The core National Hunt season starts at Chepstow with the Welsh Racing Festival of 2025 on Friday, 10 October as the opening card of an expanded three-day fixture. This meeting 12 months ago saw subsequent National Hunt Chase hero Haiti Couleurs begin his campaign en route to Cheltenham Festival and Irish Grand National glory.
While the novices’ handicap chase in which Rebecca Curtis’ stable star started his season off reverts to a plain novice chase, the feature contest is the Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle. That big race often goes to a useful horse with Silviniaco Conti and Blaklion on its roll of honour.
Supporting the Persian War is a leg of the Stayers’ Veterans’ Chase Series full of old Cheltenham favourites now in the final years of their careers. There are also handicaps for mares over hurdles and fences, plus two divisions of a novice hurdle.
We set our experts the task of hitting the ground running by looking at the best of the action from the Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 1 card. They preview six races from the opening day below, checking out all the form so you don’t have to.
While the premier jumps meeting itself is still some five months away, leading Cheltenham betting sites have their eyes fixed on South Wales as well. Read all our experts’ thoughts and analysis from the Persian War and plenty more below.
Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 Day 1 Preview for Friday, 10 October
1:22 – 2m Class 4 Novice Hurdle (Division I)
A straightforward win at Taunton for Fasol following a string of placings for @PFNicholls @CobdenHarry
Well done all. The 6yo son of Galileo was bought @InfoArqana Arc Sale 🇫🇷 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/hXF5w4Pkz4— TomMaloneBloodstock (@TMBloodstock) March 10, 2025
If Fasol can’t give weight and a beating to his rivals, then Grade 2 Aintree Bumper seventh Frontier Prince could strike a blow for the younger generation. Cheltenham local handler Fergal O’Brien always targets this fixture with runners and he gave this four-year-old son of Frontiersman a spin over the smaller obstacles when he finished a neck runner-up around Uttoxeter before his summer break.
Dan Skelton runs two as he pursues the National Hunt Trainers Championship. Although stable jockey and brother Harry rides the unraced Louis Veron, it’s Harry Bright who could benefit from prior hurdling experience. He wasn’t disgraced when hampered and fourth up at Kelso over further in the spring. Stable conditional Tristan Durrell takes a handy 3lb off with his claim.
Olly Murphy has a couple as well with Sean Bowen on Karonacho, who has a bit more going for him at this stage than Little Ledgend. At bigger odds, Jo Davis saddles Jaja Jimmy, who ran third to a useful Philip Hobbs & Johnson White inmate at Exeter over the winter. Speaking of that yard, they run last time out Newton Abbot bumper scorer Call Me Legend here.
1:57 – 2m Class 4 Novice Hurdle (Division II)
Tashan wins the Junior Novice Hurdle in game fashion @WarwickRaces Well done @ELavelleracing and team, @tommy_bells Congrats to owners High Altitude Partners. Purchased from John Butler. pic.twitter.com/vhrsuXPJtN
— Gerry Hogan (@GerryHoganBS) November 21, 2024
A number of strong stables have runners here, however, and Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls saddle Ffos Las fourth High Tea. He too has hurdling experience and should appreciate the stiffer track, given his Irish Point background. Skelton runs Blue Carpet and he’s a contender after landing his racecourse bow in a Carlisle bumper last season.
The runner-up, Jet To Vegas, went on to land a Grade 2 novice hurdle, and third home has scored twice in this sphere, so the form has a strong look to it. With those in-behind Blue Carpet rated 137 and 125 respectively, he’s got big claims here. Doctors Hill has seen his own bumper run in Ireland franked since joining Hobbs & White as well.
Sam Thomas took a Division of this 12 months ago with Palacio, so Kop Land is worth another look. His fifth in a Wincaton bumper doesn’t look too shabby with the third and sixth home landing races since. The Twiston-Davies stable combine with powerful owners Simon Munir & Isaac Souede with winning Irish pointer Masked Man, who could also be one to follow in the double green.
2:32 – 2m 3f 89y Class 4 Mares’ Handicap Chase (0-120)
It was an impossible task for her to give that one, who has come out and won the Simply Ned Handicap Chase against the boys up north at Kelso on Sunday, 11lb. Somespring Special should be spot on for this now after a closing reappearance third around Fontwell, where she confirmed past form with old rival Jaramillo.
There have been some comings and goings from the Skelton stable with mares for handicap chasing, meanwhile, as the yard saw Lady Jago move on to Donald McCain, but also acquired Theonewedreamof from Ireland. Whether the ground is soft enough for that new recruit remains to be seen. McCain would probably do better to explore Lady Jago’s 10lb lower mark over hurdles as she’s still unexposed there.
Martin Keighley hopes Springs A Girl can build on her encouraging debut over fences as she made up plenty of ground around Worcester after jumping the last to the line. That indicates this step up in trip is just what she needs with Sean Bowen booked for the ride. Lahinch Wave is also fit, but has less going for her. Stuart Edmunds will feel Kosasiempre could still be well-treated, meanwhile.
3:12 – 2m 7f 131y Class 2 Leg 6 Of The Stayers’ Veterans’ Chase Series Handicap Chase (0-150)
Courtland has the advantage of being trained in Wales with handler’s brother James back on board. He steered the horse to his last victory off an 8lb higher mark. This would also bring the house down at Chepstow. Both Neil Mulholland inmate Lord Accord and Lavelle’s topweight Hang In There, who loves good ground, are feasibly handicapped.
Gordon Elliott sends Bective Stud’s Tullybeg over from Ireland, meanwhile, and he’s a fascinating runner under Sean Bowen. He shaped nicely over hurdles around Down Royal last time when just beaten by a neck. Tullybeg dropping to a lowly mark of 136 could be exploitable. One of the more difficult horses to assess in the line-up is Will Carver for Nicky Henderson.
He has some letters in amongst his recent form figures, but the pick of his runs on a going day means he’s not out of it. One angle shrewd punters always look for in these veterans’ races are relatively lightly-raced types. Will Carver might fit the bill, but he’s not been the easiest to train. Other old favourites, including Torn And Frayed for the Twiston-Davies team, make little appeal.
3:43 – 2m 3f 100y Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle
Nearly 20 years in the training ranks and a landmark success for Cormac Farrell as Sticktotheplan lands Listed honours at @Galway_Races 👏 pic.twitter.com/25wmaaEIIY
— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) July 29, 2025
More interesting are STICKTOTHEPLAN, who has a penalty for his Galway races win, and JP McManus runner KAINSBOURG. Both come over from Ireland, but the former went through the Sales ring and has now joined Olly Murphy for keeps. He nominated the Persian War as the target for Sticktotheplan some weeks beforehand. With a prior win over two-and-a-half, stepping back up in trip promises to suit.
Kainsbourg, meanwhile, bumped into Ethical Diamond at Punchestown in February and that one has since placed in the County Hurdle on the Cheltenham Gold Cup card, plus won staying handicaps at Royal Ascot and York in the Ebor. Gordon Elliott’s runner handles better going and arrives here off the back of Listowel Harvest Festival success, beating the useful Strong Link.
Of the others, hurdling debutants Moneygarrow and Kilwaughter bring decent bumper form to the table. The former won a National Hunt Flat race here, while the latter made the top six in the Grade 2 Aintree Bumper and placed at Punchestown after that. Fergal O’Brien likes a runner here as well, so Jack Hyde is no back number either. Krak has a penalty for his Easter Handicap Hurdle win around Cork.
4:17 – 2m 7f 131y Class 3 Novice Chase
She’s done it with ease!
Coco Mademoiselle struts to success in the Staffordshire Plate at @UttoxeterRaces under @harryskelton89… pic.twitter.com/hsieBaHGOv
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 3, 2025
Art Of Diplomacy for the Bowen stable has also found a winning groove over fences, notching a five-timer. His form doesn’t perhaps have the same substance to it as the selection’s. Coco Mademoiselle has also won here before and goes on any ground, so she’s a solid pick for punters looking through the Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 1 card.
Jane Williams has the young gun Knight Of Allen making his chasing bow here. As a five-year-old, he’s open to the most progress, but this is a tough debut in that sphere even for a course winner. Nicholls saddles Welcom To Cartries, who found himself highly-tried over fences last season. This is a gentler reappearance for him, rather than graded events, and he’s the main danger to Coco Mademoiselle.
