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Welsh Grand National will take place on 27 December
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Gordon Elliott looking for his first win in the race
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Kevin Blake fancies one of Elliott's hopes at 16/1
Jack Frost just won't take the hint! With bitterly cold weather persisting in playing havoc with the racing schedule, I'm going to diverge from the usual weekend preview path and cast my mind ahead to what will hopefully be warmer times over the Christmas period.
Such is the nature of the current state of National Hunt racing, it isn't too easy to find a Grade 1 that one can preview with any confidence or enthusiasm that the fields will hold up and produce competitive contests, so I'm going to look at a race that can be all-but assured to do so, the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on 27 December.
Elliott looking to bag first Welsh National
Gordon Elliott has won many of the major prizes on both sides of the Irish Sea during his career, but the Welsh Grand National has eluded him so far.
He has three entries in this year's renewal, but interestingly only one of them doesn't hold an alternative engagement in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown. That is Escaria Ten and the lack of an entry at Leopardstown gives a strong hint that he is an intended runner at Chepstow.
Escaria Ten may have only won one of his nine starts over fences so far, but there has been more than a hint of promise that he'll be capable of winning one of these prestigious handicap chases when it all falls right for him.
He has already shown up well on some of the biggest stages in the sport, finishing a fine third to Galvin in a very good renewal of the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021 and being touched off by a short-head by Any Second Now in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse earlier this year prior to running very well for a long way in the Grand National at Aintree.
Aintree run hints at Welsh National being more to his liking
Escaria Ten's run in the Grand National was notable as while he was ultimately beaten by 75 lengths, he shaped an awful lot better than that.
He charted a wide passage which is a difficult thing to do with success in the modern Grand National on decent ground, yet he was still very much in the mix until his stamina looked to give out from the second-last fence.
The test of the Welsh Grand National appeals as being likely to suit him and there was a great amount of promise in his return to action at Thurles earlier this month.
On that occasion he helped force what was a strong pace before being picked off late by the more conservatively ridden and race-fit Darasso, finishing a long way clear of the third.
Given that Escaria Ten has tended to come on a lot from his seasonal return effort in the past, there can be a great amount of hope he will be even better at Chepstow. He will be able to cope with decent ground or testing ground, so he isn't one that a weather watch will be necessary for.
With a bit of luck, Escaria Ten will make the final field for the Welsh Grand National and will make a bold bid to give Gordon Elliott his first win in the race.
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