Our next fixture is on Friday 28th April with seven races from 4.45pm. The feature race is the Dunraven Bowl, which has been in the calendar at Chepstow for more than 20 years. It’s a championship race for novice point to point horses sponsored by The Dunraven Group (photographed after celebrating the 2019 success of their horse Pink Eyed Pedro). Tickets in advance are £18 with places also available in the restaurant.
Our opening flat meeting is on Tuesday 16th May. Our first feature meeting of the summer is Saturday 10th June when it’s Abba Race Night. We have booked the excellent Abba tribute act Waterloo for what promises to be a real fun night out. Gates open at 4pm with racing from 6pm – the band will be on stage just after 9pm.
In the Grand National Sean Bowen had a slightly disappointing time of it on Noble Yeats, who was in the rear for most of the race. The 19 pound rise from last year’s victory proved too much to overcome. Bowen praised the horse for trying hard; he stayed on gamely to finish fourth without ever looking like getting anywhere near the front.
Our Power, for Sam Thomas and Dai Walters, jumped well and was in the leading group on the first circuit, but he didn’t progress from there and finished a long way behind in eleventh place.
Peter Bowen’s Francky Du Berlais, with Ben Jones riding, was in midfield first time round, only to drop back steadily the longer the race went on. Jones hadn’t ridden in the National before and said, “That was one of the greatest thrills of my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.” He came home in his own time, 16th of the 17 finishers. Market Rasen’s big race in July will probably be his target.
Adam Wedge rode Back On The Lash, who’d shown good form on Cheltenham’s cross country course. He ran well for the first three miles but a mistake at the Foinavon fence spoiled whatever chance he had and he was pulled up.
Tim Vaughan’s grey Eva’s Oskar was easy to follow. He was going well at the fence before Becher’s second time round, in a group only about four lengths behind the leader. On the landing side a melee in front of him gave him nowhere to go and Alan Johns was knocked out of the side door. Perhaps he will have better luck next year.
Jack Tudor rode Dunboyne for Gordon Elliott. He was last for much of the race until pulling up after the water jump. In contrast, Tudor had an armchair ride on Sunday at Wincanton riding Duc De Beauchene. David Pipe’s well-handicapped ten-year-old was always going nicely and could be identified as the winner a long way out. Connor Brace won the closing bumper at Wincanton on the Fergal O’Brien debutant Horaces Pearl.
