Chepstow

directions

Flat turf:
Jumps:

Directions to stable yard

Stables: Victorian Gate, Chepstow NP16 6EH

Chepstow feels like the gateway to the Welsh jumps season, sitting on a broad, open hillside above the Wye with the Severn bridges visible in the distance. It's a big, left‑handed, galloping track, almost two miles around, with long straights and sweeping bends that reward horses who can maintain a rhythm rather than those who rely on a quick turn of foot. The defining feature is the climb: from the home turn the ground rises steadily all the way to the line, and that final uphill drag exposes anything that doesn't truly stay. On soft or heavy ground — which is common given its coastal position — the test becomes even more searching.

Racing there dates back to the 1920s, and the course has always had a slightly rugged, autumnal character. The season's first major meeting is the October fixture that includes the Silver Trophy and, most famously, the Welsh Grand National trial races. The Welsh National itself, run on the 27th of December, is the track's centrepiece: a marathon slog over three miles and six furlongs that often takes place in deep winter ground. It’s a race that produces proper staying chasers, and the atmosphere on the day mixes festive crowds with the sense that you're watching something attritional and historic.

The hurdles track is fair, the fences are stiff but not brutal, and the long straights give jockeys time to organise themselves. Because the place is so open, wind can play a part, and front‑runners can get caught if they commit too early into that rising finish. Trainers often use Chepstow to bring on young staying types, especially in the early‑season novice hurdles and chases, because the course teaches horses to settle, jump and keep going.

Winners at Chepstow (4)