The Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 2 card on Saturday, 11 October puts handicaps front and centre. These include the Silver Trophy over hurdles and a steeplechase honouring Native River.
Besides winning the Hennessy Gold Cup and Welsh Grand National, he later tasted Cheltenham Gold Cup glory when prevailing in an epic duel with Might Bite. Also on the supporting card in South Wales are a novices’ limited handicap chase and four-year-olds only limited handicap hurdle.
These races are a starting point for Cheltenham hopefuls looking to build on their autumn runs and peak in the spring. That can make things tricky for punters. Knowing which horses are fully tuned up for right now is a puzzle. We sat our experts down to think about the best of the action from the Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 2 card.
With their approach to form study focusing on course winners as the track won’t suit every runner, they hunt down value. A look at online Cheltenham bookies for the prices on offer follows. It’s a formula that works. Lots of handicaps helps with the odds and decent field sizes for the time of year.
Look at all our experts’ analysis from the premier horse racing venue in Wales below. These Saturday selections don’t cost a penny to look at. We asked them for their thoughts on five different races from the card. Here are their conclusions for the middle day of this three-day fixture…
Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 Day 2 Preview for Saturday, 11 October
2:10 – 2m Class 3 Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
Ben Solo, who was well backed before the off, wins the opener @Chepstow_Racing on day one of the Unibet Jumps Season opener! A win for Wales! pic.twitter.com/4xlBs0jx4M
— Unibet Racing (@UnibetRacing) October 11, 2024
Two of the seven are course hurdle winners with clear preference for BEN SOLO. Rebecca Curtis’ charge has run his best races under Rules around this venue. Ben Solo scored first time out over hurdles here during this meeting 12 months ago. The six-year-old Kingston Hill gelding later chased home Juby Ball, who looks very well-handicapped, when back in South Wales in February.
As Ben Solo won a Point-to-Point in Ireland, steeplechasing could well be the making of him. My Friend Sean doesn’t have the same background, but notched the first leg of his hat-trick over hurdles here in the spring. Tom Lacey has an improving son of Sholokhov on his hands here, however, with the assessor upping him more than a stone-and-a-half (22lb).
In The Air scored twice over fences this summer for Alastair Ralph with those lower in the weights preferred. Jonjo O’Neill, sons AJ and Jonjo Jr and the Coral Racing Club combine with topweight All The Glory, while Starcrossed Lover and The Kemble Brewery face the longest absences from the track. Fergal O’Brien runner Tintintin has only ever jumped hurdles, but could be feasibly handicapped.
2:45 – 2m 7f 131y Class 2 Native River Handicap Chase
👀 Per @SportingLife, Kim Bailey on DESTROYTHEEVIDENCE:
“We are hoping to follow the same route that we took with Chianti Classico.
“He is a very similar horse to Chianti Classico, not very big, but he is a progressive horse.”pic.twitter.com/FuqxNWM39a
— Road To Cheltenham (@RoadCheltenham) October 29, 2024
Destroytheevidence won first time out over fences during this meeting 12 months ago when he accounted for Haiti Couleurs by a couple of lengths. The runner-up has done plenty to advertise that form, landing the National Hunt Chase on the Cheltenham Festival schedule and Irish Grand National in the spring. With that one rated 152, Destroytheevidence must surely be well-treated off 135.
Neon Moon landed this from out of the handicap in 2024 for David Pipe and Native River owners Brocade Racing. He’s actually 2lb lower in the weights now and 5lb better off with re-opposing runner-up Pull Again Green. Placed efforts in the Sodexo Gold Cup around Ascot and Uttoxeter’s Staffordshire Plate last time suggest Neon Moon is another well-handicapped sort back here.
Welsh trainers Curtis and Evan Williams provide the other course and distance winners in The Boola Boss and Ask Brewster respectively. Both might need the run as they don’t have good records fresh. Deep Cave also flies the flag for the home team and Christian Williams stable. Light N Strike has topweight for Mickey Bowen’s yard.
Dan Skelton runs two with the market preferring Sandown specialist Hoe Joly Smoke to Snipe. Bottom weight Gyenyame kept on into sixth over too short a trip at this meeting last season, but jumping is sometimes an issue for him. Ballycamus won in the mud here over hurdles. Nicky Henderson mare Ile De Jersey has race fitness on her side.
3:20 – 2m 3f 100y Class 2 Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle
Last season’s winner, Josh The Boss, and third, Take No Chances, are back for more. Both have gone up in the weights with the former carrying a 3lb higher mark, but not scoring since. Take No Chances has a 10lb hike for Listed and Grade 2 successes before a fine Cheltenham result with third in the Mares’ Hurdle. Skelton runs four others, however, with course winner Royal Infantry the pick of them.
His form tailed off as the campaign wore on, however, and the one who looks most well-treated is FRENCH SHIP. Representing the Philip Hobbs & Johnson White stable, he arrives on Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 2 off a second and win here last season. French Ship couldn’t run Palacio down over two miles at this meeting 12 months ago.
The five-year-old French Navy gelding then beat Listed bumper winner Let It Rain over course and distance. French Ship wasn’t disgraced when fourth to subsequent Cheltenham Festival winner The New Lion, now rated 159, and only beaten just over five lengths. Califet En Vol, runner-up that day, landed a Listed race next time and has a mark of 137. French Ship must be well-handicapped off 128.
Other course winners in the line-up include Olly Murphy’s Rambo T, O’Brien mare Greyval and JP McManus runner Thanksforthehelp for Pipe. Paul Nicholls saddles 2022 winner Kanppers Hill off a lengthy lay-off, while Skelton veteran West To The Bridge is another previous scorer over this track and trip. Idy Wood landed his prep race for Jamie Snowden.
4:00 – 2m Class 2 Four Years Old Limited Handicap Hurdle
Moutarde had too much speed for Clotilda at Taunton last winter, but likes sharp, right-handed tracks. Events on the Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 2 card are anything but that. Fred Winter seventh Static is another with Cheltenham form and of interest here, despite leaving Murphy for Donald McCain. Finale Juvenile Hurdle third Torrent has close form ties to him.
Bottom weight Hope Rising looks a consistent filly for the Snowden stable and has race fitness on her side. Harry Derham runs three here with Aviemore, Turn And Finish and Maitre En Science all hoping to kick on. Neil Mulholland and Nigel Twiston-Davies have both won this before, so their runners Narragansett and Intosomethinggood are worth second looks.
Lacey has topweight Gibbs Island making his handicap hurdle debut after ending the campaign in Grade 1s. It’s a big step down in class for him and his earlier form isn’t too shabby. Gibbs Island pulled miles clear with one other of the remainder on his bow over obstacles at Sedgefield, and the runner-up has done plenty in both codes to advertise the form since. Benvoy and Gustapof complete the line-up.
4:35 – 2m Class 4 Handicap Chase (0-115)
A gutsy performance!
Thistle Ask wins the bet365 Handicap Chase! 🥇 #ITVRacing | @MusselburghRace | @mania450 | @jewartracing pic.twitter.com/BdUHyD0Unh
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) February 2, 2025
Skelton should land the spoils with one of three co-topweights in THISTLE ASK. His new recruit from James Ewart chased home Home Free on his chasing bow around Ayr, with the third and fourth scoring since, before going one better at Musselburgh. As that was a Class 3 on their Scottish Trials Weekend, and the third, fifth and seventh have all gone in over fences subsequently, it’s a higher level of form than this.
It means Thistle Ask is the one to beat. Plenty of these haven’t jumped fences in public, so it’s anyone’s guess how they’ll fare. Lightning Flash will be well-schooled by the Twiston-Davies team, while Jane Williams runs Authoceltic. He too has had a recent spin over hurdles and now goes chasing, but shares a dam with others from her stable who have landed races over the larger obstacles here.
Ideallko went close here twice at the end of last season, so he’s bids to make it third time lucky at Chepstow on Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 2 for Evan Williams and Adam Wedge. With a top two finish on each of his last six steeplechase starts, he’s another consistent runner. No But I Will spent his summer jumping around Cartmel, but this track asks different questions.
