nationwide from Chepstow dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing (Sky 415 | Virgin 519) on Friday twenty seventh December.
