Welsh racing fans will be rooting for Kitty’s Light in Saturday’s Aintree Grand National.
The eight-year-old, trained by Christian Williams (photographed) near Ogmore-by-Sea, has a live chance of taking the biggest prize in jump racing under jockey Jack Tudor.
He’s a thorough stayer who last year won the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr and the Bet 365 Gold Cup at Sandown – two of the richest long distance prizes in the calendar.
And if you want to see his bid for glory you can come to Chepstow where there are seven races and all the action from Aintree on the big screen. The first race at Chepstow is off at 12.40pm. There’s a Queen tribute band performing after racing. All the ticket and hospitality options are available here.
Conor Ring has been taking advantage of the extra opportunities Evan Williams is giving him due to Adam Wedge’s absence. The stable jockey has been out of action since fracturing three vertebrae in January. Though Ring still gets put up on plenty of outsiders, he’s ridden three winners in the last month whereas the previous three spanned six months.
Carbon King was 16/1 when lining up at Uttoxeter on Saturday and his form figures were 8P1PPF, so Harry Cobden wouldn’t have been on the phone for the ride. Indeed, last time out he fell at the final fence at the Midlands track with Ring on board. That day he was ridden up with the pace only to fade in the closing stages. This time, in similar going and over the same trip, Ring’s orders were to hold him up. It worked a treat, as he hit the front halfway up the home straight and finished full of beans, winning by 14 lengths.
Ben Jones won the bumper on Realco, which he’d ridden to finish a close third of four in a slowly-run Chepstow race. The form of that contest looked dubious but Realco, sent off at 10/1, didn’t know that. He took the lead with three furlongs to go and despite showing his lack of experience by running around he won easily.
David Probert rode Ferrous to win for Jack Channon a month ago at Wolverhampton and the pair scored again at Kempton. Although he was five pounds higher in the weights, the four-year old won by the best part of three lengths. Connections have a valuable handicap at Newmarket on 2,000 Guineas day in mind for him.
Probert was on the winner of Bath’s opener on Sunday, the first meeting of their new season. He led all the way on Tasman Bay, who had placed form in Group races back in 2021. One of the reins broke soon after leaving the stalls, so it was a particularly good ride.
Ron Harris’s sprinter Sarah’s Verse won at this meeting in two of the last three seasons and with Hollie Doyle booked she was made a hot favourite to do so again in the finale. She succeeded, even though she was slowly away. She got from last to first by the furlong pole and though the petrol gauge emptied she hung on to her lead. It was her fifth course victory in all.
