Quick Read
- 19 runners contest the 2025 Welsh Grand National at Chepstow over 3m6½f.
- Jubilee Express, Rock My Way, Haiti Couleurs, Mr Vango, and O’Connell are the leading contenders.
- Winning trends favor horses aged 7–9, carrying lighter weights, with proven staying form.
It’s the final days of December at Chepstow, and for racing fans across Wales and beyond, the Coral Welsh Grand National is the heart of winter’s festive calendar. There’s a special electricity in the air as 19 staying chasers line up for a contest that’s more marathon than sprint, more grit than glamour. The 2025 edition promises to be every bit as demanding as tradition dictates, with £170,000 in prize money and almost £97,000 for the winner. The field? Packed with proven stayers, rising contenders, and a couple of wild cards who just might thrive if the going gets tough.
This is not a race for the faint-hearted. Chepstow’s signature test—3 miles, 6½ furlongs over soft, draining ground—has a way of exposing any flaw in a horse’s stamina. Historically, it’s the dogged, battle-hardened types that survive the relentless gallop and the lung-burning climb to the line. Names like Carvill’s Hill and Native River echo in the stands, reminders of the kind of horse it takes to win here.
Let’s get a sense of the 2025 landscape. Heading the betting boards is Jubilee Express (5/1), a horse who’s quietly become a Chepstow specialist. He finished second in last year’s National and arrives fresh off a career-best win over this same course and distance. His method? Unflashy, relentless, built for the sort of test Chepstow provides. He’s eight years old, carries a handy weight, and—crucially—has shown he can stay when others falter.
Right behind him sits Rock My Way (11/2), whose stamina has been sharpened in the crucible of long-distance handicaps at Cheltenham and Ayr. He’s shown a turn of foot at Ascot, but it’s his ability to settle into a rhythm and grind out a finish that makes him dangerous. If he clicks early, he could be the one stretching the field as the leaders tire.
Haiti Couleurs (17/2) is another who demands respect. Rebecca Curtis’s charge has delivered big wins at Cheltenham and Fairyhouse and returned this season with a victory at Newbury. He’s not infallible—pulled up in Grade 1 company last time—but back in handicap company, with Sean Bowen in the saddle, he’s a proper stayer who can handle the pressure.
Mr Vango (7/1) is the sort of horse whose legend grows with every extra furlong. His close second in the Aintree Becher-style handicap and wins at Haydock and Sandown mark him out as a true marathon specialist. The only question: will his near top-weight (11-11) prove too much? History says it’s a tough ask—since 2011, only three winners have carried more than 10st 10lb—but he’s got the spirit.
O’Connell (7/1) is the field’s up-and-comer, having won four of his last six chases. He’s still learning, but what he’s shown so far suggests he could have another gear to find when the going gets really tough. The Sandown win earlier this month was no fluke, and he’s the sort who could surprise if the race becomes a war of attrition.
Other notable runners include Git Maker (13/2), who brings a string of solid place efforts and the right sort of grinding style for deep ground, and Collectors Item (9/1), who finished second to Jubilee Express in the trial and could be in the mix for a place. Irish challengers Intense Raffles (14/1) and Where It All Began (25/1) have the experience but come in with patchy recent form and tricky weights.
What does history tell us about picking a winner? The trends are clear: winners are usually aged seven to nine, carrying lighter weights, and have already proven themselves over three miles or more—ideally close to four. Course form is a serious bonus; Chepstow is unforgiving to newcomers. And, of course, the ground. Soft going is almost a certainty, so horses who relish mud are at a premium.
Jubilee Express ticks nearly every box: the right age, weight, proven Chepstow record, and a recent win. Rock My Way and Mr Vango are close behind, each with strong staying credentials and the ability to handle big fields. Haiti Couleurs, with his top-class handicap record, is a threat if he can shoulder the weight. O’Connell and Git Maker are the progressive types who could upset the apple cart if they stay the trip.
For punters and fans, the Welsh Grand National is more than just a betting heat—it’s a celebration of equine endurance and the tradition of British jump racing. The crowd at Chepstow knows what it takes to win here. As the runners turn for home, the question in every mind isn’t just who’s fastest, but who wants it most.
Elsewhere on the card, the Guardian reports the Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle and the ‘Bet 10 Get 50’ Handicap Hurdle provided drama, but the spotlight remains firmly on the National. Notably, Mr Vango was withdrawn due to fast ground—a reminder that even the best-laid plans can be undone by the elements.
Looking at the betting, trends, and recent form, it’s Jubilee Express who stands out as the safest pick, but the magic of Chepstow is that no prediction is ever certain. The mud, the fences, and the stamina-sapping climb will find out every horse, and only the toughest will earn the right to join the roll of honour.
In the final analysis, the Welsh Grand National 2025 is a race shaped by tradition, stamina, and the unpredictable Welsh winter. Jubilee Express fits the winning profile almost perfectly, but with Rock My Way, Mr Vango, and Haiti Couleurs snapping at his heels, this year’s contest is a wide-open test of grit where history and form collide. Whoever prevails will have truly earned their place in the annals of Chepstow’s greats.