Welsh Grand National 2025 Tips: Big Priced Selection For Chepstow Feature Race

The Welsh Grand National is one of the true winter tests in the British jumping calendar, a race where stamina, resolution and jumping under pressure matter far more than reputation. Run over nearly four miles at Chepstow, it is a contest that regularly turns into a slog as the ground deepens and the field stretches out.

With a typically competitive line-up assembled this year, Billy Grimshaw taken a closer look at the leading contenders and given his idea of the best bet...

The Welsh Grand National is never a race for the faint-hearted and this year’s renewal looks another classic Chepstow war of attrition. Three miles, six and a half furlongs in deep mid-winter ground puts the emphasis firmly on stamina, jumping rhythm and a willingness to grind when others cry enough. At the head of the market, Haiti Couleurs brings solid staying form and appeals as the type who will keep finding, though his jumping can occasionally lack fluency, something that can quickly unravel a contender at Chepstow.

Git Maker has been campaigned with this in mind and remains unexposed over extreme distances, but there’s a slight doubt about whether he truly relishes a slog rather than a tough but not gruelling marathon test. Rock My Way is another who promises plenty on paper, having shaped as though marathon trips would suit, though he still has to prove he can deliver when the pressure is relentless.

Jubilee Express has been a model of consistency and often runs his race, but the suspicion remains that he might lack the gears to go with the strongest stayers when it really counts. Mr Vango has strong course credentials and handles soft ground well, but unseasonably dry weather means he won't get that which is a blow.

Looking further down the field, there are several interesting profiles that could outrun their odds if conditions fall right. O’Connell has always hinted that extreme trips would suit and this is arguably the first time everything lines up for him, though his jumping under pressure remains a concern. Dom Of Mary has plenty of Cheltenham experience and stamina in abundance, but he has not always convinced that Chepstow’s unique demands play to his strengths.

Collectors Item arrives with solid handicap form and a progressive profile, yet this represents a sizeable step up in class and depth. Uncle Bert is the sort who keeps plodding on when others have cried enough and could easily sneak into the frame, while Deafening Silence has bits of form that make him interesting but may just lack the resilience for a full-blooded Welsh National slog. Intense Raffles brings graded form into the race and is undeniably classy, though there must be a question mark over whether he truly wants conditions this severe. Ultimately, this race often goes to a horse that can travel kindly, jump economically and stay every yard without needing to be asked.

For that reason, the one I keep coming back to is NASSALAM. He thrives in deep ground and it certainly won't be anything like the bog he loved two years back, but we know he relishes Chepstow and I cannot let the most impressive winner of this race arguably ever go unbacked at 25/1, despite the concerns. He could pull up as the ground is too quick, he could sulk if not getting the lead, or he could just run disappointingly again as has become the norm. However, somewhere in that horse is the best Welsh National winner in years and with the Moores a reborn operation after a barren season last campaign and fantastic target trainers, he rates the best bet.