FESTIVE TREAT'S RIGHT ON TREND

Andy Newton sifts through the numbers ahead of punters' Welsh highlight

- Andy Newton

Just a day after the King George VI Chase is another of the big festive horse racing feasts the Coral Welsh National on Saturday December 27 this year.

It's the biggest race day at Chepstow each season and over the years the prize has been won by many big names.

Including former Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Native River back in 2016, Synchronised in 2010 and Master Oats in 1994.

While Aintree Grand National winners Silver Birch (2004), Bindaree (2003) and Earth Summit (1997) are other names to grace the Welsh National hall-of-fame.

Earth Summit (1997/98) was also The last horse to win both the Welsh/Aintree Nationals in the same season

But 12 months ago, it was the turn of the Mel Rowley yard to grab their biggest stable win, when Val Dancer found the right moves to power home by 1 lengths from Jubilee Express.

The 3m6 1/2f race has also been backed by a long-serving sponsor over the years as Coral have remained in the hotseat since 1973 - making it the longest running sponsored jumps race.

Of course, just like in any National race, stamina is key in getting home and with the Welsh National often run in testing ground, this is even more so in this festive marathon.

Therefore, when looking at the trends - it’s no surprise to see ALL of the last 23 winners being previous winners over at least 3m.

So, what are the main Welsh Grand National trends to have on your radar?

Age - In recent years - there is NO real age that has dominated - with winners ranging from six up to 13 in the last eight years alone.

With last year’s winner Val Dancer aged seven and the second winner of this age in the last five runnings.

Raz De Maree flew the flag for the old-timers in 2017 - winning at a remarkable 13 years-old.

That said, it’s still worth noting that we've only had three winners aged in double-figures since 1994.