Despite being built specifically as a flat course back in the day, Chepstow has become better known as a top jumps venue with its Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle and the Welsh Grand National being seasonal highlights.

Chepstow Track Details

Chepstow is a left-handed oval, with fairly severe undulations after the home turn and a downhill run to the line.

While there may not be many times to use the knowledge in competitive flat handicaps throughout the year, it’s important to note that for horses on the level the track takes a bit of getting. Think stamina more than speed when assessing the chances of runners

The hurdles and chase course are so contrary however depending on underfoot conditions. On good or better ground, Chepstow can ride very quick and so speed is the most important element to consider in your handicapping.

When it soft around here however, they look as though they are plodding up and down on the one spot in the final furlong and so stamina is very much the number one consideration, which is naturally at its most prevalent in the Welsh National.

Combining that sort of form history with a jockey who knows their way around the course is a winning combo, as top Chepstow riders will know the downhill run is important and so they’ll use the stamina to its fullest to get a good lead up the straight given that, as long as there are no mistakes at the last, they can see the race out down the hill.

Top Trainers and Jockeys

Despite the prize money being excellent for the likes of the Silver Trophy and the Welsh National, local knowledge has proved crucial in the past and therefore nearby trainers have done well here. In terms of their overall strike-rate however, these are the names to look out for:

• David Pipe
• Neil Mulholland
• Paul Nicholls
• Dan Skelton
• Tom George
• Philip Hobbs
• Warren Greatrex
• Tom Lacey

The jockeys with the best recent win rates at Chepstow are:

• Harry Cobden
• Richard Johnson
• Charlie Deutsch
• Robbie Power
• Daryl Jacob

As for Chepstow’s flat meetings, the better trainers of late have been Ralph Beckett, Sir Mark Prescott and Mick Channon while the top jocks are Richard Kingscote, Rossa Ryan, Oisin Murphy and Callum Shepherd.

Major Handicap Races at Chepstow

Chepstow isn’t rife with big-betting handicap events during a typical year, especially on the flat, however on December 27^th every year one of the biggest such races in the land is staged here, the Welsh Grand National.

Race	Meeting	Grade	Distance
Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle	Jump Season Opener, October	Grade 3	2 miles, 3 furlongs, 100 yards
Welsh Grand National (Chase)	Welsh National Meeting, December	Grade 3	3 miles, 5 furlongs, 110 yards