Our form expert Ben Linfoot picks out two bets from the Coral Welsh Grand National card at Chepstow on Wednesday.
Nass can be all class in feature
Loads of rain is forecast in Britain overnight and Chepstow could feel the full brunt of it, making the Coral Welsh Grand National a typical slog in the mud on Wednesday.
That won’t bother any of the market leaders and with Super Survivor, NASSALAM, Autonomous Cloud, Iwilldoit, Complete Unknown and Iron Bridge all having solid claims I don’t think it will pay to look away from the top of the market.
Gary Moore’s Nassalam appeals the most as he looked a different horse in the trial here and whether it was the blinkers, the track, the testing ground or the most exacting stamina test of his career, it doesn’t matter, as all of those factors are going to be in play once again.
He jumped really well with the blinkers back on and would’ve recorded a much more impressive winning margin than the official five-and-a-half lengths but for being drastically eased down late on, so it really was the perfect platform from which to launch a Welsh National challenge.
Both Secret Reprieve and Iwilldoit have won the trial and the main event in recent years and Nassalam comes in here 4lb ahead of the handicapper after his trial cruise.
He is unproven over a marathon trip, but a real test of stamina looks to be exactly what he wants and he definitely wants the rain – the weather radar strongly suggesting he won’t be let down on that score.
Moore's Boxing Day team looked in great nick at Fontwell and Caoilin Quinn was amongst the winners for him again there, so he'll go into the biggest ride of his Christmas full of confidence.
The Verdict: Back NASSALAM in the Welsh National
Bells to ring again on Chepstow undercard
Earlier on the card Tim Vaughan’s BELLS OF PETERBORO is worth backing to win the Coral Racing Club Join For Free Handicap Hurdle once again.
The eight-year-old won this race two years ago by 22 lengths off a mark of 120, while he was second last year to Flight Deck from a rating of 123.
Third here again in February off a perch of 126, he started the season over fences and has only had the one hurdles run this campaign – last time at Lingfield where the leaders fell in a hole in the straight.
The race wasn’t run to suit and a line is put through the effort, but he’s really interesting back at his beloved Chepstow off a reduced mark of 117.
Again, he won’t mind how much it rains as the more of a test of stamina this is the better it will be for him.
The Verdict: Back BELLS OF PETERBORO in the 1.40 Chepstow
Preview posted at 1555 GMT on 26/12/23
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