Git Maker bringing plenty of class to Chepstow challenge

Jamie Snowden is one of a host of trainers that would prefer softer ground in the Coral Welsh Grand National but hopes Git Maker can handle it better than most at Chepstow.

The marathon affair is usually a survival of the fittest for which only true mudlarks need apply, but this year the ground is good to soft and no rain is forecast.

Snowden can at least point to Git Maker’s good run on quickish ground in the Scottish National in 2024 when third, and prior to that he had chased home subsequent Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin in the Kim Muir at Cheltenham.

“I think everyone is in the same boat, we’d all want slightly softer ground, no one usually runs in this race not wanting softer ground,” said Snowden.

“I actually thought he ran a good race in the Scottish National, which although was called officially soft ground was far from it, so I think he’ll be OK on the ground. Ideally we’d want it softer, but he’ll be fine.

“We never had him right in the autumn last season and because of that we were never that happy with him all the way through, but we’re very happy with him this time around. He ran a very nice race over hurdles at Lingfield on his comeback.

“This has been the plan. The previous year his form with Inothewayurthinkin in the Kim Muir and then in the Scottish National is good form.”

Mr Vango has always looked a perfect horse for this race but Sara Bradstock is cursing her luck that the year he turns up the ground is not at least soft.

Bradstock said: “I’m very happy with him, I’m not so happy about the weather – we’d definitely have preferred softer ground.

“He’s very well so I’ve declared him, but if I get there and there is any sort of jar in the ground I won’t run him. He’s in very good nick and I am very keen to run him, but he is 18 hands and he wants cut, so I wouldn’t take a risk if there was any question of it going good, fast ground.

“The result (at Aintree, narrowly beaten in the Becher Chase) was annoying, but at the same time he ran fantastically well. Three-mile-two is too short for him and the ground was probably a little bit fast there, so you couldn’t be anything but delighted with him.

“We’d love to go back there for the National, but it’s all about the ground. One of the reasons I’m so desperate to run at Chepstow is there’s no rain on the horizon. So much for all these wise people saying it was never going to stop raining!

“I’m hoping what this means is we’ll get a very wet spring.”

Sam Thomas has won the race once with Iwilldoit and is back for more with last year’s second Jubilee Express, winner of the trial for this race last time out.

“Jubilee Express is a lovely horse who is an out-and-out stayer. Three miles is the bare minimum really, so it was nice to see him do what he did in the trial,” said Thomas.

“Thankfully we have got a couple of nice runs into him this season, we didn’t manage to get a run into him at all before the race last season and I’ve been absolutely over the moon with him.”

The one leading fancy with winning recent form on good ground to his name is Joe Tizzard’s Rock My Way, who easily won at Ascot but is now 9lb higher in the handicap.

“He’s bolted up at Ascot last time and this has always been the plan,” said Tizzard.

“He gets these trips really well and he’s in the form of his life, it’s as simple as that.

“We’re really looking forward to running him and he’s quite a bit better off with Rebecca’s horse (Curtis, Haiti Couleurs) based on the Cheltenham run last year.

“This has long been the plan, it looks a competitive Welsh National but he goes there with a good chance.”

Gary Moore’s Nassalam has been in the grip of the handicapper since winning this race by 34 lengths in 2023.

“He’s going back there, but he’s only off the same mark as he won off two years ago and I think he should be 10lb lower,” said Moore of his charge who has only finished one race since.

“I’m disgusted with the way he’s been treated handicap-wise and I’m worried I’ve broken the horse’s heart by running him in the races I’ve run him in because my hand was forced to run in them.”