The third day of the Welsh Racing Festival at Chepstow brought a compelling card of jump racing, with the headline contest pitting two progressive performers against each other in a keenly anticipated battle.
Broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing on Sunday, the meeting featured seven races across the day, with gates opening at 11:27 and the opening contest scheduled for 13:27. The going was reported as good to soft, good in places, providing testing conditions for the assembled runners.
The Feature Race: DragonBet Cefnogi Rasio Ceffylau Cymreig Handicap Hurdle
The main event of the day came in the shape of the 3.47 DragonBet Cefnogi Rasio Ceffylau Cymreig Handicap Hurdle, a Class 2 handicap contested over 2m 7f 131y with 12 runners and £13,202 to the winner. The race saw Service Minimum and Leader Crik emerge as the principal contenders, though the result would ultimately prove surprising.
Leader Crik, representing the in-form Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies partnership, arrived at Chepstow with considerable credentials. The gelding had impressed with a 12-length victory in a Doncaster maiden hurdle back in February, and this assignment marked his first venture into handicap company. Stepping up in distance, he carried the colours under Sam Twiston-Davies and appeared to hold leading claims on paper.
Service Minimum, meanwhile, came to the track on the back of a recent success at Newton Abbot last month. The mare faced a six-pound rise for that victory but could have possessed further improvement to offer when tackling the extended distance on offer.
Matty's Getaway represented another serious threat to the favourites. The runner had finished the previous season in impressive fashion with a game victory at Haydock, and a repeat of that performance would have seen him go close in this competitive heat.
However, Tune In A Box claimed the spoils, with Leader Crik finishing second and Matty's Getaway completing the frame in third, providing an upset to those who had favoured the pre-race market leaders.
The Seniors' Hurdle: Haas Boy Seeks Hat-Trick
The 4.22 race saw the return of Haas Boy in the DragonBet Born In Wales Seniors' Handicap Hurdle, where the Chester Williams-trained nine-year-old sought to complete a hat-trick of victories. The gelding had enjoyed a resurgence in form, striking off a lower mark at Wincanton in March before following up at Ascot the same month. Returning from a summer break, he carried obvious chances off this reduced hurdles mark.
Ooh Betty emerged as the chief danger for connections Ben Clarke and Ben Jones. The mare had landed the Grade Two Warfield Mares' Hurdle at Ascot in January and had run with credit in subsequent outings at Cheltenham and Ayr. The drop in grade represented a significant opportunity for her to strike.
Norn Iron and Gower Prince represented consistent performers in the field, while Glengouly warranted consideration following a switch back to hurdles.
The Novices' Hurdle: Princess Day, Divine Diva and Connells Cross
The opening race of the day, the 1.27 DragonBet and EBF Mares' National Hunt Novices' Hurdle, featured an exciting trio in Princess Day, Divine Diva and Connells Cross. The contest promised to showcase some of the season's most promising female hurdlers.
Princess Day had demonstrated excellent form in bumpers, winning her first two starts after landing her sole point-to-point success. Sent off at 2/1 favourite for the Aintree Grade Two in April, she had been beaten on that occasion but finished ahead of Divine Diva, establishing herself as one to follow over hurdles this season.
Divine Diva, a point-to-point winner from March of the previous year, had run impressively when third in Listed company at Cheltenham in November. Her subsequent effort at Aintree had disappointed, but that reversal could be overlooked given her overall profile as a useful prospect.
Connells Cross had scored on two of her three bumper starts for Jennie Candlish and made both her hurdling debut and stable debut for Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls. The application of a tongue-tie suggested connections believed she could be above average in this sphere.
Supporting Races
The card featured several other competitive contests. Old Coast Road, trained by The Skeltons, bid to record a second consecutive victory in the 4.57 race. Progressive Harbour Light faced a field of 12 rivals in the 3.12 contest, while the meeting also included races from Auteuil in France, with a Grade Two heat at 4.17 and Grade Three contests at 2.50 and 4.50, the latter featuring last year's winner Losange Bleu.
Festival Conclusion
The Welsh Racing Festival's final race was scheduled for 16:57 on Sunday 11 October, bringing the three-day festival to a close with a full programme of jump racing action.
