The compelling jumps action from Chepstow continues live on Sky Sports Racing this Sunday, bringing a high-stakes weekend of National Hunt racing to a thrilling conclusion. As the curtain falls on the third and final day of the prestigious Welsh Racing Festival, attention is firmly fixed on a series of competitive and deeply fascinating fixtures across the card. With trainers and jockeys looking to cement their early-season momentum, Sunday’s programme at the picturesque Monmouthshire track offers a blend of unexposed novices, progressive handicappers, and seasoned campaigners locking horns for valuable prize money and seasonal glory.
3.47 Chepstow – Service Minimum and Leader Crik contest hot feature
The absolute centerpiece of the afternoon’s racing on the concluding day of the Welsh Racing Festival is the DragonBet Cefnogi Rasio Ceffylau Cymreig Handicap Hurdle. This high-profile contest brings together a competitive field, headlined by an intriguing clash between the rapidly improving Service Minimum and the highly regarded, unexposed recruit Leader Crik.
The stable of Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies continues to operate in exceptional, red-hot form, sending out winners with impressive regularity. Within this context, Leader Crik looks to possess leading, highly persuasive claims as he takes his first dip into the testing waters of handicap company. The gelding caught the imagination back in February when storming to an emphatic 12-length victory in a maiden hurdle at Doncaster, displaying a blend of stamina and cruising speed that immediately signaled his potential. Stepping up further in distance for this assignment, he rates as a key player and will be steered from the saddle by Sam Twiston-Davies, whose tactical acumen around Chepstow is well-documented.
Providing stern opposition is Service Minimum, another contender who arrives at the track on the back of a recent, highly encouraging success. She demonstrated plenty of grit and determination to score at Newton Abbot last month, navigating the turning track with professional aplomb. The handicapper has reacted to that victory by raising her another six pounds in the weights, but there is every reason to suggest she could have significantly more to give now that she is tackling an extended trip. Her stamina will be tested to the maximum, but her connections will be hoping she can bridge the gap in class.
Adding further depth to the feature race is Matty’s Getaway, an individual who simply cannot be discounted from calculations. He brought the curtain down on his previous campaign with a tenacious, hard-fought victory at Haydock, proving his ability to grind out a result when chips are down. A close repetition of that battling Haydock form would see him right in the mix at the business end of the race.
4.22 Chepstow – Haas Boy takes on Ooh Betty
Later in the afternoon, the racing action remains fierce as the in-form Haas Boy seeks to secure a magnificent hat-trick of victories in a fine, highly competitive renewal of the DragonBet Born In Wales Seniors’ Handicap Hurdle.
Trained by Chester Williams, the nine-year-old veteran sprung dramatically back to life when racing off a lesser, more favorable mark at Wincanton in March. Building upon that resurgence, he quickly followed up with another stellar performance at Ascot later the same month, showing that he retains all of his old enthusiasm for the game. He now makes his eagerly anticipated return to the track following the customary summer break, and he enters this contest with obvious, strong claims operating off what looks to be a manageable and potentially lenient hurdles mark.
The chief danger to the hat-trick seeker is widely expected to come from the stable of Ben Clarke, with Ooh Betty poised to mount a serious challenge under the guidance of Ben Jones. Ooh Betty enjoyed a glorious moment in the spotlight back in January when she brilliantly landed the prestigious Grade Two Warfield Mares’ Hurdle at Ascot. Following that career-best triumph, she ran with immense credit and honesty in competitive fields at both Cheltenham and Ayr. Dropping slightly in grade for this specific Chepstow assignment, she is more than capable of handling the switch and should be firmly involved in the finish.
Further down the racecard, Norn Iron and Gower Prince form a consistent pairing of contenders who can usually be relied upon to run their races with honesty and determination. Meanwhile, Glengouly is also well worth a specific mention, particularly as he is switched back over to hurdles, a discipline where he has previously shown glimpses of substantial talent.
1.27 Chepstow – Princess Day, Divine Diva and Connells Cross head field
The afternoon gets underway with an exciting clash between an unexposed trio of mares in the opening DragonBet / EBF Mares’ ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle. Princess Day, Divine Diva, and Connells Cross head a fascinating field that promises to provide valuable pointers for the remainder of the National Hunt season.
Princess Day established her credentials by showing excellent, consistent form when winning her first two bumper starts, which followed an initial victory in her sole point-to-point. Such was her reputation that she was sent off as the 2/1 race favourite when she was ultimately beaten in a competitive Aintree Grade Two contest back in April. Crucially finishing ahead of the reopposing Divine Diva on that occasion, she looks to be a deeply exciting prospect to follow over the smaller obstacles throughout this campaign.
Divine Diva, herself a notable point-to-point winner back in March of last year, previously ran an absolute screamer when finishing a commendable third in Listed company at Cheltenham in November. While she was subsequently well-beaten in that aforementioned Aintree event alongside Princess Day, that single sub-par effort can easily be forgiven in the context of a long and demanding season. She remains a highly useful prospect with significant physical scope.
Completing this trio of intrigue is Connells Cross, who previously scored victories in two out of her three bumper starts for trainer Jennie Candlish. She now makes both her eagerly awaited hurdling debut and her first appearance for the new stable combination of Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls. A tongue-tie is immediately applied for her first start under these new connections, signaling that connections mean business, and she could easily prove to be above average as she transitions to jumping.
Best of the rest
Beyond the core feature and novice events, the supporting card at Chepstow features several notable storylines capturing the attention of racing enthusiasts. Among them, the Skelton yard sends out Old Coast Road in the 4.57 at Chepstow as the promising runner bids to maintain a perfect record and go two-for-two over obstacles. Earlier on the card, the 3.12 at Chepstow sees the progressive Harbour Light face a stern examination against a capacity field of 12 rivals, testing his ability to handle traffic and weight concessions in a deep handicap.
Across the English Channel, international racing fans are also treated to high-class action from Aintree’s French counterpart, Auteuil. The 4.17 at Auteuil features a prestigious Grade Two heat with a rich history, having been won in past renewals by notable talents such as McTigue and Theleme. This is complemented earlier in the afternoon by a competitive Grade Three contest at 2.50, and another high-stakes Grade Three at 4.50, which notably features last year’s brilliant winner Losange Bleu returning to defend his crown against a fresh wave of challengers.