Antepost Betting Tips: Welsh Grand National

Stephen Welch / 2:42 AM GMT • 4th December, 2025

6 minutes

With the key trials now landing and trainers beginning to map out their Christmas campaigns, we’ve assessed the early landscape and picked out five horses who look set to play a meaningful role in the 2025 renewal.

The new National Hunt season is now properly rolling and as it always does, the festive period delivers the first major staying test of the winter; the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow. Its 3m6½f trip on bottomless ground remains one of the purest examinations of a staying chaser anywhere in Britain or Ireland. With the key trials now landing and trainers beginning to map out their Christmas campaigns, we’ve assessed the early landscape and picked out five horses who look set to play a meaningful role in the 2025 renewal.

INTENSE RAFFLES (16/1)

Intense Raffles feels like the one horse in this ante-post market whose current price undersells both his staying credentials and the shape of this race. He’s already proven at marathon trips, winning the 2024 Irish Grand National and pushed Nick Rockett all the way in the Bobbyjo under a weight concession; top-class staying form that stands out a mile in this field. He returned to action in the Coral Gold Cup last weekend on ground far quicker than ideal, travelling notably well until pressures mounted late and that run looks very much like a platform rather than a setback.

Chepstow in late December is exactly the scenario he needs. A relentless galloper with a neat, efficient jumping style, he has always looked better the deeper the test becomes. The extended trip combined with normally heavy ground should bring every ounce of stamina to the surface and Thomas Gibney has stated repeatedly that he thrives in extreme conditions. He’s unexposed at these distances and crucially, retains the profile of a horse still improving rather than one holding his mark.

Those at the top of the handicap have dominated recent renewals and Intense Raffles fits the mould perfectly; classy, durable, proven in big-field chases and still only seven. If he lines up, he’ll almost certainly be shorter than 16/1, particularly if the ground turns attritional. In a race where class often rises to the top despite the burden, he’s a standout candidate.

GIT MAKER (10/1)

Git Maker has threatened a performance like this for some time and Jamie Snowden’s bullish comments about his wellbeing, “all roads lead to Chepstow” suggest the stable feel he’s arriving at the right moment. His Kim Muir second to future Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin remains one of the most compelling pieces of handicap form from the 2023/24 season and while last term never came together for him, much of that was down to the horse not being right and the ground repeatedly going against him.

His Lingfield hurdles prep was exactly what you want to see from a Welsh National hopeful where he travelled smoothly, jumped fluently and took a blow two out before staying on willingly. That run should bring him forward a ton and Snowden’s yard usually improve sharply when switching from hurdles preps back to staying chases. His mark of 133 looks very workable considering his back-class and he ticks several key Chepstow trends; lightly raced, proven over 3m+ and arrives fresh with limited early-season mileage.

Chepstow’s long home straight is a graveyard for weak finishers, but Git Maker digs deep and stays honestly. If the ground comes up soft or heavy, he possesses the temperament and stamina to grind away better than most. At 10/1, he looks one of the more solid, upward-moving contenders in the market.

DOM OF MARY (16/1)

Dom Of Mary is the definition of a horse rediscovering himself at exactly the right time. His first run for James Owen at Newcastle last weekend was a huge step forward, displaying staying power in abundance, handling deep ground effortlessly and hitting the line like a horse crying out for an even more extreme test. That 3m6f performance reads exceptionally well for this race and the visual impression suggests there’s more to come now that he’s with a yard renowned for improving long-distance chasers.

His profile is tailor-made for a Welsh National; he’s a strong stayer, thrives on soft ground and possesses the raw stamina to keep finding when others have had enough. His earlier form hinted at this engine, but he’s only now starting to put it together consistently. Off 128 he sits neatly within the most successful ratings bracket for this race and his running style is a huge asset at Chepstow, where rhythm and balance count for everything.

This looks like the winter when he finally turns potential into meaningful staying-chase results. If the ground becomes the usual Chepstow swamp, he could be one of the major beneficiaries. At 16/1, he’s a proper dark horse with an ideal race set-up.

AWORKINPROGRESS (12/1)

Few horses in the staying-chase division are on a more upward trajectory than Aworkinprogress, who ended last season with four consecutive chase wins before returning with a gutsy heavy-ground success at Uttoxeter under top weight. Nick Gifford has been consistently realistic yet quietly optimistic, noting that “all he does is gallop and stay” and that attitude is precisely what you need to survive the Chepstow slog.

His biggest asset is his simplicity, he races prominently, jumps cleanly and grinds. He’s idle at home but wakes up on the track and Chepstow rewards that type of uncomplicated, honest stayer. The key variable is whether he gets into the race off 125, some years that mark sneaks in, others it doesn’t, but if he does, he would be carrying a featherweight relative to proven form and could easily be sent off favourite if he runs well in the Welsh National Trial.

Gifford has made it clear that ground is the deciding factor. He needs it soft at least, heavy ideally and that’s usually what you get at Chepstow in late December. If the rain comes, Aworkinprogress feels like one of the sharpest improvers in the field and a major threat to all at double-figure odds.

TANGANYIKA (14/1)

If you want a horse with the exact staying profile this race demands, Tanganyika should be high on the list. Venetia Williams has a long Welsh National pedigree and this horse fits many of her classic staying-chase types; strong traveller, rock-solid jumper, thrives in deep winter ground and builds form through the season. His Chepstow suitability is obvious, he keeps going when others are treading water and has repeatedly shaped as though a marathon trip is where he will truly excel.

Last season was interrupted, but this campaign has begun far more coherently. His most recent form figures show a horse trending upward and Venetia’s operation tends to peak in December and January, which historically aligns perfectly with Welsh National contenders. His official mark of 140 puts him in the sweet spot for recent winners and he has always shaped like a relentless grinder rather than a horse with a sharp turn of foot.

If Venetia targets Chepstow and the noises suggest it’s firmly on the radar, Tanganyika looks a massive player. At 14/1, he sits at that perfect ante-post intersection of proven staying potential, trainer profile and race-specific suitability. He’s very much one to keep onside.