Concluding its inaugural edition on Sunday, 12 October is the Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 3 card. This end to the meeting has extra spice thanks to the Welsh Champion Hurdle moving back to Glamorgan from Ffos Las in the west of the Principality.
Unlike the feature of the Cheltenham Festival schedule on day 1, this Champion Hurdle is a limited handicap. Much less exalted than Grade 1 action that follows at the home of jumps racing come the spring, it’s a starting point for many two-mile handicappers en route to similar races throughout the winter.
Changing tracks for a big race like that renders all past form null and void. Chepstow is quite different to Ffos Las. Supporting the new feature race is a Listed novice chase for the Robert Mottram Memorial Trophy. Using the same course and distance over fences is the John Ayres Memorial Handicap Chase.
Away from the bigger races on the Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 3 card is a novice hurdle for mares, long-distance conditional jockeys’ handicap chase, handicap hurdle for seniors (eight-year-olds and up) and a bumper. We asked our experts just to focus on the best contest as this fixture comes to a close.
They study past performances on the track and form opinions on that first, before checking out the prices on Cheltenham bookmakers online in search of value. Read all about their Sunday selections and what our experts fancy in the four best races on the card below…
Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 Day 3 Preview for Sunday, 12 October
2:17 – 2m 3f 100y Class 3 Mares’ National Hunt Novice Hurdle
Last month’s Ffos Las third Nana Noodleman has seen that form franked by the runner-up coming out and going one better. Olly Murphy’s charge doesn’t have the same level of prior bumper form as the Skelton mare, but also brings experience of hurdling to the table. Most of the others are best watched at this stage, but Fergal O’Brien targets the meeting, so Harmony Heights is an interesting runner.
Again, her bumper runs don’t compare to Settle Down Jill, but he placed efforts in Irish Points don’t look too bad. One more of note is Evan Williams debutante Where’s Cato after she scored between the flags in Ireland and placed in a winners’ Point-to-Point. The runner-up from her success ran third over hurdles in April. It’s slim pickings estimating form, though.
2:42 – Listed 2m 3f 98y Robert Mottram Memorial Trophy Novices’ Chase
💥GRADE 2 SUCCESS💥
Blueking d’Oroux by JEU ST ELOI out of Belle Du Bresil (BLUE BRESIL) wins the Gr.2 bet365 Select Hurdle under a solid ride from @CobdenHarry 💪
Congrats to @PFNicholls and owner Mrs Johnny de la Hey🙌pic.twitter.com/1sgpn2rhrB
— Rathbarry & Glenview (@RathbarryStud) April 26, 2025
Skelton saddles Doyen Quest and Gordon Elliott sends Gigginstown House Stud mare Speculatrix over from Ireland, meanwhile. Both have steeplechasing experience, but will need to make good use of it A beginners’ chase success around Warwick at 1/50 for the former doesn’t exactly tell us much. Speculatrix won over this trip at Downpatrick on her penultimate outing when she travelled strongly, so she appeals more.
It’s hard to make credible cases for Tom Ellis new recruit Brucio, after he moved across the Irish Sea, or Imperial Jade for Charlie Longsdon. The latter has a lowly chase mark of 106, some two stone short of Listed calibre horses. The dangers to Blueking D’Oroux genuinely look like the fences, rather than his four rivals.
3:17 – 2m Class 2 Welsh Champion Hurdle (A Limited Handicap)
Sam Thomas won this at Ffos Las 12 months ago with Lump Sum and horses in the low-to-mid 130s did best in the race’s latter years there. His local yard runs Celtic Dino, placed in graded novice hurdles last season, off topweight in the Chepstow Welsh Racing Festival 2025 day 3 big betting race, but value lies elsewhere. Another handicap debutant in TUTTI QUANTI fits the bill.
Trained by Nicholls, this five-year-old bumped into subsequent Newbury Premier Handicap heroine Joyeuse on his British bow. Either side of an excellent sixth in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham races during the Festival, Tutti Quanti won around Ffos Las, so he doesn’t mind travelling to Wales. A mark of 132 looks workable.
Punchestown Festival Listed handicap second Wilful has a 6lb hike for a narrow defeat, but has less on his plate for Jonjo O’Neill and sons. He’s a big danger if fully tuned up down in class after his summer break. Skelton runs mare Listentoyourheart, who was best caught in the autumn last season when she hit a hat-trick. Balhambar still isn’t fully exposed for Harry Derham either.
At bigger odds, Joe Tizzard and Brocade Racing bring the lightly-raced Alexei to South Wales. He won his first hurdles outings around Taunton, then ran in what turned out a red-hot Listed race at Exeter. As the runner-up and third went on to finish second and win Grade 1s at Aintree in the spring, Alexei had an impossible task on his hands. He goes well fresh, looks each-way value and could be well-handicapped off 127.
3:52 – 2m 3f 98y Class 2 John Ayres Memorial Handicap Chase
Skelton 🆚 Mullins ⚔️
Riskintheground powers up the hill to take the Matt Hampson Foundation Silver Trophy Handicap Chase 🥇#ITVRacing | @Hambofoundation | @DSkeltonRacing | @harryskelton89 pic.twitter.com/OwQRny9MW3
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 16, 2025
Sheer weight of numbers is an interesting strategy from him and Unexpected Party, another successful over course and distance before, frames the weights. Harper’s Brook needs producing late, so isn’t the easiest ride. Jet Plane and Frere D’Armes are in and out performers, but RISKINTHEGROUND will love conditions.
Taking Tristan Durrell’s 3lb claim into account, he’s effectively 1lb below his last winning mark from the Silver Trophy during Cheltenham’s April Meeting. Il Ridoto was some 10 lengths behind in fourth and is only 1lb better off now, so it doesn’t make sense for that one to be joint-favourite and Riskintheground be an each-way price. Sophie Leech’s Mount Tempest arrives on the back of a recent win and completes the line-up.
4:27 – 2m Class 3 Seniors Handicap Hurdle
Washington beat a useful horse in Gin Coco here last season, rated 137 at his peak, so could repeat the dose in spite of that hike in the handicap. King William Rufus finished in front of the selection in the big Premier Handicap at Newbury over the winter, so must be a danger for father-son trainer-jockey duo Chris and Freddie Gordon.
Of the other, Bucephalus and long absent Bubble Dubi are also course and distance winners. The former finished off last season in fine form and looks for his hat-trick for the Neil Mulholland stable off topweight. Harriet Tucker takes the ride and 7lb off with her claim to ease that welter burden. Moveit Like Minnie ran some good races over further last term, meanwhile, but might be best caught later on.
