Friday brings a packed card of jump racing from Chepstow, with live coverage on Sky Sports Racing featuring several competitive contests across the afternoon.
3.43 Chepstow - Cosmic Connection and Lord Byron clash in Grade Two Persian War
The feature race of the day is the DragonBet Persian War Novices' Hurdle, a deep renewal at Grade Two level that pits two progressive novices against each other. According to Racing TV's racecard, Cosmic Connection heads the market with Lord Byron as the main challenger, with North Shore also among the contenders.
Cosmic Connection, trained by Chris Gordon, arrives in excellent form having won three of his four hurdle outings. His most recent victory came in the Novices' Championship Final at Sandown in April, where he dominated the field. Now stepping up in both grade and distance, he represents a fine prospect for the campaign ahead.
Lord Byron enjoyed a solid novice season that included a fifth-place finish in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham and fourth place at Aintree. He improved on those efforts when chasing home King Rasko Grey at Punchestown, and fitness should not be a concern following a recent outing on the flat last month.
The race takes place over 2m 3f 100y with 11 runners competing for £45,560 for the winner. Other runners with place claims include The Skelton's North Shore and Lock Stock, who is seeking a hat-trick.
3.12 Chepstow - Le Beau Madrik and Captain Hugo battle in Welsh Champion Hurdle
An intriguing contest unfolds in the DragonBet Welsh Champion Hurdle at 3.12pm, where two unexposed runners clash in what promises to be a super edition of this handicap.
Dan Skelton's Le Beau Madrik has adapted well to hurdles, suffering just a single defeat across four starts. The form of his latest success at Haydock has been boosted by subsequent results, and he makes an appealing case on his handicap debut under the guidance of Harry Skelton.
Captain Hugo holds obvious claims for the Philip Hobbs and Johnson White partnership. A three-time winner over obstacles, he ran with credit when finishing second in the Scottish Hurdle and remains capable of delivering a better performance.
The race is a Class 2 handicap over 2m 16y with 17 runners and £26,015 for the winner. Sam Thomas, who won this prize last season with Celtic Dino, fields Doctor Blue this year. Other runners warranting attention include Gibbs Island and Serious Challenge, though according to Racing TV's result listing, Gibbs Island finished ahead of Doctor Blue and Le Beau Madrik in the race.
1.57 Chepstow - Saint Jeannais bids for perfect hurdle record
Saint Jeannais looks to maintain an unbeaten record over hurdles in the Wasdell Group Novices' Hurdle at 1.57pm. The six-year-old, trained by Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies, scored on his first of two starts in bumpers before making a sparkling debut over jumps with an easy victory at Bangor-on-Dee. Jumping nicely throughout, he rates a smart prospect with plenty of promise for the future.
Hive Runner justified favouritism when landing a Larkhill maiden point-to-point in February and must be watched in the betting on his rules debut for Tom Lacey and Stan Sheppard. Dan Skelton's Dutch Corner is rated 117 after five starts over hurdles and must be feared, while Sharu is another to note on his first start for Carroll Gray.
Best of the rest
The card features several other competitive contests throughout the afternoon. At 1.22pm, Paddy Brennan runs King's Scholar, while at 4.17pm, 11-year-old Opening Bid makes his debut for Joe Tizzard. Later at 5.31pm, Sheezer Diva makes her handicap debut for the Skelton team.
Away from Chepstow, there is also racing at Toulouse and Compiegne in France, plus Grade Two action at Keeneland in the United States. At Toulouse, Maintain has been supplemented for a Listed prize at 2.45pm, with another Listed contest following at 3.20pm. The Grade Two Sycamore Stakes takes place at Keeneland at 10.16am, while Compiegne hosts Listed action at 3.03pm where Beckett saddles K Sarra and Haggas fields Chimes Of Thunder. At 12.43pm at Compiegne, Lazzar, a relative of Lazzat, features alongside Merci Mille Fois, an intriguing runner for Christopher Head and Coolmore.
