THE Welsh Grand National at Chepstow will not be testing like year when only five of the field finished with the runaway winner Nassalam beating the second Iron Bridge by 34 lengths, whilst my selection Iwilldoit was back in third.
The ground is currently soft at Chepstow and with a dry forecast we can expect to see plenty of runners still in contention when they are turning for home in one of my favourite races of the year.
At Kempton there is plenty to look forward to including the Wayward Lad and Desert Orchid Grade 2 chases.
Enjoy whether at a racecourse or watching the action from Chepstow and Kempton #athome on ITV Racing.
Cheers
The Wine Tipster
1.55 Kempton – Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase Grade 2 (2m)
Sir Gino makes his chasing debut after remaining unbeaten over hurdles, including on his latest start in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle when clear of Lump Sum by eight lengths to make it five wins from five starts. His trainer Unibet Ambassador Nicky Henderson has made no secret of the fact that he has been really keen to start this four-year-old’s career over fences and this very talented individual can take on Ballyburn, who won easily on chasing debut last month.
2.30 Kempton – Desert Orchid Handicap Chase Grade 2 (2m)
Edwardstone can give the weight away as he is a genuine Grade 1 act on his day.
He ran well in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham finishing third to Jonbon when in need of the run and was still in with every chance when falling in the Tingle Creek. The race had yet to get going, but he was still travelling perfectly well when coming down.
He’s best when ridden prominently and should get a nice lead from Editeur Du Gite here before taking over in the home straight.
2.50 Chepstow – Welsh Grand National Handicap Chase (3m 6f)
Iwilldoit (nap) looks sure to run a big race in the Welsh National again, having tipped him up when the 2021 winner and last year in very attritional conditions when third behind the easy winner Nassalam.
This lightly raced eleven-year-old races off 6lb lower than in 2023 and clearly retains most of his ability and staying in soft ground is his game.Iwilldoit hasn’t appeared at a racecourse since February, however that is not a concern as he won the Classic Chase at Warwick in 2023 after 383 days off the track.
Iwilldoit will have been targeted at the Welsh Grand National and with the yard winning the Badger Beer with the veteran Al Dancer and the winning jockey that day Callum Pritchard taking 7lb off here, it puts Iwilldoit on a mark of 140, and that looks more than workable.
Val Dancer has continued his momentum from last season with three wins on the bounce after a game success at Carlisle on his seasonal reappearance when holding off Snipe, who finished ahead of Iron Bridge, who is well fancied to go well in the Welsh Grand National having finished second in 2023.
The trip at Carlisle was over 3m 2f and there is every reason to think that he can step up in distance, is proven in testing conditions and runs here off a handy weight.
3.38 Kempton – Handicap Hurdle (2m)
Willmount trained by Unibet Ambassador Nicky Henderson was travelling smoothly just off the lead and had been jumping well until coming down at the third last at Cheltenham in a race won by an opportunistic ride on Mirabad with the smart Wreckless Eric in second.
This was Willmount’s most recent appearance in what was a warm race after having last been seen in a deep renewal of the Challow at Newbury when heavily fancied only to pull up.
Willmount has the talent and this could be the opportunity to prove he can deliver.
The Wine Tipster’s Treble
An exhilarating day of racing awaits, with action from Chepstow and Kempton taking centre stage!
Roll these three picks from our red-hot tipster into a treble and the drinks really may well be on you! SIR GINO, EDWARDSTONE, and IWILLDOIT. Add to your betslip, hit the ACCA BOOST option and a £5 each way treble potentially returns over £640 if they come in! Of course, it’s a long shot, but stranger things have happened!
Please remember to gamble responsibly. Visit our Safer Gambling section for more information, help and advice.
