The 2025 Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow is shaping up as a deep, staying test with a proper mix of established sloggers and progressive chasers, headed in the betting by joint-favourites Mr Vango and Haiti Couleurs among a 52-strong entry.
With last year’s winner Val Dancer and runner-up Jubilee Express both back on the racecard, this renewal looks every bit as competitive and stamina-sapping as recent editions.
Run over 3m6½f around Chepstow’s undulating, often rain-soaked track, the Coral Welsh Grand National has long been one of the purest stamina tests of the jumps season.
The race regularly attracts a blend of Grand National hopefuls, seasoned handicappers, and up-and-coming stayers, and 2025 is no exception, with several potential runners having proven form over marathon trips.
Chepstow in late December can be brutal, and the 2024 running, won by Val Dancer in heavy fog, underlined how much grit is required simply to get round, never mind win.
With another big field likely, positioning and jumping rhythm will again be as important as raw ability.
The Shape of the 2025 Field
The racecard for 27 December shows a stacked handicap headed by Intense Raffles on 12st and Stellar Story on 11st 13lb, but the market focus is a little further down the list.
Joint-favourites Mr Vango and Haiti Couleurs sit on 11st 11lb and 11st 13lb respectively, reflecting their lofty official ratings and their reputation as dour stayers.
Behind them, there is strong home interest through Rock My Way for Joe Tizzard, Jubilee Express for Sam Thomas, and Git Maker for Jamie Snowden, all lurking off lower weights and offering punters plenty to chew over at NetBet Ireland with their low double-figure ante-post prices.
Throw in last year’s winner Val Dancer, regular Welsh National player Monbeg Genius, and former hero Nassalam, and you have a renewal that feels deep rather than top-heavy.
Mr Vango – The Proven Stayer
Mr Vango comes into the race with the profile of a classic Welsh National favourite: tough, battle-hardened, and already effective over extreme distances.
He has racked up multiple chase wins between three and four miles, including the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter last season, and boasts a strong overall record in marathon company.
From a mark in the low 150s and set to carry 11st 11lb, he will not be missed by the handicapper, but his ability to grind it out when others cry enough makes him a natural fit for Chepstow.
Connections have also talked of him as a horse with Grand National ambitions, so this race looks a logical stepping stone and a serious target in its own right.
Haiti Couleurs – Local Hope With Scope
Haiti Couleurs shares favouritism and brings a slightly different angle, as a lightly-raced staying chaser on the up for Welsh trainer Rebecca Curtis.
Winner of last season’s Irish Grand National, and already an ante-post favourite for the Aintree marathon in April, his profile features a sequence of wins around three miles plus, proving he handles a proper test of stamina.
The eight-year-old’s current rating in the mid-150s and his 11st 13lb burden show how quickly he has climbed the ranks, yet he still gives the impression there could be more to come over these marathon trips.
With a local yard and a horse already experienced in the conditions, he will appeal to plenty of punters looking for a blend of class and course form.
Jubilee Express – Back For Unfinished Business
Jubilee Express returns to Chepstow Racecourse with a very clear mission after finishing second to Val Dancer in the 2024 Welsh National.
That day he travelled strongly, jumped soundly and emerged as the main danger to the winner on the long run-in, only to be held close home in the fog.
This time he is set to carry a more manageable weight of 9st 13lb from a mark of 126, which leaves him well-in compared with some of the classier rivals higher up the handicap.
Trained by Sam Thomas for the Walters Plant Hire team, who love having big-race runners at Chepstow, he has the right combination of course experience, staying form, and a bit of “unfinished business” narrative without needing any hype.
Rock My Way – Progressive and Unexposed
Rock My Way offers an unexposed profile at staying trips for the Joe Tizzard yard. The seven-year-old arrives off a recent win at Ascot in the Berkshire National Handicap Chase, and his form figures this season show a horse finding his feet over fences after some earlier near-misses.
Off a mark of 140 and carrying 10st 13lb, he looks fairly treated, and his rating leaves room for improvement if he stays this longer trip as well as his pedigree suggests.
Chepstow’s searching finish will ask a new question, but his blend of tactical pace and solid jumping makes him an interesting wildcard among the top five in the betting.
Last Year’s Winner
Twelve months ago, Val Dancer came out on top in a demanding 2024 Welsh Grand National, outstaying old favourite Iwilldoit and holding off the late surge of Jubilee Express in testing conditions.
Trained by Mel Rowley and ridden by Charlie Hammond, he coped best with the soft ground and poor visibility, showing stamina and determination up the long home straight.
Only 15 runners took to the starting tape, which is pretty low in comparison to previous years, and largely due to the weather.
Organisers will be hoping that they get more of a bumper crop in 2025, but of course, that will only make things harder for Val Dancer’s chances of winning back-to-back renewals.
His return will be boosted by the fact that this year he runs off a higher mark with solid course-and-distance credentials, while familiar names such as Monbeg Genius and Jubilee Express are back for another swing.
They should be joined by new staying heavyweights like Mr Vango and Haiti Couleurs, and that mix of hardened Chepstow warriors, local hopes and progressive long-distance chasers, all set against the traditional post-Christmas mud and roar of a big crowd, is exactly why the 2025 Coral Welsh Grand National should serve up another engrossing, attritional renewal.
