The biggest race day of the year in Wales, the £150,000 Coral Welsh Grand National is scheduled to take place the day after Boxing Day each year.
After the war, the Welsh Grand National came to Chepstow in 1949. The three and three-quarter mile race, known as the Coral Welsh Grand National, owes much to the support of the bookmaking firm for establishing it as one of the major events in the National Hunt calendar.
David Nicholson, ex-racehorse trainer and jockey, added his name to the Chepstow hall of fame by partnering three successive winners in 1959, 1960 and 1961. Other winners have been Stearsby, Run and Skip, Righthand Man and Burrough Hill Lad, who went on to complete the big double by landing the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup less than three months later.
In more recent times, Native River won the race in 2016, going on to win the Magners Gold Cup in March 2018. The year after, 16 year old James Bowen broke the record books by becoming the youngest jockey to ever win the race. The winner of the 2018 Coral Welsh Grand National was Elegant Escape for Colin Tizzard and jockey Tom O’Brien, and in 2019 Potters Corner became the first Welsh-trained horse since 1973 to take the title.
Trained by Christian Williams in Ogmore and ridden by Bridgend's Jack Tudor, Potters Corner won to the delight of his owners, the All Star Sports syndicate and Welsh rugby international, Jonathan Davies.
Find out about tickets and hospitality available at the 2021 running of this prestigious day at the races
Contact UsIt was another tremendous achievement for trainer Jenny Pitman who during the previous season had saddled Corbière to pull off the Coral Welsh National - Aintree Grand National double. In the late 80s/early 90s, the race was dominated by trainer Martin Pipe. Bonanza Boy achieved successes in 1988 and 1989, but pride of place must go to the giant Carvill's Hill who outclassed, out galloped and out jumped his rivals in 1991 to become one of the easiest winners in the history of the race.
