You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident youâre betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Welsh Grand National Trial Preview
Scheduled to take place in early December of each year at the Chepstow racecourse is the Welsh Grand National Trial. The race serves as a trial for the Welsh Grand National, which takes place on 27th December. Contested over a distance of two miles, seven and a half furlongs, the runners face a total of eighteen fences in their quest for a victory.
The 2020 winner (Secret Reprieve), the 2021 winner (Iwilldoit) and the 2023 winner (Nassalam) all went on to win the Welsh National after winning this race, a feat that was also achieved by the 2011 winner, Le Beau Bai.
Welsh Grand National Trial Information:
- Welsh Grand National Trial Past Winners
- Welsh Grand National Trial Trainer Statistics
- Welsh Grand National Trial Jockey Statistics
Our dedicated Chepstow tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Welsh Grand National Trial, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Chepstow throughout the season, so be sure to head over there. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Chepstow Racecourse section for links to these.
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How competitive is the Welsh Grand National Trial market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 15 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2013 when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2011 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 126%, whilst on average over the last 15 renewals of the Welsh Grand National Trial, the over-round has been 118%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ118 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Welsh Grand National Trial Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Welsh Grand National Trial Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Welsh Grand National Trial races over the last 15 renewals:
- De La Bech (6:04.00) in 2013
- Farinet (6:04.12) in 2022
- Jubilee Express (6:06.31) in 2025
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 15 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Welsh Grand National Trial next time out, then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 14 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +13.50. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Welsh Grand National Trial, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
When looking over the past 15 renewals, a time of 6:04.00 was set by De La Bech in 2013, trained by Philip Hobbs and ridden by James Best, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2009 when Le Beau Bai won in a time of 6:47.90 for trainer Richard Lee, who booked Mr O Greenall in the saddle.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Welsh Grand National Trial Past Winners
Here are the Welsh Grand National Trial past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Welsh Grand National Trial are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: The 2024 renewal was abandoned due to severe weather.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 6:06.31 | Jubilee Express (FR) 8yo 10-9 13/2 | Lorcan Williams Sam Thomas (GB) |
| 2023 6:33.70 | Nassalam (FR) 6yo 10-12 3/1 | Caoilin Quinn (3lbs) Gary Moore (GB) |
| 2022 6:04.12 | Farinet (FR) 7yo 10-0 5/1 | Shane Quinlan (5lbs) Venetia Williams (GB) |
| 2021 6:09.71 | Iwilldoit (GB) 8yo 10-6 12/1 | Stan Sheppard Sam Thomas (GB) |
| 2020 6:26.28 | Secret Reprieve (IRE) 6yo 10-13 5/1 | James Bowen Evan Williams (GB) |
| 2019 6:33.60 | Acting Lass (IRE) 8yo 11-7 3/1 | Paddy Brennan Harry Fry (GB) |
| 2018 6:31.50 | Ramses De Teillee (FR) 6yo 11-10 2/1F | David Noonan David Pipe (GB) |
| 2017 6:30.80 | Wild West Wind (IRE) 8yo 10-13 6/1 | Ciaran Gethings (3lbs) Tom George (GB) |
| 2016 6:07.70 | Lamb Or Cod (IRE) 9yo 10-11 6/1F | Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs (GB) |
| 2015 6:31.50 | Tour Des Champs (FR) 8yo 10-5 7/2F | Jamie Bargary (5lbs) Nigel Twiston-Davies (GB) |
Welsh Grand National Trial Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the Welsh Grand National Trial over the last 15 renewals, with David Pipe, Philip Hobbs, and Sam Thomas having all won the race two times. David Pipe winners have been with Sona Sasta (2012) and Ramses De Teillee (2018). Philip Hobbs' winners have been with De La Bech (2013) and Lamb Or Cod (2016). Sam Thomas' winners have been with Iwilldoit (2021) and Jubilee Express (2025). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Welsh Grand National Trial; Paul Nicholls has sent a total of 13 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Welsh Grand National Trial trainer statistics over the last 15 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Pipe | 8-2-5 | -0.50 | +0.25 |
| Philip Hobbs | 7-2-2 | +5.00 | +1.15 |
| Sam Thomas | 2-2-2 | +18.50 | +11.10 |
| Venetia Williams | 12-1-2 | -6.00 | +0.75 |
| Evan Williams | 8-1-5 | -2.00 | +1.80 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 6-1-2 | -1.50 | -1.96 |
| Dai Burchell | 3-1-1 | +14.00 | +7.60 |
| Tom George | 2-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.60 |
| Harry Fry | 2-1-1 | +2.00 | +0.88 |
| Gary Moore | 1-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.80 |
Welsh Grand National Trial Jockey Statistics
Here are some of the top Welsh Grand National Trial jockey statistics over the last 15 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Sheppard | 3-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.20 |
| Lorcan Williams | 3-1-1 | +4.50 | +1.90 |
| Ciaran Gethings | 3-1-1 | +4.00 | +1.60 |
| Jamie Bargary | 3-1-1 | +1.50 | +0.10 |
| Robert Dunne | 2-1-1 | +15.00 | +8.60 |
| James Best | 2-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.40 |
| David Noonan | 2-1-1 | +1.00 | +0.20 |
| James Bowen | 1-1-1 | +5.00 | +3.00 |
| Shane Quinlan | 1-1-1 | +5.00 | +3.00 |
| Caoilin Quinn | 1-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.80 |
2026 Welsh Grand National Trial Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): UR, 6, 3, 3, PU, (1, 2), (1, 9, 12), 8, 1, 3, 7, 7, PU, PU, 5
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 15 / 15 (71%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 15 / 15 (75%) - Ran over 2m4f - 3m2½f (LTO)
- 15 / 15 (78%) - No bigger than 16/1
- 15 / 15 (85%) - Carried 151 - 170lbs (Last Win)
- 15 / 15 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 115+ (Going)
- 15 / 15 (87%) - Held an OR of 126+ (Last 3)
- 15 / 15 (87%) - Fewer than 8 races (Class)
- 15 / 15 (88%) - Furthest ran 3m - 4m1½f
- 15 / 15 (88%) - Ran over 2m3½f - 3m4½f (Last Win)
- 15 / 15 (88%) - Fewer than 1 wins (Season)
- 15 / 15 (89%) - Not in a G1-3/LST/Cl5 (Last Win)
- 15 / 15 (89%) - Beaten no more -34l (LTO)
- 15 / 15 (89%) - Highest Placed is not G2
- 15 / 15 (89%) - Ran in 2 - 20 races (Chase)
- 14 / 15 (76%) - No more than 1 fall (Career)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Chepstow racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Welsh Grand National Trial. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over ÂŁ6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Welsh Grand National Trial by adding a tip on the race here.
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Welsh Grand National Trial Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 8+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +29.00, is when runners had recorded 0 career falls.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had recorded 2 career non-finishes, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-27.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Welsh Grand National Trial is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 15 winners from a total of 150 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 2 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Welsh Grand National Trial; that stallion, Cadoudal, has produced 2 winners (2011,2009).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Welsh Grand National Trial despite multiple attempts:
- Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Milan (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Beneficial (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Presenting (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Shantou (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 15 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Rebeccas Choice in 2014, winning for Dai Burchell at odds of 16/1 under the guidance of Robert Dunne. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 15 renewals, there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Welsh Grand National Trial.
Route to the Welsh Grand National Trial
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Welsh Grand National Trial. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Jubilee Express Cheltenham - 10th of 16 (9/1) | Debenhams Amateur Jockeys Handicap Chase |
| 2023 - Nassalam Aintree - 4th of 10 (7/1) | Grand Sefton |
| 2022 - Farinet Newbury - PU of 10 (9/2) | Greatwood Gold Cup |
| 2021 - Iwilldoit Perth - 3rd of 13 (9/2) | William Hill Scoonieburn Handicap Hurdle |
| 2020 - Secret Reprieve Haydock - F of 12 (9/2) | Betfair Supports Safer Gambling Week Handicap Chase |
| 2019 - Acting Lass Ascot - 9th of 16 (16/1) | Sodexo Gold Cup |
| 2018 - Ramses De Teillee Wincanton - 5th of 16 (8/1) | Badger Ales Trophy Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Wild West Wind Exeter - 3rd of 5 (11/8) | Andrew West Memorial Chase |
| 2016 - Lamb Or Cod Ascot - 10th of 13 (10/1) | Creativevents Handicap Chase |
| 2015 - Tour Des Champs Cheltenham - 5th of 23 (11/1) | Ultima Handicap Chase |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Welsh Grand National Trial Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team, looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
