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Welsh Grand National 2026: Chepstow Betting Guide, Trends and Offers
Nearly three and three-quarter miles, 23 fences and a big field of stayers on Bank Holiday Monday. The new Christmas date, the race in detail, ten years of winners, the trends that hold and the bookmakers whose place terms suit a marathon handicap.
By Horse.bet Team · Updated 24 October 2026 · Offers checked
New bet365 customers only. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. The bonus code 365GMBLR can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. Time limits and T&Cs apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
New UK+ROI customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€10 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 5 x £/€10 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
Refunds a losing bet as a free bet if your horse fails to finish, a real consideration in a marathon chase; BOG is capped at around £150 extra per bet.
New UK Customers Only. Bet £10+ on any sportsbook markets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater. No cash out. Get 50% back of your first day’s losses (from first bet settlement until 23:59) as a Free Bet up to £25, valid for 7 days. Min. 3 bets on different events required, with 2 bets being at least 50% of your largest stake. Place at least 1 bet of £10+ at odds 2.00+ to receive a £5 Free Bet even if your account is up or losses are under £5. SP, void, free and cashed-out bets excluded. T&Cs Apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
New members only. Min first deposit £10 within 14 days of sign-up. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. Deposits by prepaid, disposable or virtual cards, or unidentifiable debit cards, excluded. T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. 18+. GambleAware.org
The race
Welsh Grand National 2026: Chepstow's Christmas Marathon
The Coral Welsh Grand National is run at Chepstow on Bank Holiday Monday, 28 December 2026. It is a handicap chase of about three miles and six and a half furlongs with 23 fences, and for many staying chasers it is the first serious test of the season over a marathon trip.
The date is new. For years the race was run on 27 December, the day after Boxing Day, which put it head to head with the second day of Kempton's Christmas meeting. Chepstow announced in July 2026 that the race would move to the 28th as part of a plan agreed between the British Horseracing Authority, ITV Racing and Entain to give racing four consecutive days on ITV from 26 to 29 December. Jockeys, trainers and racegoers no longer have to choose between Chepstow and Kempton.
The race has a long history. It was first run in 1895, at Ely Racecourse in Cardiff, and came to Chepstow in 1949. Coral has sponsored it since 1973, the longest-running sponsorship in jump racing. The prize fund stands at £170,000.
The roll of honour links the Welsh National to the biggest prizes in the sport. Burrough Hill Lad won it in 1983 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup less than three months later. Native River won in 2016 and took the Gold Cup in 2018, and Synchronised, the 2010 winner, won the Gold Cup in 2012. Corbière completed the Welsh and Aintree double for Jenny Pitman, and Silver Birch also won both Nationals. Our Chepstow racecourse guide covers the course itself.
Course and conditions
The Welsh National Course: Distance, Fences and Ground
Chepstow is a left-handed, undulating track, and the Welsh National takes the field round it more than twice. The distance was lengthened in 2019 to the current three miles six and a half furlongs, with 23 fences; before that the runners jumped 22. It is a Premier Handicap, so the weights are set by the handicapper to give every horse a chance, and the race regularly attracts a big field: 17 ran in 2025.
The ground is the great variable. Late December in the Wye Valley can mean anything from good to soft, as in 2025, to heavy, and on testing going a race this long becomes a survival test in which only a handful finish. Check the official going on the morning of the race; our going guide explains what each description means for a stayer, and the guide to reading a racecard shows where to find each horse's form on soft ground.
Christmas racing (2026)
Course
Feature
Saturday 26 December
Kempton Park
King George VI Chase
Sunday 27 December
Kempton Park
Kauto Star Chase Day
Monday 28 December
Chepstow
Coral Welsh Grand National
The King George VI Chase two days earlier is the championship race of the holiday; the Welsh National is the betting race, a big-field handicap where the place terms matter as much as the price.
The market
Welsh Grand National Odds and the Early Contenders
There is no meaningful market on the Welsh National until the entries and weights are published in December. As a handicap with a big field, it depends on which horses connections choose to run, where the handicapper puts them and what the ground is doing in the final week.
The 2025 result gives a starting point. Haiti Couleurs won at 5/1 for Rebecca Curtis and Sean Bowen, three lengths clear of O'Connell, with Deafening Silence third and Livin On Luco fourth. He carried 11st 13lb, close to the top of the handicap, which makes his task harder if he returns; the 2016 winner Native River is a reminder that a high-class horse can defy a big weight here, but most recent winners have carried less.
An ante-post bet on a big-field handicap is all-in, run or not, and with the weights still to come a horse can be withdrawn, miss the race on the ground or be beaten by the handicapper before the tapes go up. Our ante-post betting guide explains when non-runner no bet terms are worth waiting for.
● Live odds
Today’s racing: best prices
Prices updated 12:01 · Odds can change
William Hill Epic Boosts Novices' Limited Handicap Steeple Chase2m4f44y · Good · 9 runners
18+. Prices via The Racing API; check the price on the bet slip before you bet. GambleAware.org
The widget shows live prices for the day's British racing; on 28 December it carries the Chepstow card.
Betting guide
How to Bet on the Welsh National: Each-Way, Extra Places and BOG
A marathon handicap with a big field is the classic each-way race. Under standard terms a handicap of 16 or more runners pays a quarter of the odds for four places; with 12 to 15 runners it pays a quarter for three. If the field falls from 16 to 15 through a late withdrawal, the fourth place disappears, so check the declared runners on the morning of the race. Our each-way calculator shows what each place is worth at your price.
Extra places
Several bookmakers pay extra places on the big Christmas handicaps. Coral, the race sponsor, publishes Extra Place races every day, usually at a fifth of the odds for four places and rising to five on selected big races. Extra-place bets often sit outside Best Odds Guaranteed, so our extra places guide is worth reading before you choose between the two.
Best Odds Guaranteed and non-runners
Best Odds Guaranteed pays the starting price if it beats the price you took on the day: from 8am at bet365 and 10am at Virgin Bet. In a big field, late withdrawals are common, and each one after you have bet can bring a Rule 4 deduction on your winnings.
Reading the handicap
Weight, the claim of a conditional or amateur rider, and form on soft ground decide most Welsh Nationals. Our handicap races explained guide covers how the weights work, and four of the last ten winners were ridden by claiming jockeys, which takes weight off a horse's back.
Open an account early. Bank Holiday Monday is a busy day for the bookmakers. Our horse racing betting sites guide compares the firms on their racing terms.
Claim the welcome offer, entering the Promo Code at sign-up if the offer needs one, and check whether racing bets qualify.
Wait for the final field unless you have non-runner no bet terms.
Check the place terms and the going on the morning of the race.
Set a budget for the Christmas racing as a whole, not for each day. Free, confidential help is available at GambleAware.org.
History
Welsh Grand National Winners: Ten Years of Results
Year
Winner
SP
Trainer
Jockey
2025
Haiti Couleurs
5/1
Rebecca Curtis
Sean Bowen
2024
Val Dancer
8/1
Mel Rowley
Charlie Hammond
2023
Nassalam
9/2 fav
Gary Moore
Caoilin Quinn
2022
The Two Amigos
16/1
Nicky Martin
David Prichard
2021
Iwilldoit
13/2
Sam Thomas
Stan Sheppard
2020
Secret Reprieve
5/2 fav
Evan Williams
Adam Wedge
2019
Potters Corner
8/1
Christian Williams
Jack Tudor
2018
Elegant Escape
3/1 fav
Colin Tizzard
Tom O'Brien
2017
Raz De Maree
16/1
Gavin Cromwell
James Bowen
2016
Native River
11/4 fav
Colin Tizzard
Richard Johnson
Four favourites won in those ten runnings: Native River, Elegant Escape, Secret Reprieve and Nassalam.
Seven of the ten winners were aged between six and eight. The exception that proves the race can surprise was Raz De Maree, who won at 13.
Welsh stables have done well: Potters Corner in 2019 was the first Welsh-trained winner since 1973, and Secret Reprieve and Haiti Couleurs have followed.
Young jockeys make their names here. James Bowen was 16 when he won on Raz De Maree in 2017, the youngest jockey to win the race.
Betting angles
Welsh National Tips: What the Trends Say
No selections until the field is declared, but the last ten runnings narrow the search.
Weight usually tells
Native River in 2016 and Haiti Couleurs in 2025 carried near top weight to victory, but most winners have come from lower in the handicap: Iwilldoit carried 10st, The Two Amigos and Secret Reprieve 10st 1lb, Potters Corner 10st 4lb and Val Dancer 10st 6lb. A well-handicapped horse with a light weight and proven stamina is the usual profile.
Do not ignore the market
Four favourites in ten runnings is a good strike rate for a marathon handicap, and eight of the ten winners started at 8/1 or shorter. Big-priced winners do happen, as Raz De Maree and The Two Amigos showed at 16/1, but the market has been a reliable guide.
Stamina on soft ground
Form over three miles and more on soft or heavy going matters more here than class. A horse that has finished strongly in a long-distance chase in November or early December, especially at Chepstow, deserves a second look.
The road to Aintree
The Welsh National is often a stepping stone. Horses who run well here can be aimed at the Grand National at Aintree in April, and the best of them, like Native River, at the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
TV and streaming
How to Watch the Welsh Grand National
ITV Racing shows four consecutive days of racing over Christmas 2026, from 26 to 29 December, under the schedule agreed between the BHA, ITV and Entain, with the Welsh Grand National as the feature on the 28th.
Bookmaker apps also stream the race. Virgin Bet shows every British and Irish race to customers with a funded account, with no bet needed; bet365 needs a funded account or a bet in the previous 24 hours, and QuinnBet asks for a £1 qualifying bet.
Where to bet
Welsh Grand National Free Bets: Choosing a Bookmaker
In a big-field marathon, the concessions that count are place terms, Best Odds Guaranteed and what happens when your horse fails to get round. The four firms above were chosen on that basis; full welcome terms sit alongside each offer.
bet365: Best Odds Guaranteed from 8am on British and Irish races with no published cap, Each Way Extra on selected races, and the first 5p of any Rule 4 deduction waived.
Coral: the race sponsor, with daily Extra Place races, five places on selected big races and Best Odds Guaranteed on UK and Irish racing from 8am.
QuinnBet: refunds as free bets if your horse fails to finish, is beaten a head or less, or finishes second to the SP favourite. Its BOG is capped at around £150 extra per bet.
Virgin Bet: BOG from 10am and free streams of every British and Irish race for funded accounts.
Monday 28 December 2026, Bank Holiday Monday, at Chepstow. It has moved from its traditional date of 27 December.
Why has the Welsh Grand National moved to 28 December?
As part of a plan agreed between the BHA, ITV Racing and Entain to give racing four consecutive days on ITV from 26 to 29 December. The move also ends the clash with the second day of Kempton's Christmas meeting.
What time is the Welsh Grand National?
It was off at 2.50pm in 2025. Chepstow confirms the 2026 race time when it publishes the card.
How long is the Welsh Grand National?
About three miles and six and a half furlongs, with 23 fences, on Chepstow's left-handed track.
Who won the Welsh Grand National in 2025?
Haiti Couleurs, trained by Rebecca Curtis and ridden by Sean Bowen, at 5/1. He beat O'Connell by three lengths.
How much is the Welsh Grand National worth?
£170,000. Coral has sponsored the race since 1973.
How many places do bookmakers pay on the Welsh National?
Standard terms for a handicap of 16 or more runners are a quarter of the odds for four places. Some bookmakers pay extra places on the big Christmas handicaps, so check the terms before you bet each way.
Is the Welsh Grand National on TV?
Yes. ITV Racing shows racing on four consecutive days over Christmas 2026, with the Welsh Grand National as the feature on 28 December.
