A compelling day of National Hunt racing takes centre stage on Friday, with high-quality jumps action from Chepstow broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing. The Welsh track plays host to a deeply competitive fixture highlighted by the prestigious Grade Two DragonBet Persian War Novices’ Hurdle, alongside a stellar supporting card featuring several unexposed and highly promising contenders making their moves through the ranks.
3.43 Chepstow – Cosmic Connection and Lord Byron headline Grade Two cracker
The feature event of the afternoon at Chepstow is a particularly deep and fascinating renewal of the Grade Two DragonBet Persian War Novices’ Hurdle. This contest brings together a pair of highly progressive dual-purpose performers, with Cosmic Connection and Lord Byron set for a captivating head-to-head clash in the early-season feature.
Trained by Chris Gordon, Cosmic Connection arrives at Chepstow with a stellar profile, having secured victory in three of his four career outings over hurdles. His most notable success to date came back in April when he delivered a dominant performance to claim the Novices’ Championship Final at Sandown Park. While he must shoulder a step up in both grade and distance for this latest assignment, the gelding is widely regarded as a tremendously exciting prospect for the campaign ahead and enters the race with plenty of momentum.
Providing stiff opposition is Lord Byron, who enjoyed a cracking novice hurdle campaign last season. His winter exploits included a commendable fifth-place finish in the prestigious Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival, followed up swiftly by a solid fourth-place effort at Aintree. The talented gelding subsequently bettered those efforts when chasing home King Rasko Grey in testing conditions at Punchestown. Crucially, fitness should pose no concerns for the selection, as he benefited from a useful pipe-opener on the flat last month to ready him for this tougher test over obstacles.
Beyond the clear market leaders, several other runners hold strong claims for a place in the frame. Dan and Harry Skelton are represented by North Shore, who commands respect in a race of this nature, while the hat-trick-seeking Lock Stock adds further intrigue to a deeply competitive field.
3.12 Chepstow – Unexposed pair Le Beau Madrik and Captain Hugo clash
Earlier on the afternoon card, an equally absorbing contest takes place in the DragonBet ‘Welsh Champion’ Hurdle at 3.12pm, featuring a fascinating clash between two highly unexposed and upwardly mobile contenders in Le Beau Madrik and Captain Hugo.
Dan Skelton’s Le Beau Madrik has taken exceptionally well to the jumping game since switching codes, having suffered just a single defeat across his four starts over obstacles. The form of his latest impressive success at Haydock Park has since received a series of positive boosts, enhancing his appeal ahead of his handicap debut. Ridden by Harry Skelton, the unexposed runner looks exceptionally well-handicapped if translating his novice form to this higher tier.
Challenging him for the major honours is Captain Hugo, who brings obvious and compelling claims to the table for the formidable training partnership of Philip Hobbs and Johnson White. A three-time winner over obstacles, the gelding ran with a huge amount of credit when finishing as the runner-up in the fiercely competitive Scottish Hurdle and still retains the scope to be capable of even better as his career progresses.
The race also features interesting local representation. Trainer Sam Thomas successfully landed this lucrative prize with Celtic Dino last season and will be hoping to repeat that success by fielding Doctor Blue this time around. Meanwhile, both Gibbs Island and Serious Challenge warrant a second look from punters scanning the racecard for potential value.
1.57 Chepstow – Saint Jeannais bids to go 2-2 over hurdles
The opening stages of the Chepstow card feature the Wasdell Group Novices’ Hurdle at 1.57pm, where Saint Jeannais puts his unbeaten record over obstacles on the line as he bids to go two-for-two in this sphere.
The six-year-old gelding, trained in partnership by Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies, initially advertised his raw ability by scoring on the first of his two career starts in bumpers. He subsequently made a sparkling transition to the larger obstacles, winning with a great deal of ease on his hurdles debut at Bangor-on-Dee. Displaying a neat and fluent technique in his jumping, he rates as a particularly smart prospect with the distinct promise of significantly more to come as he steps up in class.
Among the primary threats to the favorite is Hive Runner, who fully justified strong market support when landing a Larkhill maiden point-to-point back in February. He is a horse that certainly must be watched closely in the betting markets as he makes his eagerly anticipated rules debut for the stable of Tom Lacey and jockey Stan Sheppard.
Further depth is added to the race by Dan Skelton’s Dutch Corner. Holding an official rating of 117 following five previous starts over hurdles, he brings a solid level of experience to the contest and must be feared by the market leaders. Additionally, Sharu is another noteworthy contender to keep onside as he makes his first appearance following a switch to the Carroll Gray stable.
Best of the rest
Away from the marquee races at Chepstow, the afternoon schedule offers plenty of further quality action both domestically and across the channel.
At Chepstow, the supporting programme gets underway at 1.22pm with Paddy Brennan saddling King’s Scholar in search of an early-card success. Later in the afternoon, the veteran 11-year-old Opening Bid makes his stable debut for Joe Tizzard in the 4.17pm contest, while Sheezer Diva makes her eagerly awaited handicap debut for the all-powerful Skelton team in the closing 5.31pm event.
International fixtures also add considerable depth to Friday’s racing landscape. At Toulouse, Maintain has been specifically supplemented for a valuable Listed prize, which sits alongside another high-class Listed contest at the same French venue. Across the Atlantic, American racing fans can look forward to the Grade Two Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland, boasting a competitive field of staying types.
Meanwhile, at Compiegne, a fascinating French card features a high-profile Listed affair where Andrew Beckett saddles K Sarra, while William Haggas is represented by Chimes Of Thunder. Earlier on the Compiegne card, the racing public will get a glimpse of Lazzar, a notable relative of the star performer Lazzat. Merci Mille Fois also lines up as a particularly intriguing runner, representing the powerful combination of trainer Christopher Head and the international breeding powerhouse Coolmore.