27/12/2011

:01:12. > :01:19.across into Monmouthshire for the biggest racing day in the Welsh

:01:19. > :01:25.calendar. We are here in Chepstow. You will find Chepstow Castle in

:01:25. > :01:30.the town itself, the oldest castle in Britain. We have a group of

:01:30. > :01:33.people for a massive day of fun, friendship and a social occasion as

:01:33. > :01:37.well. All of them trying to work out the puzzle that is the marathon

:01:37. > :01:41.of the Welsh National. Which of the 20 runners will emerge today? I

:01:41. > :01:44.would not dream of wearing a coat this colour normally because it

:01:44. > :01:48.would be the same colour as my face! Today, it is remarkably mild.

:01:48. > :01:52.We have a wonderful day here. I hope everyone at home has had a

:01:52. > :02:00.great Christmas. You can settle back and enjoy what we have had on

:02:00. > :02:05.offer for you today. It's a prestigious race. It is one of the

:02:06. > :02:11.races people are keen to win. a good test of jumping ability.

:02:11. > :02:14.need a horse that handles the deep ground. You have to be in the right

:02:14. > :02:24.car with the right engine! COMMENTARY: They are starting to

:02:24. > :02:24.

:02:24. > :02:32.line up for the Welsh National! Away they go. It's a grind. We have

:02:32. > :02:42.lost one. It is not for the fainthearted. This is a crucial

:02:42. > :02:44.

:02:44. > :02:52.stage of the race. Coming to the second last. One left to jump.

:02:52. > :02:58.Notre Pere goes on to win! It is one of the most emotional successes

:02:58. > :03:02.I have ever had in my life. We have had some wonderful stories and some

:03:02. > :03:06.thrilling finishes. Whose day will it be today? That's Wayne

:03:06. > :03:13.Hutchinson, he rides Blazing Bailey. Matthew Batchelor will be on board

:03:13. > :03:19.Carruthers. We have lots of chat about Mattie and Joe Tizzard, he is

:03:19. > :03:29.on Hey Big Spender. There's Tom Scudamore, who will be riding

:03:29. > :03:34.Master Overseer. I'm joined by Mick Fitzgerald. Did you have a good

:03:34. > :03:39.Christmas? I did. For racing fans, it is all about Chepstow today and

:03:39. > :03:43.Boxing Day at Kempton. We were there to see Kauto Star win the

:03:43. > :03:48.King George? Hairs on the back of my neck stood up like never before.

:03:48. > :03:52.It was a day for everybody to say, "I was there when Kauto Star won

:03:52. > :03:59.his fifth King George." We will be reflecting on that as well, as well

:03:59. > :04:04.as bringing you all the big races from here at Chepstow. The course

:04:04. > :04:10.here is picturesque and unique with its length. We will be taking a

:04:10. > :04:15.look at it through the eyes of the jockeys. The Hennessy hero was

:04:16. > :04:20.Carruthers, a dream result for Lord Oaksey. The horse is looked after

:04:20. > :04:27.by Lord Oaksey's daughter. The Welsh National is our feature race

:04:27. > :04:37.and the biggest race of the year in Wales. It is due off at 2.10pm. We

:04:37. > :04:37.

:04:37. > :04:39.will show you how the fences are built here, too. Our card finishes

:04:40. > :04:46.with the Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle, stars of the

:04:46. > :04:56.future. This is a race restricted to three-year-olds. If you want to

:04:56. > :05:00.

:05:00. > :05:10.plan your races, the first one is due off at 1.00pm. No non-runners

:05:10. > :05:17.

:05:17. > :05:23.Persad is on the first bend. This is the finish of our first race -

:05:23. > :05:28.Alfie Spinner made all the running. A spare ride here for Tom Scudamore.

:05:28. > :05:37.Maringo Bay tried to take him on. Alfie Spinner just had a bit too

:05:37. > :05:42.much class. He was the odds-on favourite. Plenty of people had

:05:42. > :05:48.decided to follow the favourites today. Let's find Rishi Persad on

:05:48. > :05:52.that first bend. This afternoon's Welsh National is a test of stamina.

:05:52. > :05:55.How much of a test of stamina depends on the ground. Richard

:05:55. > :06:00.Dunwoody spoke to a few jockeys who rode in the first race. What did

:06:00. > :06:05.they make of it? I spoke to Tom who picked up a nice spare in the first

:06:05. > :06:09.and he said it's heavy. It is not as heavy as sometimes they get at

:06:09. > :06:13.Chepstow. You can see here, they are getting into it well. It is not

:06:13. > :06:19.as deep as some years. They will have to play it sensibly. It will

:06:19. > :06:24.be a long way. There will be some tired horses. You have won it,

:06:24. > :06:34.almost 20 years ago now? Yes. will win it this afternoon? Each

:06:34. > :06:45.

:06:45. > :06:50.way bet, As De Fer has a nice chance. I'm going for Cappa Bleu.

:06:50. > :07:00.Let's check the runners and riders for this year's Welsh National. We

:07:00. > :07:00.

:07:00. > :08:21.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 80 seconds

:08:21. > :08:25.hammering. Yesterday at Kempton, they had their tails between their

:08:25. > :08:30.legs long before the last race was run. I wonder how many have stepped

:08:30. > :08:36.out here to try and get their money back today. John Parrott and Gary

:08:36. > :08:40.are in the betting ring. bookmakers are here today. The big

:08:40. > :08:44.boys are here. They got a pasting yesterday. Plenty of favourites

:08:44. > :08:49.winning yesterday and Kauto Star coming home. They are trying to get

:08:49. > :08:54.it back today. I sent Gary off to find a bookmakers. Typically, you

:08:54. > :09:03.have found three beautiful girls with money! Unbelievable. I got

:09:03. > :09:13.Jessica, Olivia and Emily. Girls, what did you get for Christmas?

:09:13. > :09:14.

:09:14. > :09:22.Jewellery. IPod. Shoes. This is the prices for the Welsh National.

:09:22. > :09:31.Giles Cross 6-1 favourite. What has been the best-backed horse? Viking

:09:31. > :09:37.Blond. There's a tip there! It could be the one! Quite a tenuous

:09:37. > :09:41.link! What are your thoughts looking through that field for the

:09:41. > :09:45.Welsh National? I'm a great believer in you have got to find a

:09:45. > :09:51.horse that will go around the soft ground, especially here. It is a

:09:51. > :09:59.very different track. How did you find it riding here? It took me a

:09:59. > :10:03.long time. I used to be scratching my head every time I come back in.

:10:04. > :10:07.Basically, I was trying to find a nice rhythm, to get a horse in it,

:10:07. > :10:13.keep him in it. We have seen from Welsh Nationals in the past you can

:10:13. > :10:20.win it from the front, you can win it from behind the leaders and you

:10:20. > :10:23.can win it from way back like AP McCoy did last year. He's riding in

:10:23. > :10:29.Ireland today. The runners are making their way down to the start

:10:29. > :10:34.for the first of our live races so let's join Jim McGrath.

:10:34. > :10:44.So, these runners and riders for our first televised race from

:10:44. > :11:13.

:11:13. > :11:23.Chepstow today. Let's have a look our opening race today. The

:11:23. > :11:43.

:11:43. > :11:48.Stow. Been smashed off the boards, John at 7-2. Can't believe it!

:11:48. > :11:55.Sounds like they are latching on to Venetia Williams's runner, Stow.

:11:55. > :11:58.Here is that horse, with Robbie Dunne on board. This horse has made

:11:58. > :12:02.a pretty impressive start under rules this season and has course

:12:02. > :12:12.and distance form which is very important? Very important. Venetia

:12:12. > :12:16.Williams's horses are threatening to come into a rich vein of form.

:12:16. > :12:20.Certainly looks like this horse has a good chance. He seems to be

:12:20. > :12:25.pretty well suited by testing ground as well. Pretty fairly

:12:25. > :12:30.handicapped as well, all the weights according to horses'

:12:30. > :12:34.abilities. But the trick is to try and keep ahead of the handicapper

:12:34. > :12:40.so your horse is still improving and the handicapper hasn't quite

:12:40. > :12:44.realised it - it is like sneaking into exams! It could be a very

:12:44. > :12:47.interesting race because I know Rev It Up is well fancied. Venetia

:12:47. > :12:53.Williams trains not far away in Herefordshire and Rev It Up is

:12:53. > :13:00.trained by Tim Vaughan, who trains here in Wales. This is Rev It Up we

:13:00. > :13:09.are seeing here. This horse was very impressive last time, Clare.

:13:09. > :13:15.He got beaten last time out. This horse is a stand-out in the paddock.

:13:15. > :13:21.Tim Vaughan, four winners yesterday. Absolutely. Three of them at Ffos

:13:21. > :13:30.Las. You can see from the size and scope from him, he has that muscle

:13:30. > :13:37.behind him as well. We have a couple of horses in shot - Extreme

:13:37. > :13:41.Impact and Monsieur Cadou. This horse running with only 10 stone 1

:13:41. > :13:45.pound on his back. That could help him. It could. This horse has

:13:45. > :13:49.climbed up the weights without winning. You were saying about

:13:49. > :13:57.having a step ahead of the handicapper. This horse has always

:13:57. > :14:02.been clobbered by the handicapper and he hasn't won a race. Let's

:14:02. > :14:10.have a look at the market and see where Monsieur Cadou and the others

:14:10. > :14:15.feature. Stow is your favourite at 11-4. Gary? Welsh National Day,

:14:15. > :14:24.there is money for Stow. It is now the jolly old favourite. 11-4 Stow.

:14:24. > :14:34.All the money for one horse, Stow! Jockeys are getting ready at the

:14:34. > :14:39.

:14:39. > :14:46.start on what is testing here. very good rider riding him, Maurice

:14:46. > :14:56.Linehan. Done very well since he's come over from Ireland. He has a

:14:56. > :14:59.

:14:59. > :15:01.31% strike rate. It looks like they are going to be bang off on time.

:15:01. > :15:06.Jim McGrath? Richard Dunwoody is in the

:15:06. > :15:13.commentary box with me. Some of the boys are saying it is a little bit

:15:13. > :15:19.better than that? We were saying after the first race that I have

:15:19. > :15:23.seen it a lot worse. It can be a real slog. It will be an

:15:23. > :15:29.interesting race. This is fascinating this plunge on Stow.

:15:29. > :15:35.Yes. You would say you couldn't give him a chance on his last run

:15:35. > :15:40.with Monsieur Cadou. But, you know, they know a lot more about him

:15:40. > :15:45.today that possibly your punters wouldn't. Money talks. That's it.

:15:45. > :15:52.It does. They are coming in. You saw the starter walking over. He's

:15:52. > :15:58.calling them in now. They will jump one flight of hurdles before they

:15:58. > :16:05.start a very long run. There they are on the hurdles course. That's

:16:05. > :16:09.it. He lets them go. They are off and running in this three-mile

:16:09. > :16:13.Handicap Hurdle. Up on the outside is Strategic Approach, in the

:16:13. > :16:17.yellow sleeves as they come to the first. They are all over it safely

:16:17. > :16:21.from in the centre Palace Jester and also there with the noseband is

:16:21. > :16:26.Extreme Impact and Rev It Up on the near side, just showing the way

:16:26. > :16:32.with ears pricked, very steady pace in the early stages and Rev It Up

:16:32. > :16:37.just showing the way from Extreme Impact and wider out in third place

:16:37. > :16:40.is Strategic Approach, tucked in behind them is Palace Jester,

:16:40. > :16:44.followed by Monsieur Cadou, who is tucked in behind them, so too

:16:44. > :16:49.Mobaasher, they are followed by Stow, the plunge horse in second

:16:49. > :16:54.last position and Makhzoon is last. They have gone a very sedate pace

:16:54. > :17:00.in the first half-mile or so. Only six lengths consequently covers the

:17:01. > :17:04.field. On the inside holding the rail is Rev It Up, Aidan Coleman,

:17:04. > :17:09.from Strategic Approach, right there in the centre is Extreme

:17:09. > :17:14.Impact, in behind them is Mobaasher, on the inside there of Palace

:17:14. > :17:19.Jester who is wider out, Monsieur Cadou in the centre, two lengths

:17:19. > :17:23.away Stow, the red cap on the outside of Makhzoon. They come up

:17:23. > :17:28.the home straight on the first occasion. Passing the half-mile peg.

:17:28. > :17:35.Still a lot longer than that to go. They come to the second. They all

:17:35. > :17:39.jumped it well. The far side Rev It Up, just increasing the tempo

:17:39. > :17:42.slightly, from Extreme Impact in the noseband on the near side, the

:17:42. > :17:47.yellow sleeves of Strategic Approach, as they go over the third.

:17:48. > :17:54.In the centre, Monsieur Cadou and then on the near side is Palace

:17:54. > :17:58.Jester, followed by Stow who is the white-faced red cap in the centre.

:17:58. > :18:03.They go over the fourth. Mobaasher dived at that. No damage done. But

:18:03. > :18:07.a sloppy jump. Just behind them is Makhzoon. Heading up now towards

:18:07. > :18:12.the one that will be the last next time round, number five. With ears

:18:12. > :18:17.pricked on the far side, it is Rev It Up joined by Extreme Impact as

:18:17. > :18:20.they head towards it now. Better jump by Extreme Impact, took off a

:18:20. > :18:24.fraction early, from Rev It Up and then back in third is Monsieur

:18:24. > :18:28.Cadou on the outside of Strategic Approach, they are followed by

:18:28. > :18:33.Palace Jester, Mobaasher behind them from Makhzoon and Stow is at

:18:33. > :18:38.the tail of the field, Robbie Dunne has dropped back there with the Red

:18:38. > :18:42.Cap. The favourite at this stage, the well-backed Stow seems to be

:18:42. > :18:50.going OK? I'm not that happy with him. He's had a couple of slaps

:18:50. > :18:57.down the shoulder. They all handle that bend OK. But no, I haven't

:18:57. > :19:01.been impressed. He is travelling off the bridle. Rev It Up is

:19:01. > :19:06.travelling well. His jockey, Aidan Coleman, will be happy with him.

:19:06. > :19:11.Yeah, he seems to be enjoying himself out in front, Rev It Up,

:19:11. > :19:14.ears pricked on the inside there, just showing the way. Narrowly from

:19:14. > :19:19.Extreme Impact, who is joining him again now. They sweep into the back

:19:19. > :19:25.now and they have three flights on this section of the course. Rev It

:19:25. > :19:31.Up is the leader as they come now towards flight six, Rev It Up,

:19:31. > :19:36.yellow cap, just from Extreme Impact in the centre, on the near

:19:36. > :19:42.side Strategic Approach, they are followed by Palace Jester out wide,

:19:42. > :19:48.in behind them is Monsieur Cadou and they are followed by Mobaasher.

:19:48. > :19:55.Stow is now starting to really feel the pinch - he is getting reminders

:19:55. > :19:59.and he is a very long last! So, upfront, Rev It Up is now headed by

:19:59. > :20:05.Extreme Impact in the centre, out wide is Monsieur Cadou, Rev It Up

:20:05. > :20:09.coming back to have another crack at them. Followed behind them as

:20:09. > :20:13.they head over the eighth by Palace Jester, a gap then to Strategic

:20:13. > :20:18.Approach, they are followed by Mobaasher, further back in the

:20:18. > :20:22.field is Makhzoon and looking back for Stow. Stow is about eight

:20:22. > :20:26.lengths behind the second-last horse and being ridden along and no

:20:26. > :20:30.response. So, the well-backed Stow seems to have lost his chance. It

:20:30. > :20:34.will be a miracle if he can win from there! They leave the back now

:20:34. > :20:39.and race across the top of the track, it is Extreme Impact the

:20:39. > :20:43.leader, from Rev It Up, who refuses to go away. Half a length further

:20:43. > :20:48.back is Monsieur Cadou on the outside, they are about four or

:20:48. > :20:51.five lengths clear - on the inside Palace Jester is fourth, then five

:20:51. > :20:55.lengths Mobaasher, followed by Strategic Approach and behind them

:20:55. > :20:59.is Makhzoon, forget about Stow. Turning for home now, they have

:20:59. > :21:04.four left to jump. Rev It Up, Aidan Coleman, just the leader, by a

:21:04. > :21:10.length or so, to Extreme Impact, just behind them on the outside is

:21:10. > :21:14.Monsieur Cadou, and Palace Jester coming up there in the centre.

:21:14. > :21:18.Coming to four out, Rev It Up led over it from Extreme Impact, who is

:21:18. > :21:22.still battling on, then Palace Jester, who is under the whip,

:21:22. > :21:26.followed by Monsieur Cadou. They race up now with two left to jump

:21:26. > :21:30.and Rev It Up has responded well, still about a length in front now

:21:30. > :21:34.as they head over the third last. It's still in front here, the far

:21:34. > :21:40.side, Rev It Up, from in the centre Extreme Impact, behind them is

:21:40. > :21:43.Palace Jester, followed by Monsieur Cadou. And it's Rev It Up who just

:21:44. > :21:48.clipped the top of that, Extreme Impact coming at him, here is

:21:48. > :21:52.Palace Jester getting a response from Maurice Linehan who has gone

:21:52. > :21:57.for the whip. They have one to jump. Rev It Up is still trying to cling

:21:57. > :22:01.to this lead. But Palace Jester coming at him. They come towards

:22:01. > :22:05.the last, Rev It Up, Palace Jester. They touchdown together. Far side

:22:05. > :22:12.though Palace Jester finding a bit more, goes a neck up now on the

:22:12. > :22:21.run-in. Palace Jester - coming back Rev It Up! Oh, it is close! Rev It

:22:21. > :22:25.Up and Palace Jester. It's very close. Then in third was Extreme

:22:25. > :22:31.Impact, followed by Monsieur Cadou, they are followed by Stow and

:22:31. > :22:38.further back then is Makhzoon. Last home is Mobaasher. That is

:22:38. > :22:45.desperately tight. Let's see them. Near side is Rev It Up. Far side is

:22:45. > :22:50.Palace Jester. They go to the line locked together. Oh my golly! That

:22:50. > :22:59.is very, very tight indeed. Absolutely locked together they are

:22:59. > :23:06.as they hit the line. That is desperately close. Desperately

:23:06. > :23:15.close, indeed. Between Rev It Up on the near side and Palace Jester on

:23:15. > :23:18.the far side. Let's see them jump the last. What a finish! What a

:23:18. > :23:23.fantastic race, Jim. Rev It Up, Aidan Coleman would have liked a

:23:23. > :23:28.better jump at the last. Maurice Linehan has given that a great ride.

:23:28. > :23:34.Absolutely. For his claim, he's just tremendous value, Maurice

:23:34. > :23:42.Linehan. He's shown so much promise on these horses. He has had a lot

:23:42. > :23:48.of winners for Jonjo. Stick in his right hand and very, very strong.

:23:48. > :23:51.Well, the judge is looking at the print now. We await his verdict

:23:51. > :23:55.after our first televised race on Welsh National Day.

:23:55. > :23:58.As they cross the line, there is no doubt that Maurice Linehan thought

:23:58. > :24:03.he had won it on Palace Jester and you saw a shot there of Tim Vaughan,

:24:03. > :24:08.the trainer of this horse, Rev It Up, he was going, "Oh no!" He was

:24:08. > :24:14.not sure. Mick, your reaction? It Up has just clung on. There is

:24:14. > :24:20.the trainer of Palace Jester. think Maurice Linehan thought he

:24:20. > :24:26.had won. Looking at Aidan Coleman's face, if it is a Poker Face...

:24:26. > :24:34.it comes. Palace Jester is number two, Rev It Up is three. It's a

:24:34. > :24:39.dead heat! Dead heat. Well, well! Our first live rice here on Welsh

:24:39. > :24:44.National Day, it is a dead heat. That is a lovely touch. The two

:24:44. > :24:48.jockeys grip each other's hand. They come in together. Everybody

:24:49. > :24:53.celebrates. Kisses all round for horses, for people and that is a

:24:53. > :24:58.very, very fair outcome, to be honest. Let's look at the print. We

:24:58. > :25:06.saw from our freeze-frame - as it went up, that line is obviously

:25:06. > :25:10.very, very accurate. It is a dead heat. What I loved, both horses had

:25:10. > :25:14.their ears pricked! I know. It is a fair result for everybody. I am

:25:15. > :25:21.sure punters at home will be delighted if they backed one or the

:25:21. > :25:25.other. We will have another look at that finish. Now we know it is a

:25:25. > :25:31.dead heat and there is no doubt Palace Jester went ahead. Rev It Up

:25:31. > :25:37.had been in front, was a bit sticky with some of his jumping. Just a

:25:37. > :25:43.stpab louse finish. Here is the -- fabulous finish. Here is the

:25:44. > :25:48.reaction of Tim Vaughan. He is having such a good season. A lot of

:25:48. > :25:54.support here in Wales. His wife just not sure. Now they can relax.

:25:54. > :26:00.It is a dead heat. Everybody wins. I'm with the connections of Rev It

:26:00. > :26:07.Up. Tim Vaughan and Aidan Coleman. Your thoughts goes down to the

:26:07. > :26:13.last? I thought I would get it. I landed a bit flat-footed. My horse

:26:13. > :26:19.was brave. He found for me. I owe him a lot. Great for Tim to put me

:26:19. > :26:26.back on a winner. At the line, had you any idea? No, I said to Maurice

:26:26. > :26:33.- we didn't have a clue. It wasn't happening. We didn't know until the

:26:33. > :26:38.result was called. A very quick word with Maurice. He is in as well.

:26:38. > :26:44.Congratulations. Did you think you had it wrapped up? No, no. I knew

:26:44. > :26:51.my lad would keep galloping. I kept going. I thought I didn't have it

:26:51. > :26:57.to be honest. We have a joint today. The one thing about your horse was

:26:57. > :27:02.he seemed to show a really good attitude? He was getting away from

:27:02. > :27:12.you? Yes, my lad kept his head down and kept fighting. I couldn't ask

:27:12. > :27:13.

:27:13. > :27:19.for any more. Well done. Thanks very much. Tim, fair to say your

:27:19. > :27:26.fellow, if he had jumped better, he probably would have won? Yes. He

:27:26. > :27:32.pricked his ears coming up the run- in. I am delighted. It is a fair,

:27:32. > :27:40.after seeing that, I am delighted for Jonjo and myself. Good. Good

:27:40. > :27:45.result for everyone. Well done. Jonjo is just around the corner. He

:27:45. > :27:51.is doing another interview for someone else at the moment. I will

:27:51. > :27:56.break in. Thank you for coming away quickly. Your thoughts on that

:27:56. > :28:03.start to the day? It was a tremendous start. It was a great

:28:03. > :28:07.race, great result. Horse and jockey done their best. Both of

:28:07. > :28:13.them. It's a long time since I have been in a dead heat. There haven't

:28:13. > :28:15.been too many. Must have been mixed emotions through that home

:28:15. > :28:21.straight? I thought Rev It Up was getting away from Palace Jester,

:28:21. > :28:27.then he got back, then the other horse fought back? Yes, it was very

:28:27. > :28:31.hard to - both horse and jockey were doing their best. Every time

:28:31. > :28:36.he got a smack, he kept producing. Listen, it was brilliant. It was a

:28:36. > :28:40.great result. Delighted for the owner and jockey and everybody.

:28:40. > :28:50.winner is a winner even if it is half a winner! We are quite happy

:28:50. > :28:54.

:28:54. > :28:58.with that! Well done. Cheers. a fantastic race. Palace Jester and

:28:58. > :29:02.Rev It Up - that dead heat. If you backed Stow, you never got a run

:29:02. > :29:06.for your money? Terrible. Stow was never going to win. What a finish

:29:06. > :29:11.for this race. You look behind us, people say what happens when it is

:29:11. > :29:16.a dead heat - Clare said everybody wins. If you can see the bookies,

:29:16. > :29:22.they are not waiting to have a bet! All these punters are waiting to

:29:22. > :29:29.draw their money. Plenty of happy faces down in the betting jungle.

:29:29. > :29:34.We don't mind if the bookmakers are the only ones that lose. It keeps

:29:34. > :29:39.everybody happy. We do have a decent crowd here. Also, very, very

:29:39. > :29:46.well represented are Welsh Paralympians. We hope that 30 Welsh

:29:46. > :29:50.athletes and swimmers, tennis players will be in next year's

:29:50. > :29:55.Paralympics and Disability Sport Wales was the chosen charity this

:29:55. > :30:05.year for Chepstow Racecourse and the chairman making a presentation

:30:05. > :30:13.

:30:13. > :30:17.of �5,000 to the 11-times Paralympic gold medallists, Tanni-

:30:17. > :30:27.grey Thompson. Some of them are hoping to be selected for London in

:30:27. > :30:31.

:30:32. > :30:35.now. Is it your first time at the Welsh National? It is. I have been

:30:35. > :30:40.to more race courses outside the UK than in the UK.

:30:40. > :30:44.You sent me a message saying, "Do I have to wear a hat?". I nearly had

:30:44. > :30:54.a crisis because I didn't have a hat two days ago. It is amazing to

:30:54. > :30:55.

:30:55. > :31:05.be here. How excited are you that disability sport is becoming

:31:05. > :31:14.

:31:14. > :31:19.popular in Wales? The money donate sd d is going towards supporting

:31:19. > :31:22.the athletes. Are you living back in Wales?

:31:22. > :31:26.still still live in the north-east, but I'm proud of being Welsh. My

:31:26. > :31:30.Welsh accent gets stronger the nearer I come to home. I started my

:31:30. > :31:38.career in Wales and without the support, I got, I wouldn't have

:31:38. > :31:45.done the things I did. What do you fin the reception is?

:31:45. > :31:50.Are you still a Welsh iconic hero? People are lovely. They are either

:31:50. > :31:54.formal or they go, "Are you all right, Tan?" It is always nice to

:31:54. > :31:59.come back and it is great to see the young athletes because next

:31:59. > :32:04.year means so much to them and the support they get and it will be an

:32:04. > :32:09.amazing year next year. Have you had a chance to look

:32:09. > :32:14.through the Welsh National field? am going on the colours of the

:32:14. > :32:21.silks. What's your favourite colours? Purple.

:32:21. > :32:26.We will look through for you, but not on colours, but not on red, I

:32:26. > :32:32.recommend recommend Carruthers. will nip there and put some money

:32:32. > :32:36.It is lovely to hear from such a tremendous athlete.

:32:36. > :32:40.Chepstow is one of the toughest tests. It is two miles and the home

:32:40. > :32:46.straight is very long and it is a real long way fort horses and the

:32:46. > :32:50.riders, but don't take my word for it. Let's hear from some of the

:32:50. > :32:54.jockeys taking part in the big race. It is up and down.

:32:54. > :32:58.It is a test of true stamina and jumping ability.

:32:58. > :33:03.More often than not you need a horse that has proven form around

:33:03. > :33:08.there. It is a tricky start. For the first

:33:08. > :33:10.mile, tas manic rush to the first bend. It can be really rough and

:33:10. > :33:15.chaotic. It can be tight and difficult to

:33:15. > :33:20.hold hold position. COMMENTATOR: And we lost one on the

:33:20. > :33:27.bend. We all spread out. If you get into

:33:27. > :33:32.a good rhythm. There are big fences. A lot of jumping.

:33:32. > :33:35.COMMENTATOR: This is a crucial stage in the race here. Once you

:33:35. > :33:40.have jumped a few down the back, you tend to find you settle down

:33:40. > :33:47.and hopefully you hit the rhythm. COMMENTATOR: As they turn towards

:33:47. > :33:53.home... It is a long slog up that straight in Chepstow.

:33:53. > :33:59.Comment five left top jump now... There is no other straight like

:33:59. > :34:01.Chepstow with five fences. It is probably five or six furlong

:34:01. > :34:06.running. You don't appreciate how long the

:34:06. > :34:11.running is especially when you jump the last you have a good furlong to

:34:11. > :34:18.It is important to keep your momentum up the home straight.

:34:18. > :34:27.A horse that handles the deep ground. Just keep at that one pace

:34:27. > :34:34.and keep it going for two or three miles. Well, the Welsh National

:34:34. > :34:39.prices, Gary, what do we know so far? These are unofficial prices,

:34:40. > :34:47.gu Giles Cross -- but Giles Cross is at 6-1.

:34:47. > :34:55.Viking Blond at 13. Le Beau Bai is a proven horse.

:34:55. > :35:00.The established ones have been here before.

:35:00. > :35:08.Le Beau Bai is 12lbs lower than a couple of years ago. He has got a

:35:08. > :35:12.chance. You're not meant to mention pounds

:35:12. > :35:18.at Christmas! You may never be this well

:35:18. > :35:24.handicapped again and they have got to go with him and Viking Blond.

:35:24. > :35:31.Viking Blond. You have got Master Overseer. He is 14-1. It is a

:35:31. > :35:40.fantastic Welsh National. Hey Big Spender giving four pounds to

:35:40. > :35:43.Carruthers. Bigger prices the others. Heathcliff fell a few years

:35:43. > :35:47.ago. You want to play each way on this

:35:47. > :35:50.race. That's what it is all about and it is a real, real hard race. I

:35:50. > :36:00.don't know who is going to win and I don't know who will be favourite.

:36:00. > :36:02.

:36:02. > :36:07.I think Viking Blond could surprise another look at that dead-heat for

:36:07. > :36:12.the first race and I was saying everybody wins. The trophy

:36:12. > :36:20.presentation becomes rather crowded. It is a huge day for Coral and the

:36:20. > :36:27.owners of both horses coming up, Rev It Up and Palace Jester owned

:36:27. > :36:35.by Trevor Hemmings who is not here. Is that Jonjo's son on the right?

:36:36. > :36:41.They get a decanter to split in half! There was no dead-heat, but

:36:41. > :36:46.the finish was closer than some expected it to be in the King

:36:46. > :36:52.George chase in which Kauto Star was bidding to create history.

:36:52. > :36:59.Desert Orchid had been the most successful horse in this race,

:36:59. > :37:05.twice ridden by Richard Dunwoody. How impressed were you with Kauto

:37:05. > :37:13.Star's jumping yesterday? It was a brilliant, brilliant ride by Ruby

:37:13. > :37:19.Walsh and Kauto Star was keen not to take the plaudits. Paul Nichols

:37:19. > :37:24.said this horse deserves every mention in every paper.

:37:24. > :37:29.Long Run wasn't as fluent as the winner.

:37:29. > :37:35.Ruby was brilliant. I think he was especially brilliant yesterday. If

:37:35. > :37:39.he missed a beat at all yesterday, he he would have got beat. He has

:37:39. > :37:44.got Long Run at it up the straight and he forced him into that mistake

:37:44. > :37:47.at the last and he was just fantastic. Fantastic for racing and

:37:47. > :37:54.fantastic to have racing on the front pages again.

:37:54. > :37:58.This morning Paul Nichols was on Radio 4 and he was saying that

:37:58. > :38:02.Kauto Star is in great shape today. This was the reception for him as

:38:02. > :38:07.he came into the Winner's Enclosure and look at Ruby Walsh. We're

:38:07. > :38:12.talking about a hardened professional jump jockey and this

:38:12. > :38:17.horse makes him behave in a way that no other horse makes him

:38:17. > :38:25.behave. It brings out a deeper emotion and they took a risk making

:38:26. > :38:29.that, five times winner of VI. When Ruby Walsh pulled up on him,

:38:29. > :38:34.he took the horse back down to the crowd in front of the stands and it

:38:34. > :38:38.was hairs on the back of your neck standing up stuff. I had good days

:38:38. > :38:43.as a jockey, but nothing will compare to the reception the horse

:38:43. > :38:47.got yesterday. It will be a day I will remember for a long time.

:38:47. > :38:54.You rode Desert Orchid and he won a Gold Cup... I didn't take him back

:38:55. > :39:01.to the stands afterwards. I don't know why I didn't do that. Is Kauto

:39:01. > :39:06.Star a better horse? I will never say that, Clare, no! Different

:39:06. > :39:16.generations and he is a fantastic horse. Desert Orchid did it as an

:39:16. > :39:20.

:39:20. > :39:27.11-year-old also, the horse finished second to me and beaten by

:39:27. > :39:32.twelfth lengths Toby Tobias. Kauto Star will be turning 12 on

:39:32. > :39:39.New Year's Day. You have got time to to send him a birthday card if

:39:39. > :39:44.you want to! Standing next to me is a young guy

:39:44. > :39:48.who is only 16. His name is Brendan Powell. You had your first ride in

:39:48. > :39:52.February of this year, but already you are making a big mark? Yes. It

:39:52. > :39:57.has been going well. I have been lucky. I have been put on nice

:39:57. > :40:01.horses. I rode for good trainers, I have been lucky.

:40:01. > :40:09.Was it always an ambition to become a jockey? Did you take that from

:40:09. > :40:14.your dad? Racing has been in the blood. Mum and dad rode. Most 16-

:40:14. > :40:17.year-olds for Christmas get ready for a wii and to spend days playing

:40:17. > :40:21.their PlayStation, but you're riding out and getting ready to

:40:21. > :40:27.ride in the biggest race in your career so far in the Welsh National

:40:27. > :40:31.today? Yeah, exactly. I was looking on the the decks and I saw I had

:40:31. > :40:36.one down for the Welsh National. That made my Christmas and put a

:40:36. > :40:43.smile on my face. And you are riding Knighton Combe.

:40:43. > :40:47.What chance of a fairytale success at the age of 16 16? He is a nice

:40:47. > :40:51.horse. He is there with a chance. There are plenty of runners. The

:40:51. > :40:55.ground will be testing so if he is good enough he will be there or

:40:55. > :41:01.thereabouts. I hate to burden Brendan with this

:41:01. > :41:06.label, but we are picking stars out to follow for the future and I

:41:06. > :41:13.think Brendan Powell will be a star of the future.

:41:13. > :41:18.Every person watching is going, "Gosh, I feel old." He looks a

:41:18. > :41:24.cracking jock. He is a natural, natural rider. Well, we have one

:41:24. > :41:34.more race for the Coral Welsh National.

:41:34. > :41:35.

:41:35. > :41:45.There is a field of fourteen for let's look at the runners here and

:41:45. > :41:45.

:41:45. > :42:30.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 80 seconds

:42:30. > :42:40.miles and three-and-a-half furlongs. Here is the betting on this 1.30pm.

:42:40. > :42:53.

:42:53. > :42:57.going to go for Pigeon Island. Because it is the only one I can

:42:57. > :43:04.pronounce! It is a bit trick European

:43:04. > :43:09.Commission tricky, isn't it? Let's look at the horse that snuck in on

:43:09. > :43:12.bottom weight and James Best on board taking another 7 pounds off

:43:12. > :43:18.that. That's why the saddle is small in terms of jump racing. This

:43:18. > :43:22.is a horse who has got a new lease of life since joining Alan Jones

:43:22. > :43:29.and won his last two starts without much effort. This is a stronger

:43:29. > :43:34.test, but you would think that he is in form and gets in on a

:43:34. > :43:38.featherweight. Yes, he dotted up last time. It was

:43:38. > :43:42.on very different ground. They have got to take advantage of the

:43:43. > :43:49.handicap mark. He is due to go up again. He is being chased down by

:43:49. > :43:54.another horse. That's upsetting him a bit. He won on his last two rides

:43:54. > :44:00.so he is on a bit of a run. That's Fahrisee who is keen in the

:44:00. > :44:08.foreground and being well controlled there by Adam Wenlg.

:44:08. > :44:12.Chance du Roy is the weight. He is the top weight, Clare. Philip,

:44:12. > :44:17.you must be delighted with this horse having got him back to his

:44:17. > :44:21.best? We nearly didn't run because we thought the ground would be too

:44:21. > :44:24.quick because he prefers softer ground. Softer ground today should

:44:24. > :44:28.suit, but we are high in the candy cap.

:44:28. > :44:32.You have got conditions in your favour, but he has to produce one

:44:32. > :44:35.of his best performances to win today? It will have to be his best.

:44:35. > :44:39.It would have to be his best performance to win.

:44:39. > :44:42.It is a tough race and conditions this afternoon will sort out a few

:44:42. > :44:46.horses, I suppose that will be one thing that you will be hoping is in

:44:46. > :44:51.your favour? He seems to manage with the soft ground very well and

:44:51. > :44:54.won here last year. So certainly it would be more in his favour than

:44:54. > :44:59.some of the others. Best of luck this afternoon.

:44:59. > :45:04.Thank you. Just news of a little bit of a

:45:04. > :45:10.sting in the tail for Maurice Linehan, he picked up a five day

:45:10. > :45:13.suspension for using his whip ten times in the strait. A lot of us

:45:13. > :45:17.are thinking that jump racing is better for the restricted use of

:45:17. > :45:22.the whip and the jockeys are riding differently and horses responding

:45:22. > :45:28.for physical physical pressure that doesn't respond to the whip.

:45:28. > :45:34.This is Glenwood Knight and a horse that will have no worries in terms

:45:34. > :45:38.of stamina. He will have a lot of worries with the obstacles. I

:45:38. > :45:42.watched this horse at Carlisle and they did very well on him because

:45:42. > :45:47.he is not the easiest. He fell twice. I watched him fall at

:45:47. > :45:51.Newbury and he lay down. This horse has got, you will need all of

:45:51. > :45:55.Timmy's mastery today. He is a coacher, Timmy Murphy, he

:45:55. > :46:00.will try and persuade a horse that he is not in a race.

:46:00. > :46:10.If anyone can get him jurching, it is -- -- jumping, it is Timmy. He

:46:10. > :46:11.

:46:11. > :46:21.is the right man for this horse. There we see Aidan Coleman on Plein

:46:21. > :46:30.

:46:30. > :46:38.Pouvoir. This horse bolted up by 28 lengths.

:46:38. > :46:42.Not without a chance. Venetia said it might be better

:46:42. > :46:52.carrying more weight in lesser company.

:46:52. > :47:21.

:47:21. > :47:25.Let's look and see where Plein ride. They are coming out on to the

:47:25. > :47:31.course. Here is Jim. So they are starting to line up now.

:47:31. > :47:34.And the starter says, "No. No. No." Pigeon Island is a long way behind

:47:35. > :47:40.them as you can see there, the grey there. Some ten lengths or so

:47:40. > :47:46.behind. In the interests of fairness he had to call them back.

:47:46. > :47:50.On a day like this, they get so keyed up, the jockeys. So eager to

:47:50. > :47:54.get up to the tapes and get a really handy position. Look at

:47:54. > :48:04.Pigeon Island. Look at him back there. So he has really reacted

:48:04. > :48:10.well, the starter in calling them back. There he is, the starter.

:48:10. > :48:17.Let's just see this tape going across the track once again. There

:48:17. > :48:23.it is. That's it. They're off this time and Pigeon Island is right up

:48:23. > :48:29.there there and he is in third position. Got Attitude as they come

:48:29. > :48:38.to the first fences. Consigliere jumps up there, the one with the

:48:38. > :48:42.big white face. Quolibet on the far-right. Take ago dive in the

:48:42. > :48:46.centre, Plein Pouvoir. He goes up to take a narrow lead. Plein

:48:46. > :48:54.Pouvoir and behind them has Got Attitude, just behind them in

:48:54. > :48:57.fourth position the grey, over on the far rail is Quolibet. The other

:48:57. > :49:02.grey is and Quincy Des Pictons with the white cap followed by Chance du

:49:02. > :49:11.Roy, out wider is Nadiya De La Vega and followed by Pigeon Island.

:49:11. > :49:15.Further back then is Fahrisee in in the black cap. They come to the

:49:15. > :49:21.fifth now and further back in the field then at this stage we see

:49:21. > :49:28.getting over that on the near-side going up towards the leaders now as

:49:28. > :49:33.they race up. We are just over a circuit. Cadoudalas is on the near

:49:33. > :49:40.side and Romanesco and last is Glenwood Knight. The leader there

:49:40. > :49:50.is Plein Pouvoir in the red jacket as they run-down hill. The white

:49:50. > :49:58.

:49:58. > :50:04.face in the centre. Got Attitude followed in third third by teak by

:50:04. > :50:10.Take the breeze. Followed by Quolibet as they are climbing up

:50:10. > :50:20.towards the back now and further back in the field then is

:50:20. > :50:24.Cadoudalas, Quincy Des Pictons has been shuffled back. Further back

:50:24. > :50:30.then is Fahrisee as they head towards fence number six. Heading

:50:30. > :50:35.over that, the leaders jump it very well. Nozic was awkward. Coming to

:50:35. > :50:40.the second open ditch and Plein Pouvoir, the leader over it by

:50:40. > :50:43.three lengths or so to Got Attitude in second, in third Take The Breeze

:50:43. > :50:48.on the outside as they come to the eighth. Quincy Des Pictons made

:50:48. > :50:52.good ground from Pigeon Island in the centre. Romanesco jumped out in

:50:52. > :50:56.last. But it is Plein Pouvoir the leader by two lengths down the back

:50:56. > :51:00.from Got Attitude. Got Attitude as they go to the ninth. Quincy Des

:51:00. > :51:04.Pictons jumped up spectacularly in the third there. Cadoudalas was

:51:04. > :51:10.just getting out of his ground now and losing touch with them as they

:51:10. > :51:14.continue their journey down the back towards fence number 11. Here

:51:14. > :51:18.is Plein Pouvoir. He jumped it in good style, but joined by Quincy

:51:18. > :51:28.Des Pictons on the outside and on the near side in third place is Got

:51:28. > :51:29.

:51:29. > :51:33.Attitude. As they go over the next next Consigliere. About five

:51:33. > :51:38.lengths then Chance du Roy as they continue their journey to the far

:51:38. > :51:40.corner of the course now and these leaders, about six or seven of them,

:51:40. > :51:45.are starting to group up and getting away from the main body of

:51:45. > :51:50.the field. So it is Quincy Des Pictons on the outside just the

:51:50. > :51:54.leader and Plein Pouvoir. Against The rail in third is Got Attitude.

:51:54. > :51:58.Two lengths away is Consigliere. They are followed by Pigeon Island

:51:58. > :52:03.and further back then Take The Breeze and Chance du Roy. On the

:52:03. > :52:07.turn for home now and they have got five left to home. On the outside

:52:08. > :52:12.the leader, with the white cap, Quincy Des Pictons. Comes towards

:52:12. > :52:18.five out, but Plein Pouvoir is still there on the inside. They

:52:18. > :52:22.were clear of Consigliere in third and Nozic and Got Attitude and

:52:22. > :52:29.Chance du Roy and further back is Take The Breeze and Nadiya De La

:52:29. > :52:33.Vega is struggling. That was four out and the field is spreading.

:52:33. > :52:38.Quincy Des Pictons, James Best has opened up a gap of eight lengths on

:52:38. > :52:42.the leader. In second Plein Pouvoir as they head towards three out. He

:52:42. > :52:46.jumped it well, the leader. In second, Chance du Roy followed by

:52:46. > :52:50.Consigliere and further back is Plein Pouvoir. They have two left

:52:50. > :52:55.to jump and Quincy Des Pictons has flown. He has gone about 15 lengths

:52:55. > :52:58.in front of of Chance du Roy. Followed then by Consigliere behind

:52:58. > :53:01.them and they were nicely clear of the others. One left to jump now

:53:01. > :53:06.and Quincy Des Pictons comes towards it and he is home for all

:53:06. > :53:10.money. He is over it by about eight lengths or so. In second is Chance

:53:10. > :53:14.du Roy and further back Consigliere, but this is a very easy win. It

:53:14. > :53:18.makes it a hat trick, Quincy Des Pictons, up to the line and he wins

:53:18. > :53:23.it well by about 15 lengths. Chance du Roy is second. It will be tight

:53:23. > :53:32.for third. Rattling home there on the inside Take The Breeze, but in

:53:32. > :53:37.the photo there with Consigliere. They were followed further back by

:53:37. > :53:40.Plein Pouvoir and Pigeon Island and followed by Nozic and they are the

:53:40. > :53:45.only finishers. The rest have been pulled up or failed to complete the

:53:45. > :53:49.course. There is the winner, number 14, Quincy Des Pictons, James Best.

:53:49. > :53:53.He went for home a long way out and he had them all stretching and

:53:54. > :54:00.struggling. There he is to the line. He won at

:54:00. > :54:05.Ludlow only a few days previously, six days ago and he has a lot in

:54:05. > :54:13.hand as he goes to the line to win it well. He was some way out of the

:54:13. > :54:23.handicap, but that was nullified by the 7 pound claim by James Best.

:54:23. > :54:28.Third number four, Consigliere and fourth Take The Breeze.

:54:28. > :54:35.Winning jockey James Best. Congratulations.

:54:35. > :54:42.This horse made your life very easy, especially the way he got into it?

:54:43. > :54:48.I got shuffled back a bit and I tried to hold on for as long as I

:54:48. > :54:53.could. Could you believe how far clear you

:54:53. > :54:55.were going down to the last? not at all. I'm delighted.

:54:55. > :55:03.Absolutely delighted, yeah. Brilliant.

:55:03. > :55:08.Well done, James. with little weight from Quincy Des

:55:09. > :55:13.Pictons trained in Somerset by Alan Jones and a huge day for him and

:55:13. > :55:19.for James Best who just fired him at these fences and the horse kept

:55:19. > :55:23.picking up for him. A mention for Chance du Roy who is carrying 11

:55:23. > :55:29.stone 12lbs and finishes second. That must have felt as if he was

:55:29. > :55:33.carrying a lumberjack on his back. Fair play to James Best. He is on a

:55:33. > :55:37.roll now. This is his third ride and his third win on the spin so he

:55:37. > :55:47.is flying. And big celebrations here.

:55:47. > :55:57.The trainer. A good good placing of the horse.

:55:57. > :56:01.

:56:01. > :56:06.Peddler's Cross has been beaten at Jones there on the left and going

:56:06. > :56:10.over to talk to James Best. This horse won particularly well at

:56:10. > :56:14.Ludlow and even - ahead of the handicap at the moment. He has run

:56:14. > :56:20.from out of the handicap today, but rapidly rising through the ranks.

:56:20. > :56:27.It was a very, very sound performance today on a course that

:56:27. > :56:31.can really catch you out on a horse who doesn't know what he is doing.

:56:31. > :56:41.But this one does, he is a talent, that's for sure. Let's look at the

:56:41. > :56:42.

:56:43. > :56:50.favourite was your winner. Second was Chance du Roy and third

:56:50. > :56:56.Consigliere. The punters have got plenty of

:56:56. > :57:02.money for the National, haven't they? They must have certainty when

:57:02. > :57:07.it won at Bangor. A bad day for the bookies so far!

:57:07. > :57:11.Here we go, the next race will be the Coral Welsh National. We have a

:57:11. > :57:16.field of 20 going to the post. It is a marathon distance. So much

:57:16. > :57:20.jumping to be done as well over these wonderful hills of Chepstow

:57:20. > :57:26.and the crowd is in full full force and full voice as well and they

:57:26. > :57:32.will be picking a horse they like the look of and maybe the trainer,

:57:32. > :57:37.Tim Vaughan or Wayne Hutchinson or Matty Bachelor been on board

:57:37. > :57:44.Carruthers. The jockeys have been out walking the course or running

:57:45. > :57:50.it. Lord Howard earlier presenting a cheque to Tanya Gray Gray

:57:50. > :57:58.Thompson. David Pipe there who has two runners. Could he win the race

:57:58. > :58:08.for the first time that his rather won five times in six years? Here

:58:08. > :58:18.is the line-up for the big one. There are 20 of them. One is Hey

:58:18. > :58:40.

:58:40. > :58:49.Big Spender. He is ridden by Joe bounced back to winning form last

:58:49. > :58:59.month. Five is Galaxy Rock. He is trained by Jonjo O'Neill and won

:58:59. > :59:01.

:59:01. > :59:05.this twice. Number six is Viking Blond and Sam

:59:05. > :59:12.Twiston-Davies at 19 takes his ride on this horse. Number seven is As

:59:12. > :59:16.De Fer. He won three of his last four. He is well handicapped.

:59:16. > :59:22.Number 8 is Giles Cross. He was arguably a tougher stayer in the

:59:22. > :59:32.field. He was second in the race last year.

:59:32. > :59:32.

:59:32. > :59:42.Number nine is Or Noir de Somoza. Conor O'Farrell is in the saddle.

:59:42. > :59:43.

:59:43. > :59:47.Number 10 is Any Currency. He was third at Sandown last time.

:59:47. > :59:56.11 is Knighton Combe and ridden by 16-year-old Brendan Powell,

:59:56. > :00:02.claiming a valuable 7lb. Number 12 is Cannington Brook who won a

:00:02. > :00:07.gruelling battle at Haydock only four days ago. He is a real stayer.

:00:07. > :00:17.Number 13, Le Beau Bai two of his last three wins was at Chepstow and

:00:17. > :00:20.

:00:20. > :00:26.he was third in the 2009 Welsh National. 14 is Idifferent Curve --

:00:26. > :00:36.Indifference Curve. Number Number 15, Master Overseer,

:00:36. > :00:44.

:00:44. > :00:48.a real stayer. 16 is Mumbles Head, David Crosse. Trained in Wales. 17

:00:48. > :00:55.is is Ballyfitz. He is a good stayer, but he will stay all day. A

:00:55. > :01:01.good each way chance. 18 is Our Island. Another stayer.

:01:01. > :01:08.He was Second at Haydock when they walked home last time. 19 is

:01:08. > :01:15.Heathcliff who last won over fences ten months ago, Tom Messenger takes

:01:15. > :01:25.the ride. And number 20 is Bench Warrent. He is 3lb out of the

:01:25. > :01:28.

:01:28. > :01:33.handicap and run in this race here. We see Giles Cross is the 6-1

:01:33. > :01:40.favourite? Yes, if you have a bet with Corals if your horse finishes

:01:40. > :01:50.second to Giles Cross, you will get your money back. Second in is

:01:50. > :02:10.

:02:10. > :02:16.win in this. Any of the outsiders you fancy? Not really. I said that

:02:16. > :02:26.once before in the National! The owner, 100-1 winner, she said, "You

:02:26. > :02:31.said my horse can't win!" "Sorry, love, I never meant it!" Look at

:02:31. > :02:38.the public trying to get a bet on this race. This is bigger than the

:02:38. > :02:48.Aintree National! Unbelievable. Just thinking about it, Tanni-Grey

:02:48. > :02:48.

:02:49. > :02:53.Thompson wanted something in purple. But if you are going for emotion,

:02:53. > :03:01.the top story would be if Carruthers was to follow up his win

:03:01. > :03:05.at the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. He was bred and is part owned by

:03:05. > :03:09.Lord Oaksey. When he became a writer and a broadcaster, was one

:03:09. > :03:14.of the greatest poets of racing. He really knew how to sell an occasion,

:03:14. > :03:21.he knew so much about horses and when he had retired from riding in

:03:21. > :03:25.races, he along with Brough Scott established the Injured Jockeys'

:03:25. > :03:30.Fund. He is one of the great figures of racing and age rather

:03:30. > :03:36.catching up with him now in that he is not getting out as much as he

:03:36. > :03:41.did. The one thing he knows is that Carruthers is his horse, Carruthers

:03:41. > :03:51.won the Hennessy, trained by his son-in-law and he is ridden every

:03:51. > :04:03.

:04:03. > :04:13.We just adore him. You ride him every day? Yes. Who is the boss?

:04:13. > :04:13.

:04:13. > :04:17.She is! LAUGHTER She tells you? do the mucking out! We decide

:04:17. > :04:22.together what we do. He has quite a big say in the matter. He wouldn't

:04:22. > :04:26.be a horse you would go, "Cor, that was an amazing piece of work." He

:04:26. > :04:31.will never be like that. The reason this story is so special is the man

:04:31. > :04:34.in shot, Lord Oaksey. He was a pioneer for the Injured Jockeys'

:04:34. > :04:38.Fund and it is a great sight to see him with the one thing he loves

:04:38. > :04:44.more than anything else in the world, Carruthers. He has done so

:04:44. > :04:51.much for the sport. He's a phenomenon for the sport. The idea

:04:51. > :04:57.was entirely to bring him something to enjoy when he got old. He's

:04:57. > :05:02.managed that! It's a story that started 53 years ago when Lord

:05:02. > :05:08.Oaksey dramatically won the Hennessy as an amateur. Before

:05:08. > :05:18.Carruthers repeated that success last month. COMMENTARY: He is not

:05:18. > :05:21.stopping, if anything he is going further clear! It is Carruthers for

:05:21. > :05:25.Mattie Batchelor! You dream of these things and then when it does

:05:25. > :05:32.happen, it seems amazing. It is pleasing to know that when I do get

:05:32. > :05:41.a good horse, I can do the job. was so thrilled for Mark and Sara

:05:41. > :05:51.and Mattie. They have made this horse. When you walk into Newbury,

:05:51. > :05:53.

:05:53. > :05:57.you must puff your chest out a bit? Definitely. The jockeys were going

:05:57. > :06:03.mental for us! They love this horse. When you told John what was his

:06:03. > :06:08.response? I said, "Who has won the Hennessy?" He said, "Me!" When I

:06:08. > :06:12.show him the replay, he is very emotional. He did know, as you have

:06:12. > :06:17.seen today, he doesn't talk to us all that much, but he spoke in

:06:17. > :06:22.sentences that night. Every race is a big race. You have only had seven

:06:22. > :06:27.runners in total this year. We are only a small yard. We want a few

:06:27. > :06:31.more horses. It goes to show hopefully to Joe Public you don't

:06:31. > :06:37.have to send your horses to the big boys, we can do the business just

:06:37. > :06:40.as well as they can. We have got time to train every horse as an

:06:40. > :06:45.individual. That personal touch extends to an unusual regime for

:06:45. > :06:51.Carruthers where he is part of the furniture in his local village. You

:06:51. > :06:58.are holding on to him over a bridge, he is stood in the water like a

:06:58. > :07:03.saint. He is in here every day after exercise. Just to cool his

:07:03. > :07:12.legs down, stop any build-up of potential inflammation and loves it.

:07:12. > :07:16.It is a lot cheaper than buying a bloody spa! He is an incredible

:07:16. > :07:23.racehorse. But he is more determined than the rest. Take away

:07:23. > :07:31.the determination, he is 120 horse, he is more ordinary. The whole

:07:31. > :07:37.circle ranging from Sara's dad and Chicky, to Mattie, to Sara, to the

:07:37. > :07:45.whole yard, it is a big fairytale. There is Carruthers walking around

:07:45. > :07:53.the paddock. The man on board this afternoon is Mr Jester, how are

:07:53. > :08:00.you? Good. You? Good. Have a good Christmas? Yeah, plenty of

:08:00. > :08:10.puddings! Really? Yes. You are regarded as the fungi to have in

:08:10. > :08:11.

:08:11. > :08:14.the weighing rooms? The people I take the mickey of wouldn't agree.

:08:14. > :08:20.If we are being serious for a moment, this horse, Carruthers,

:08:20. > :08:26.means a lot to you? He's give me some great days, there have not

:08:26. > :08:32.been many. Yeah, I hold him in high regard. The ground shouldn't be a

:08:32. > :08:40.problem to him. Shouldn't be a problem. The boys say it is not too

:08:40. > :08:45.bad down the back. What a Christmas it would be if you won the Welsh

:08:45. > :08:55.National? Exactly. I will have to buy some more presents! You better

:08:55. > :08:55.

:08:55. > :09:00.win! Let's have a word with a couple of the guys, Denis O'Regan

:09:00. > :09:07.and Dougie Costello. What is this guy like to have in the weighing

:09:07. > :09:12.room? A pain in the backside! a legend. He's one of the nicest

:09:12. > :09:21.girls as well. Are you going to be able to beat him? Yes. What about

:09:21. > :09:26.you? Galaxy Rock won first time at Lingfield on soft ground. He will

:09:26. > :09:34.be OK. You have done very well to hold your nerve there. Good luck in

:09:34. > :09:38.the big race today. ALL: Cheers! Some great camaraderie amongst

:09:39. > :09:42.these jockeys. They know every time they go out to ride there is a

:09:42. > :09:47.danger they might not come back in one piece. There is no place for

:09:47. > :09:51.arrogance and that is why they are so generous and fun with each other

:09:51. > :09:58.and Joe Tizzard on the right and Wayne Hutchinson on the left coming

:09:58. > :10:01.out behind the Welsh Guard and the jockeys will make their way to the

:10:01. > :10:11.paddock. Most of the horses are already here in the parade ring for

:10:11. > :10:15.the crowd to get a good look at them. Mattie Batchelor already has

:10:15. > :10:19.his tinted goggles pulled down! is not taking any chances. That is

:10:19. > :10:23.what makes it so special. When he had that big win in the Hennessy,

:10:23. > :10:31.everybody cheered him in, whether it was Bangor or at Newbury, they

:10:31. > :10:37.wanted to see him win. Let's take a wander around the paddock. You see

:10:37. > :10:43.this magnificent suit! Any Currency is a horse that is owned by a team

:10:43. > :10:51.called Cash Is King. Very interesting suit. You have to make

:10:51. > :10:55.an effort! They charged me �5.70 to get in! Why Cash Is King for the

:10:55. > :11:00.owning syndicate, there is is a theme here? The boys like a bit of

:11:00. > :11:05.a punt. Hopefully, it will be cash we will be taking home today.

:11:05. > :11:10.you hopeful? Yes. He should run a big race. His form suggests he's

:11:10. > :11:15.second behind Midnight Chase at Cheltenham the year before last.

:11:15. > :11:20.He's had a year out with a tiny injury. He's come back to finish

:11:20. > :11:27.third at Sandown. Should be very good. Good luck to you. Your jockey

:11:27. > :11:32.will be making his way to you very shortly. They are posing for a

:11:32. > :11:38.photo. Jamie Snowdon is here, the trainer of Knighton Combe. Has

:11:38. > :11:43.already won a National? That's it. He won the Summer National. Had a

:11:43. > :11:47.prep run over hurdles a month ago. He is fit, he's well. Fingers

:11:47. > :11:50.crossed. Do you get nervous when it is a big day like this? Very

:11:50. > :11:55.nervous. We are only in our third season training. To run well in a

:11:55. > :12:01.race like this, if not win, would be phenomenal for our career.

:12:01. > :12:06.you have a youngster rider, is he too young to get nervous? Well, I

:12:06. > :12:16.hope so! LAUGHTER I'm certainly nervous. The reason for putting

:12:16. > :12:22.Brendan on is he is off 1-3-2 but Brendan takes seven off to take it

:12:22. > :12:29.back down to 2-2-5. He is not far off a winning mark. Listen, we wish

:12:29. > :12:34.you luck. Brendan Powell Junior is talking to the owners of Knighton

:12:34. > :12:39.Combe. We talked to him earlier. It would be an extraordinary story.

:12:39. > :12:46.The Nigel Twiston-Davies team. They have two runners, Mick. Sam

:12:46. > :12:51.Twiston-Davies, Nige is there, and Sam is riding Viking Blond who came

:12:51. > :12:56.into the paddock here and started bucking! He is fresh and well at

:12:56. > :13:00.home. Hopefully, as you can see, he is looking very well. He is a very

:13:00. > :13:05.flashy type! In terms of how he will run in the race, what are you

:13:05. > :13:11.expecting him to do? Hopefully, he will run a good race. All the signs

:13:11. > :13:14.say he will stay. He is only a novice. He has not made a mistake

:13:14. > :13:20.yet. David England is riding Ballyfitz. Not an awful lot of

:13:20. > :13:24.weight so you have to fancy yourself? I would do. Everyone says

:13:24. > :13:30.he doesn't jump that great, but he has been jumping well recently. We

:13:30. > :13:37.fancy him. Hopefully, we will go close. Sit tight, enjoy it. Hopeful.

:13:37. > :13:40.Thank you. There are so many good horses in the paddock. I mentioned

:13:40. > :13:45.Cappa Bleu earlier on. Richard Dunwoody has had a good look at

:13:45. > :13:51.them and wanted to mention Cappa Bleu independent of me. He does

:13:51. > :13:55.look very well? Yeah. Certainly if he is back to his very best today,

:13:55. > :14:00.he's got a decent chance. He won last time out after a year-and-a-

:14:00. > :14:10.half off the course and he won on the same day Kauto Star won the

:14:10. > :14:11.

:14:12. > :14:18.Betfair Chase. What do you think? Here is Viking Blond. He is my pick

:14:18. > :14:24.in the paddock. He's bucking and kicking. I am looking forward to

:14:24. > :14:30.seeing him. He is only a six-year- old. Giles Cross is coming round,

:14:30. > :14:37.horse number eight. He is just on the left. What did you make of him?

:14:37. > :14:41.He looked well. That was a great run at Fontwell. OK. We can get the

:14:41. > :14:46.inside track on Giles Cross because not only have I got his trainer,

:14:46. > :14:51.but I have his breeder, who is one of the owners. When he was first

:14:51. > :14:56.born, did you think this one might be special? No! What did you think?

:14:57. > :15:00.What did I think? I thought thank God he's come out with all four

:15:00. > :15:05.feet poking forwards! What does it feel like to be here as favourite

:15:05. > :15:10.for the Welsh National? Amazing. I have had horses for 25 years and

:15:10. > :15:14.this is obviously the best of them. Victor, what do you think of his

:15:14. > :15:18.chances? He loves Chepstow, he loves the ground. He has every

:15:18. > :15:23.chance. I can't help think that there is one or two of the horses

:15:23. > :15:28.lower down the weights that might be more of a problem. We will see.

:15:28. > :15:33.That is the trouble in this sort of ground, weight can take its toll?

:15:33. > :15:37.Yes. There's a bit of class in this race as well, with Carruthers. It

:15:37. > :15:47.will be a good race. It will. Good luck to you with Giles Cross.

:15:47. > :16:07.

:16:07. > :16:11.you. Giles Cross is your favourite horses backed, John. There's eight

:16:11. > :16:15.or nine horses all being backed for money. The crowd are backing

:16:15. > :16:19.anything! Anything can win. We have said this earlier - this is a great

:16:19. > :16:28.race. The punters don't know who is going to win. All the money is each

:16:28. > :16:31.way. They are picking 20-1 chances. Anything can win, John. Well, they

:16:31. > :16:35.are getting ready to parade in front of the grandstand, these 20

:16:35. > :16:41.runners and this a race that has extraordinary history. It was first

:16:41. > :16:47.run at Ely Racecourse in Cardiff in 1895 and then transferred here to

:16:47. > :16:57.Chepstow in 1949 and the first running here was won by Dick

:16:57. > :17:04.Francis. Many of his novels based on racing. Great horses who have

:17:04. > :17:14.won the Welsh National include Silver Birch, who won in 2004 and

:17:14. > :17:22.

:17:22. > :17:29.then won the Grand National in 2007. So, the Parade is led by the horse

:17:29. > :17:37.who carries top weight at 11 stone 12. That is Hey Big Spender. Horse

:17:37. > :17:41.two is Carruthers. This is the fairytale horse. Blazing Bailey is

:17:41. > :17:46.number three. He was a good horse over hurdles. He has some form over

:17:46. > :17:52.fences as well. Watch out for him. Wayne Hutchinson on board. Horse

:17:52. > :18:00.four, Cappa Bleu. This horse won the FoxHunters. A very good horse

:18:00. > :18:07.on his day. Jonjo O'Neill won the Welsh National last year but relies

:18:07. > :18:17.on this horse, Galaxy Rock. Six is Viking Blond. This horse has a good

:18:17. > :18:20.

:18:20. > :18:30.chance. Big day for trainer Antony Honeyball, with As De Fer. Giles

:18:30. > :18:38.Cross. David Pipe has two runners, the first is Or Noir de Somoza.

:18:38. > :18:42.is Any Currency. This one trained by Martin Keighley. This horse is

:18:42. > :18:48.fancied. Youngest jockey in the race is 16-year-old Brendan Powell

:18:48. > :18:51.Junior. He is on board Knighton Combe. Next horse is Cannington

:18:51. > :18:56.Brook. This horse is a good game winner last time in very heavy

:18:56. > :19:03.ground. This horse will love the conditions. Le Beau Bai was third

:19:03. > :19:08.in this race in 2009. He could be close again. Indifference Curve,

:19:08. > :19:16.the mount of Will Kennedy. Winner yesterday for Will Kennedy. This

:19:16. > :19:23.one trained by Margaret O'Sullivan. Master Overseer, it looks to be the

:19:23. > :19:30.second of David Pipe's two runners. Mumbles Head trained by Peter Bowen.

:19:30. > :19:36.David Crosse does an amazing blog every week! Ballyfitz, the lower-

:19:36. > :19:40.weighted of the Nigel Twiston- Davies' runners. David England is

:19:40. > :19:45.hopeful. 18 is Our Island, trained by Tim Vaughan, the mount of Aidan

:19:45. > :19:53.Coleman. Already a winner today. All of these ones down the bottom

:19:53. > :19:59.are racing off 10 stone and Heathcliff, the second of Richard

:19:59. > :20:04.Lea's runners. The last one out is Bench Warrent. This is the mount of

:20:04. > :20:11.Gavin Sheehan. He is claiming ten pounds off ten stone. So riding

:20:12. > :20:16.with nothing! 9 stone 4 pound. great effort to be able to do that

:20:16. > :20:21.weight! Jump jockeys are not tiny people. They are proper size. These

:20:21. > :20:25.horses all having a look at the first - what will be the last fence

:20:25. > :20:29.in fact. They start in front of the last and it is a short run to the

:20:29. > :20:35.first bend and you are seeing the beautiful head of Cappa Bleu having

:20:35. > :20:44.a look. We are going to hear shortly the Welsh National Anthem

:20:44. > :20:54.to get us all in the mood. Great sound, great atmosphere at Chepstow.

:20:54. > :20:54.

:20:54. > :21:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 80 seconds

:21:39. > :21:42.They are making sure you have the feel of a big event. # Mae hen wlad

:21:42. > :21:52.fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi # Gwlad beirdd a chantorion,

:21:52. > :21:57.

:21:57. > :22:07.enwogion o fri; # Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra md,

:22:07. > :22:19.

:22:19. > :22:22.# Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed. # Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm

:22:22. > :22:32.gwlad. # Tra mor yn fur i'r bur hoff bau,

:22:32. > :22:43.

:22:43. > :22:53.The applause rings out for 21-year- old Sarah Kemp who sang here last

:22:53. > :22:53.

:22:53. > :22:58.year and gets a rousing reception. A wonderful voice. In the meantime,

:22:58. > :23:02.the runners are arriving down at the start point. Let's have a look

:23:02. > :23:07.and see whether Viking Blond or Giles Cross is going to go off as

:23:07. > :23:17.favourite. Looks like the money has come for Viking Blond? Certainly

:23:17. > :23:19.

:23:19. > :23:23.has. Viking Blond is now favourite was the horse overnight for money.

:23:23. > :23:29.We heard the Welsh anthem and Corals, if we do have a Welsh-

:23:30. > :23:38.trained winner 9-1. How many Welsh horses? Three horses. Cappa Bleu,

:23:38. > :23:41.Mumbles Head and? A good question! LAUGHTER Our Island! 9-1. Well

:23:41. > :23:46.done! Our Island trained by Tim Vaughan. Those are the Welsh

:23:46. > :23:52.chances. A lot of horses are trained very close in Herefordshire

:23:52. > :23:56.or not too far over the Severn Bridge. It is right in front of the

:23:56. > :23:59.grandstand, the start. So, Richard Dunwoody, you can hear all the

:23:59. > :24:03.jockeys chatting to each other. There is Nigel Twiston-Davies. He

:24:03. > :24:08.will be looking out for Viking Blond and for Ballyfitz. Sam

:24:08. > :24:13.Twiston-Davies keeping out the back on Viking Blond? He has his two

:24:13. > :24:22.horses looking really well. I am looking forward to a big run from

:24:22. > :24:32.this horse. You can feel the tension down here. Looking pretty

:24:32. > :24:33.

:24:33. > :24:36.cool is Matthew Batchelor on board Carruthers. He's had his tinted

:24:36. > :24:40.goggles down ever since he came out of the weighing room. He knows he

:24:40. > :24:50.has a horse that can deal with this. The lads are all getting a bit

:24:50. > :24:52.

:24:52. > :24:55.excited, Clare. The pressure is beginning to build. They are

:24:55. > :25:04.tightening the girth on Indifference Curve, who is in front

:25:05. > :25:11.of us here. It looks like - Any Currency is rearing up and being a

:25:11. > :25:17.little tricky. The starter is going to make his way to the rostrum. So

:25:17. > :25:22.we will join Jim McGrath. So, they are coming in now. Mick is

:25:22. > :25:26.joining me here. They are very much on edge, the jockeys. They are

:25:26. > :25:30.anxious to get that early position? They start underneath the stands so

:25:30. > :25:38.the people are close to the action. You can almost feel the tension.

:25:38. > :25:43.The starter has got nowhere near that stand. They won't start for a

:25:43. > :25:47.while. Look at how the boys are playing musical chairs. Trying to

:25:47. > :25:52.sort out some sort of a pecking order. It is a very short run, it

:25:52. > :25:57.is 150 yards to that first turn. Also some horses have a tendency to

:25:57. > :26:02.duck out. You have to watch that? You have to be very aware of it as

:26:02. > :26:06.well. One or two guys will dive up the inside. You get one diving up

:26:06. > :26:10.the inside and it is a recipe for disaster. The runners are turning.

:26:10. > :26:14.They are in the hands of the starter. He wants them to settle

:26:14. > :26:19.down a bit. You can see they are very keen. It is like the start of

:26:20. > :26:29.the first race at Cheltenham. They are all on their toes. All fired up.

:26:29. > :26:33.He is saying, "Settle down!" It's fallen on deaf ears. When you are

:26:33. > :26:38.out there and your blood is pumping, you want to get on with it. You do

:26:38. > :26:43.not want to miss the start. It is imperative you get a good position

:26:43. > :26:47.even in a race over three miles five-and-a-half furlongs. Any

:26:48. > :26:55.Currency - there is no doubt that he wants to be there. He wants to

:26:55. > :26:58.be in that lead. He does. You can see Simon is trying to make his way

:26:58. > :27:05.on to that rostrum. The guys are making life very difficult. They

:27:05. > :27:10.are trying to crowd that tape. is up there now! That's it. They

:27:10. > :27:15.are off and running. This is the Coral Welsh National Handicap Chase,

:27:15. > :27:23.20 runners charging downhill. 150 yards to the first turn. Holding

:27:23. > :27:27.the inside is Giles Cross, Le Beau Bai is wider, just behind them is

:27:27. > :27:30.Bench Warrent. They charge around that turn. Further back in the

:27:30. > :27:35.field is Any Currency, he is getting a handy position but he has

:27:35. > :27:41.had to work fairly hard to get it. Behind them is Viking Blond,

:27:41. > :27:45.followed by Our Island, As De Fer, Master Overseer, Carruthers being

:27:45. > :27:51.scrubbed up early to try and hole his position. Well back in the

:27:51. > :27:54.field is Indifference Curve, he is well out the back, so too is Or

:27:54. > :27:59.Noir de Somoza and Ballyfitz has almost tailed off. Heading to the

:28:00. > :28:04.back, they jump 22 fences. Giles Cross, second last year, led to the

:28:04. > :28:09.first, all jumping it well, Ballyfitz in last position. Up in

:28:09. > :28:14.second is Le Beau Bai, followed in third by Bench Warrent, the inside

:28:14. > :28:18.- they go to the open ditch - Any Currency out deeper on the track,

:28:18. > :28:26.Viking Blond was not that fluent, then Our Island, from As De Fer,

:28:27. > :28:30.that go over the third. Nurt back is -- further back is Cappa Bleu.

:28:30. > :28:36.Out very wide is Indifference Curve. Galaxy Rock is not that far away as

:28:36. > :28:40.they go to the fourth now. Further back in the field - Or Noir de

:28:40. > :28:44.Somoza is second last and last is Ballyfitz. Heading down towards the

:28:44. > :28:48.fifth fence and Le Beau Bai joins Giles Cross in the lead. Two

:28:48. > :28:54.lengths away in third is Any Currency, followed by Bench Warrent,

:28:54. > :28:58.from Our Island, As De Fer behind them, Galaxy Rock is out very wide,

:28:58. > :29:06.right there in the centre is Viking Blond as they head now towards the

:29:06. > :29:07.last one down the back. They were followed by Cappa Bleu, Carruthers

:29:07. > :29:11.back in the field Master Overseer with the yellow sleeves and cap

:29:11. > :29:15.right in the middle of the pack from Blazing Bailey and then

:29:15. > :29:19.Cannington Brook, then on the inside is Hey Big Spender, they

:29:19. > :29:22.were followed back at this stage by Heathcliff, giving them a long

:29:23. > :29:27.start as they prepare to leave the back, and in the centre Knighton

:29:27. > :29:30.Combe being ridden by the youngest rider, Brendan Powell, right in the

:29:30. > :29:35.middle of the pack. Mumbles Head about third last. Sweeping now

:29:35. > :29:40.around that bend towards the home turn for the first time and Giles

:29:40. > :29:43.Cross, a half length to Le Beau Bai, behind them is As De Fer, followed

:29:43. > :29:47.by Any Currency, next is Our Island. Further back on the inside

:29:47. > :29:51.Carruthers, ridden along and now starting to make a little bit of

:29:51. > :29:56.ground followed by Viking Blond. They were followed then by Bench

:29:56. > :30:00.Warrent. They come to the seventh. Out wide Galaxy Rock jumped it well,

:30:00. > :30:05.being tracked by the Irish raider Indifference Curve. Starting to

:30:05. > :30:09.make some ground now, Master Overseer, followed by Knighton

:30:09. > :30:15.Combe as they head over that one, the second ditch. Then back towards

:30:15. > :30:20.the rear, we have lost one there. They head down towards the next one,

:30:20. > :30:23.looking down the track there and it looks like Master Overseer, Master

:30:23. > :30:29.Overseer I think - no, it is Mumbles Head. Mumbles Head has gone.

:30:29. > :30:33.They race up now, the home straight, the first time, it is Giles Cross,

:30:33. > :30:36.the leader, from Le Beau Bai and then As De Fer, Our Island, over

:30:36. > :30:40.the tenth. Any Currency and Galaxy Rock. They are followed by

:30:40. > :30:44.Indifference Curve, out wider, further back in the field is Viking

:30:44. > :30:48.Blond from Cappa Bleu. They come now to the next. In the centre

:30:48. > :30:52.Knighton Combe, followed by Master Overseer and Blazing Bailey out

:30:52. > :30:55.wide. Heathcliff is next. They are followed by Bench Warrent and

:30:55. > :31:03.Cannington Brook and Carruthers run-off his feet, he's dropped back

:31:04. > :31:13.to fourth last, followed by Hey Big Spender and Ballyfitz. Giles Cross

:31:14. > :31:26.

:31:26. > :31:29.leads them down to the stable bend Carruthers, Mattie Bachelor is

:31:29. > :31:32.desperate to get him off the inside. Is not jumping well and he needs to

:31:32. > :31:35.get him outside with a bit of daylight and he may pick up.

:31:35. > :31:38.As they start the climb towards the back for the second and the final

:31:38. > :31:42.time, Galaxy Rock in the red cap has just been ridden along.

:31:42. > :31:45.Knighton Combe is starting to make ground for 16-year-old Brendan

:31:45. > :31:49.Powell as they start to run-down the back. There is Carruthers, red

:31:49. > :31:54.sleeves and cap and he maybe starting to pick up again, but as

:31:54. > :32:04.Mick said, he has got to get off the inside. The leaders are Le Beau

:32:04. > :32:06.

:32:06. > :32:12.Bai and Giles Cross by two or three lengths and in third place As De

:32:12. > :32:17.Fer. Followed by Knighton Combe. He is getting a real tune out of this.

:32:17. > :32:23.Then followed by Heathcliff and gone there is Hey Big Spender. Hey

:32:23. > :32:30.Big Spender a heavy faller there as they head now towards the 13th. The

:32:30. > :32:35.leaders, Giles Cross and Le Beau Bai. They are followed by Knighton

:32:35. > :32:39.Combe as they start to run-down to the next one. The next plain fence,

:32:39. > :32:44.Knighton Combe got in a fraction tight and Any Currency is further

:32:44. > :32:48.back in the field. But as they prepare now and as they head

:32:48. > :32:58.towards the second last one down the back, and the leaders Giles

:32:58. > :33:03.

:33:03. > :33:07.Cross and on the outside Le Beau Bai, and and this is the last one.

:33:07. > :33:13.The leaders jump it well and they are really strung out, but it is

:33:13. > :33:20.Giles Cross who was second last year trying to hang on from Le Beau

:33:20. > :33:30.Bai. Falling is As De Fer, but Giles Cross has really got gas left.

:33:30. > :33:31.

:33:31. > :33:38.He is loving it here as well. You can see Charlie on Le Beau Bai. He

:33:38. > :33:45.looks comfortable. As they round the turn and it is

:33:46. > :33:51.Giles Cross, the leader by two lengths. Six lengths away As De Fer

:33:51. > :34:01.and Cannington Brook and followed by Bench Warrent and also Knighton

:34:01. > :34:06.

:34:06. > :34:13.Combe. Giles Cross Flew it. As De Fer and Denis owe Denis owe-ry

:34:13. > :34:21.began. A long gap to the chasing pack headed by As De Fer. They race

:34:21. > :34:31.up towards the last lap. He comes towards the third last. He is over

:34:31. > :34:32.

:34:32. > :34:40.it, two-and-a-half lengths clear. Le Beau Bai and Le Beau Bai racing

:34:40. > :34:46.and Giles Cross. Le Beau Bai has taken it up. It is Le Beau Bai by

:34:46. > :34:50.two lengths as they come towards the last. He steadies. He is over.

:34:50. > :34:57.Le Beau Bai he is three lengths in front now. Giles Cross coming back

:34:57. > :35:07.for more. Le Beau Bai is clinging and Le Beau Bai is going on to win

:35:07. > :35:26.

:35:26. > :35:34.it well and he wins it. A Welsh National victory for victor Lee.

:35:35. > :35:41.The winner is number 13, Le Beau Bai ridden by Charlie Post, the 10-

:35:41. > :35:51.1 winner of the Coral Welsh National. Second is number 8 and

:35:51. > :35:51.

:35:51. > :35:56.third is number 4, and fourth, Bench Warrent.

:35:56. > :36:00.What a performance. What a staying performance by this winner.

:36:01. > :36:04.He has given a great ride by Charlie Post. He is very much a

:36:04. > :36:08.journey man jockey. This is his ninth winner of the season, but you

:36:08. > :36:15.can see what it means and the other lads are congratulating him because

:36:15. > :36:25.they know what it is like for a guy who works as tirelessly as he does.

:36:25. > :36:46.

:36:46. > :36:51.Giles Cross run second last year. Le Beau Bai... It is heartbreaking

:36:51. > :36:57.for Giles Cross. Richard Lee, he had many, many good horses over 5

:36:57. > :37:02.years -- 25 years and probably a little bit less so in recent years,

:37:02. > :37:05.but you go back to those great horses in the 80s that he had and

:37:05. > :37:10.90s. He has been a good man for a chaser.

:37:10. > :37:14.He has done brilliantly with these staying chasers, but this horse

:37:14. > :37:24.looked a picture before and he run like it.

:37:24. > :37:29.

:37:29. > :37:35.Le Beau Bai 10-1, Giles Cross second.

:37:35. > :37:45.For Charlie Post a Dave his life to remember. Le Beau Bai third in 2009

:37:45. > :37:46.

:37:46. > :37:50.and comes here as the winner of the 201 1 Welsh National. He will get a

:37:50. > :38:00.huge reception as he comes into the Winner's Enclosure.

:38:00. > :38:03.

:38:03. > :38:06.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE The owner's glass halfful, what a

:38:06. > :38:11.great name for a racing partnership. It is a glass full to overflowing

:38:11. > :38:19.today! Charlie takes off the tiny saddle.

:38:19. > :38:25.He is only an eight-year-old and Le Beau Bai has answered every call. A

:38:25. > :38:30.lovely bit of waiting, Richard Dunwoody is watching this with me.

:38:30. > :38:34.He stayed behind Giles Cross. Let's hear from the winning jockey,

:38:34. > :38:40.Charlie Post. What a fantastic success? Yeah,

:38:40. > :38:45.brilliant. He has been a good servant to me. A fantastic boy and

:38:45. > :38:49.he was so great today. Brilliant. Charlie, we're going to get run

:38:49. > :38:55.over by the second horse. Just take us through the way he battled

:38:55. > :39:01.because when Giles Cross took over in the strait, the crowd roared.

:39:01. > :39:05.Before I spoke to the owners, I picked out Giles Cross as the one

:39:05. > :39:11.it make. I thought I would follow him and even when Giles Cross got

:39:11. > :39:15.away from me and he had a lot of light-weight on his back, my guy. I

:39:15. > :39:19.never thought it was a foregone conclusion. What does this victory

:39:19. > :39:25.mean? Hopefully it will make a big difference to the career of Charlie

:39:25. > :39:29.Post. You need days like this and and that's what you're working for,

:39:29. > :39:33.days like this. The winning trainer.

:39:33. > :39:38.One of the high points in your training career? I suppose it is.

:39:38. > :39:44.It is a race I always wanted to win. We didn't run in it last year. We

:39:44. > :39:54.were third in it two years. It went according to plan today, didn't it?

:39:54. > :39:55.

:39:55. > :40:00.I worried that the ground wasn't going to be soft enough for him. It

:40:00. > :40:06.was soft enough for him and wasn't he brave? Charlie got some great,

:40:06. > :40:11.great leaps out of him, you know. It has all come true. It is a

:40:11. > :40:17.fairytale for us and we train on the Welsh borders so to come here

:40:17. > :40:23.and win the Welsh National is fan tast tast is fantastic.

:40:23. > :40:28.We are going to to show you celebrating the closing stages.

:40:28. > :40:38.What are you thinking? I hope he is going to hang on. Surely, it is not

:40:38. > :40:45.

:40:45. > :40:52.going to happen. My wife was there with me. I think to be fair Jake

:40:52. > :40:57.said to ride him with a pair of blinds on. Jake has ridden him in

:40:57. > :41:01.the past and Charlie has ridden him today. Charlie is a great, great

:41:01. > :41:11.team player and thank you, Charlie. Congratulations. Well done.

:41:11. > :41:25.

:41:25. > :41:33.great form all season and Le Beau loved the track and the grown and

:41:33. > :41:37.they made it a proper gallop. John, I was was speechless. I

:41:37. > :41:44.thought there there would be money for Le Beau Bai. A winner is a

:41:44. > :41:51.winner. What a great race. Well done, Richard Lee.

:41:51. > :41:55.I have Mattie Bachelor. Mattie, it did happen today? I was jumping

:41:55. > :42:00.very big. It is not him at all. He is slick and he is very good and

:42:00. > :42:05.every time I tried to make grown and get her the the -- ground, he

:42:05. > :42:08.didn't do it as he did in the Hennessy. You have got to be 110%

:42:08. > :42:12.on these days. It wasn't his day today.

:42:12. > :42:19.Everywhere you went today, you seemed to be crowded by horse and

:42:19. > :42:27.he didn't seem comfortable. That's big - the Hennessy I was

:42:27. > :42:33.going forward. Today, I am never going forward, I am making two two

:42:33. > :42:37.steps forward and two steps back. A lovely day for Charlie Post. I'm

:42:37. > :42:42.really pleased for him and I'll go and give him a big kiss now!

:42:42. > :42:46.He will and all! A word for Giles Cross second for

:42:46. > :42:51.the second year running and the two of them dominated for a long way

:42:51. > :42:58.out. They were Always Right up there and as we join them on the

:42:58. > :43:02.back strait, you were thinking, "There is only two horses in it.".

:43:02. > :43:05.There was two horses for a long way out and Le Beau Bai jumped superb

:43:05. > :43:12.and it is Giles Cross has set the the race up for him. He kicked

:43:12. > :43:16.turning in. He jumped the strait strait very well and I thought he

:43:16. > :43:26.might last, but he has given Le Beau Bai a good lead.

:43:26. > :43:30.

:43:30. > :43:34.Giles Cross in front and Denis O' Reagan there. I said this a couple

:43:34. > :43:38.of years ago, he is not the most impressive horse to look at Le Beau

:43:38. > :43:42.Bai, but he has a heart as big as any horse and he really did jump

:43:42. > :43:46.well. Yeah, great credit to the team.

:43:47. > :43:54.For those jockeys thinking these two might come back to us, it wean

:43:54. > :43:59.going to happen. Le Beau Bai came across him and Charlie making sure

:43:59. > :44:09.he had the rail. He has been given a chance by the handicap. He is an

:44:09. > :44:09.

:44:09. > :44:16.eight-year-old. As a six-year-old he ran off one, four, three.

:44:16. > :44:19.As Richard Lee mentioned, the bright blue blinkers helping him

:44:19. > :44:25.concentrate. Yes, keeping his mind on the job.

:44:25. > :44:28.Yes, a great race. We talked beforehand about what a

:44:28. > :44:35.test of stamina this is. You can see it there, the horse is going

:44:35. > :44:39.down the back strait, you are thinking, "We will get a lot of

:44:39. > :44:49.finishes here." This could be any one in it with three to jump. But

:44:49. > :44:58.

:44:58. > :45:02.the front two took the sting out of the race. Keep your eyes on Cappa

:45:02. > :45:11.Bleu, he is one for the future. Carruthers was never really

:45:12. > :45:18.travelling. He got interfered on the bend and Hey Big Spender fell

:45:18. > :45:23.in front of him as well. They had to jump 22 fences out

:45:23. > :45:29.there and you have got to try and meet every one right. If you are

:45:29. > :45:39.thinking, "What are the fences made of? How are they built?" We can

:45:39. > :45:42.

:45:42. > :45:46.best in the country, Thans thanks to the men who build them.

:45:47. > :45:50.Just tell us what you are doing at the moment? I'm just taking the

:45:50. > :45:59.bundles, we haven't got much room in there so we have got to make

:45:59. > :46:04.them narrower at the bottom. You have got to fill that out.

:46:04. > :46:11.That's a lovely job. Brilliant job. This is half a fence here, right?

:46:11. > :46:15.Yeah. How many of these bunches of birch would you need to... 400 to

:46:15. > :46:21.500. It depends how big the bundles are minute.

:46:21. > :46:26.-- mind. Tell us what goes into create ago

:46:26. > :46:30.magnificent creature of a fence? you have seen with Alan and Craig,

:46:30. > :46:34.they will spend all summer renewing half the fences we have got at

:46:34. > :46:37.Chepstow one year which will be six and the following year they will do

:46:37. > :46:41.five so they are never more than two years old.

:46:41. > :46:45.What's the ethos behind creating this shape? It is four foot six

:46:46. > :46:50.high at the top and six feet high from the take off board to the back

:46:50. > :46:55.of the fence. We shape it in the same direction so if a horse does

:46:55. > :47:00.catch t the fence is going in in the same way as the horses so he is

:47:00. > :47:04.not hitting a brick wall. To To get an idea of how stiff it

:47:04. > :47:11.is this size? If you lean into this, you can give it a good shift. That

:47:11. > :47:15.really is not a stiff fence. You notice some tracks and you wouldn't

:47:15. > :47:25.be able to move them. The birch is stacked in. So it is

:47:25. > :47:50.

:47:50. > :47:59.height? That's all right, we'll take a bit more off anyway. It is

:47:59. > :48:06.good for the first time, yeah. Now we are at the takeoff side and

:48:06. > :48:11.you heard commentators say, "He has taken off" even before he has got

:48:11. > :48:16.to the wings of the fence. Like Desert Orchid and Kauto Star,

:48:16. > :48:20.there will be another four meters to the takeoff board. The Chepstow

:48:20. > :48:25.fences, they are similar dimensions to everywhere else, but they have

:48:25. > :48:30.been built in a style by Craig and Alan over 30 years, that they are

:48:31. > :48:36.an old-fashioned style. It is like thatching a roof on a house. These

:48:36. > :48:38.are almost a large work of art and jumping these fences are one of the

:48:38. > :48:43.most exhilarating things in the sport.

:48:43. > :48:48.It was a fascinating morning seeing how a fence is put together. Alan

:48:48. > :48:54.and Craig have been at Chepstow for a long period of time. You have

:48:54. > :49:00.experienced their work and Chepstow is regarded as a safe jumper?

:49:00. > :49:04.are good fences. Not too hard and not too soft. That's important,

:49:04. > :49:08.horses get lower and try to get away and they go to another track

:49:08. > :49:11.and turn over. The jockeys don't like the fences to be too soft. I

:49:11. > :49:16.am grateful that you are not building them around here here as

:49:16. > :49:20.well! High hedge cutting was -- my hedge

:49:20. > :49:25.cutting was awkward. At Chepstow, I thought they lasted

:49:25. > :49:29.a long time. But they change them every two years. They change five

:49:29. > :49:36.after one summer and change the other six after the next summer.

:49:36. > :49:43.They thet turned over a -- get turned over a lot? The birch, it

:49:43. > :49:47.takes more of a nudge and the fences get stiffer as the birch

:49:47. > :49:53.gets stiffer. We are looking ahead to 2012,

:49:53. > :50:00.looking at potential human and equine stars. I picked out one,

:50:00. > :50:10.Brendan Powell Junior. He is only 16. He has ridden 15 winners. He

:50:10. > :50:11.

:50:11. > :50:15.had a winner. You picked out one for us.

:50:15. > :50:22.Jack Cidland. Look out for them.

:50:22. > :50:27.Let's can join join John and Gary. Gary, what have you come up with?

:50:27. > :50:32.I'm going to go for me old favourite. Every year I have a go

:50:32. > :50:39.and Andy Murray to win Wimbledon. I think he is a big prize, Annie

:50:39. > :50:46.Murray and AP McCoy -- Andy Murray and AP McCoy to ride the Grand

:50:46. > :50:55.National winner. If he has a ride it will only be 10-1. And England

:50:55. > :51:00.to win 2012. Clare Balding to win Strictly Come

:51:00. > :51:10.Dancing and if she went on what would you give her, Gary? Seven.

:51:10. > :51:11.

:51:11. > :51:15.I would give you 1,000-1. Any number you like, 1,000-1!

:51:15. > :51:19.Mick Fitzgerald is alongside me. In terms of horses, I guess for

:51:19. > :51:23.jumping we are looking forward to seeing Kauto Star when it comes to

:51:23. > :51:26.the Cheltenham Cheltenham Gold Cup? Cheltenham is three months away and

:51:26. > :51:34.already we're talking about it and that's the great thing about racing.

:51:34. > :51:44.There is a buzz about it and so it should.

:51:44. > :51:46.

:51:46. > :51:55.In terms of the novices, would you if you were David Be thinking of

:51:55. > :52:01.running Grand Crewe in the Gold Cup? No. There is a good horse

:52:01. > :52:11.called Joined Together, trained by Paul Nichols, but the horse that

:52:11. > :52:12.

:52:12. > :52:18.won earlier beat Peddler's Cross. Looking ahead to the Derby and

:52:18. > :52:27.Royal Ascot, I can't wait to see Frankel running over a mile and a a

:52:27. > :52:37.quarter. He set the place alight and the place is buzzing. Sir Sir

:52:37. > :52:43.

:52:43. > :52:51.Henry Cecil what a great story. Good horses have great names and

:52:51. > :52:57.Camelot. Mattie Bachelor was promising to

:52:58. > :53:04.give Charles ci a kiss -- Charlie a kiss.

:53:04. > :53:11.You must miss that feeling? There is Charlie Post receiving his

:53:11. > :53:15.trophy. Richard Lee just over his shoulder and the owners, the

:53:15. > :53:21.partnership, up there representing the Glass, as I was saying, it is

:53:21. > :53:31.full to overflowing! We have one more live race to come

:53:31. > :53:33.

:53:33. > :53:43.and it is the scar the Coral Future Champions Finale.

:53:43. > :54:22.

:54:23. > :54:32.The punters seem to have come for Hollow Tree. School For Scandal 14-

:54:33. > :54:39.

:54:39. > :54:43.I said John, give me a winner. Richard and I are looking at Hollow

:54:43. > :54:47.Tree. This race is for three-year- olds. He has got size about him

:54:47. > :54:53.already? Yes, he is a nice little horse and he has got the form, I

:54:53. > :54:57.think. That run behind him at Cheltenham. Paul Nichols thinks

:54:57. > :55:03.that's one of the best three-year- olds he has got. Hollow Tree will

:55:03. > :55:07.take all the beating. This looks at Kapga De Cerisy, it

:55:07. > :55:13.is a horse that cost a lot of money. 200,000 euros and you noi about his

:55:13. > :55:17.-- you know about his form in France? He finished second this

:55:17. > :55:23.season, in September. He looks in great shape.

:55:23. > :55:26.He looks in really great shape and he will handle the grown anyway.

:55:26. > :55:31.That's -- ground anyway. That's one thing he will do.

:55:31. > :55:37.Would he be the pick of the paddock? Yes, he is the pick for me.

:55:37. > :55:43.Let's look at horse number eight, that's School For Scandal. School

:55:44. > :55:48.For Scandal's trainer Jim Best is hoping to land his his first grade

:55:48. > :55:53.one victory. He has his blinkers on and it will

:55:53. > :55:57.help him. Mark Johnson had this horse. He is a tough little horse

:55:57. > :56:02.and you can see him running a good race today.

:56:02. > :56:08.He won first on the hurledles and - - hurledles and they have put the

:56:08. > :56:12.head gear on to and I imagine that will rediscover what he first time.

:56:12. > :56:19.He could put in a big run. I think the horses are about to

:56:19. > :56:29.leave the paddock. Pick of the paddock probably Kapga De Cerisy?

:56:29. > :56:39.

:56:40. > :56:49.will go with him, Ritchie. with sad faces. The bookies have

:56:50. > :56:50.

:56:50. > :56:55.taken a bashing. There is money for Countrywide Flame.

:56:55. > :57:01.Mick, when you are riding three- year-olds and obviously some of

:57:01. > :57:05.them have run more than others, Captain Sharpe has run loads of

:57:05. > :57:08.times how quick do you know whether one is a natural jumper? Very

:57:08. > :57:12.quickly. Trust me. Especially if you have never ridden it before,

:57:12. > :57:19.you know by the time you jump the first whether a horse is going to

:57:19. > :57:25.be good good or not, especially at Chepstow. That's why French breds

:57:25. > :57:32.have a good record at Chepstow because it is so demanding. Some

:57:32. > :57:40.are like teenagers taking on grown men.

:57:40. > :57:45.Some work and others don't. This is Countrywide Flame for John

:57:45. > :57:49.Quinn. It is going to be interesting this

:57:49. > :57:53.because although Hollow Tree is a hot favourite, we have seen one

:57:53. > :57:57.mistake can make a difference. This is one horse that won three on the

:57:57. > :58:03.flat and won three over hurdles as well? This horse should be unbeaten

:58:03. > :58:08.because he should have won at Wetherby. He made a mistake at the

:58:08. > :58:14.last. I think this horse has got a great chance here.

:58:14. > :58:19.Let's hear from the trainer of Secret Edge. He is train by Alan

:58:19. > :58:24.King. Countrywide Flame was beaten by

:58:24. > :58:30.Secret Edge at Wetherby and Alan King, his trainer, you should be

:58:30. > :58:38.confident of finishing ahead of Hollow Tree. This is a tougher test

:58:38. > :58:48.of stamina as well? The stamina should suit him. This has been this

:58:48. > :58:53.

:58:53. > :58:58.horse's target. We are wrong at the weights with Countrside Star.

:58:58. > :59:03.You would never have encountered ground ground quite as testing as

:59:03. > :59:08.this? He won the other day, but that was wetter ground. This is

:59:08. > :59:13.more holding. I am surprised if he didn't handle it. The biggest

:59:13. > :59:17.problem is he good enough? thing you have got in his favour is

:59:17. > :59:20.attitude. He knuckled down and kept going and always finding a little

:59:20. > :59:24.bit more. It took him two miles at Goodwood

:59:24. > :59:28.before he won a race and he does get the trip very well. I expect

:59:28. > :59:31.him to run very well, but I won it in the past. This horse wouldn't be

:59:31. > :59:36.as good as either of those, but we'll give it a G

:59:36. > :59:42.A good Christmas so far? Yeah, I think so. We're still standing!

:59:42. > :59:52.Hopefully you will be celebrating after this race.

:59:52. > :59:58.Thanks, Ritchie, cheers. Alan King making reference that he

:59:58. > :00:04.won this race before. Number one is Brilliant Barca.

:00:04. > :00:07.Barcelona fans will be supporting this!

:00:07. > :00:13.This horse won his own starter at Warwick.

:00:13. > :00:18.This is a good trainer, Sheena West. The horses she gets does very well

:00:18. > :00:28.and I think this horse, he has got no form on bad ground. That's the

:00:28. > :00:34.

:00:34. > :00:40.Chadford. You have to sit up and take notice when you see money for

:00:40. > :00:47.any of their horses. Just one more that we hadn't quite seen is

:00:47. > :00:50.Captain Sharpe, the only Welsh challenger in this. They are going

:00:51. > :00:53.to make their way out on to the course for our final live race at

:00:53. > :00:57.Chepstow on Welsh National Day. Jim?

:00:57. > :01:01.They are coming in and that is it, they are off and running. Setting

:01:01. > :01:05.off over two miles and half a furlong and down near the inside

:01:05. > :01:09.the favourite, Hollow Tree, first to step off from Chadford. Up there

:01:09. > :01:15.as well too on the outside is School For Scandal as they come to

:01:15. > :01:19.the first of eight, they jump it well. Brilliant Barca back in the

:01:19. > :01:25.field. The leaders are settling down, School For Scandal on the

:01:25. > :01:33.outside, he joins Hollow Tree. In the centre is Chadford, dropping in

:01:33. > :01:42.behind them is Countrywide Flame, pulling hard, then in the centre is

:01:42. > :01:46.Secret Edge, out wider is Rasam Aldaar, even wider is Kapga De

:01:46. > :01:54.Cerisy. Well back then is Captain Sharpe as they start to climb

:01:54. > :02:01.uphill towards the back. They group up this stiff incline. On the

:02:01. > :02:07.inside is Secret Edge. Fairly well grouped, only five or six lengths

:02:07. > :02:13.covers them. The leader Hollow Tree has held sway in front from

:02:14. > :02:19.Chadford, the red cap, School For Scandal, in behind them out wide is

:02:19. > :02:23.Kapga De Cerisy, on the near side next is Countrywide Flame, as they

:02:23. > :02:27.come to the second. The leader made a mess of that, Hollow Tree. He

:02:27. > :02:32.went through the top of it. Has survived OK, though. We will see

:02:32. > :02:36.how he measures the second, so Hollow Tree booting up on the

:02:36. > :02:43.inside again to join School For Scandal and Chadford, coming

:02:43. > :02:48.towards it now, a much better jump. The leader is Hollow Tree, just

:02:48. > :02:52.from out wide School For Scandal in the centre, Chadford, in behind

:02:52. > :02:56.them is Countrywide Flame, right there out in the centre is

:02:56. > :03:00.Brilliant Barca as they go over the fourth. Kapga De Cerisy is out very

:03:00. > :03:04.wide, in behind them is Secret Edge, they are clear as they continue

:03:04. > :03:08.their journey down the back, Captain Sharpe is out very wide

:03:08. > :03:18.last. All the time heading down to that far corner of the course and

:03:18. > :03:24.Hollow Tree holds the rail, out wider is School For Scandal. Two to

:03:24. > :03:27.three lengths clear of Countrywide Flame on the inside. Now out wider

:03:28. > :03:32.is Kapga De Cerisy, Chadford is going backwards as they prepare to

:03:32. > :03:36.sweep across the top of the track now. Chadford really going back

:03:36. > :03:41.through the field. Off around the outside Captain Sharpe making some

:03:41. > :03:43.ground, in the centre next is Rasam Aldaar and also Secret Edge on the

:03:43. > :03:47.inside making some ground. Brilliant Barca is second last and

:03:47. > :03:51.under the whip Chadford doing nothing is now last. Sweeping

:03:51. > :03:55.around the home bend now into the home straight, they have four left

:03:55. > :03:59.to jump and Hollow Tree, on the far side, shows the way here by a

:03:59. > :04:02.couple of lengths to School For Scandal, now going second is

:04:02. > :04:07.Countrywide Flame, further back in fourth is Kapga De Cerisy, followed

:04:07. > :04:11.then as they come to four out by Secret Edge, the leader was careful

:04:11. > :04:17.over it. Hollow Tree being joined now by Countrywide Flame, who is

:04:17. > :04:21.looming up as the danger, as they head up now towards three out.

:04:21. > :04:29.Hollow Tree finding a bit more, but again Countrywide Flame on the

:04:29. > :04:33.outside getting ever closer. Four lengths away is Secret Edge. At the

:04:33. > :04:38.second last, Hollow Tree on the inside joined now by Countrywide

:04:38. > :04:44.Flame. They are stride for stride. On the flat, Hollow Tree has found

:04:44. > :04:49.more. Countrywide Flame won't go away. It's Hollow Tree. One left to

:04:49. > :04:55.jump. Hollow Tree on the far side. Near side Countrywide Flame. They

:04:55. > :05:05.come towards it. He was careful, Hollow Tree. Now, he starts to draw

:05:05. > :05:10.away and he's going on to win it well. Hollow Tree is jumping not

:05:10. > :05:20.that great, but he was superior on the flat. Second is Countrywide

:05:20. > :05:29.

:05:30. > :05:38.Flame. So, the winner is 5 Hollow Tree. The 13-8 favourite. Ridden by

:05:38. > :05:44.Timmy Murphy. He has scrambled home here from 4 Countrywide Flame,

:05:44. > :05:50.ridden by Dougie Costello. Third 9 Secret Edge, ridden by Wayne

:05:50. > :05:56.Hutchinson. Fourth 6 Kapga De Cerisy, Aidan Coleman. In the end,

:05:56. > :06:05.he's ran out a comfortable winner. He made a sloppy mistake down at

:06:05. > :06:15.the second flight. And being cheered right to the line, Hollow

:06:15. > :06:16.

:06:16. > :06:21.Tree. Some happy people there. And let's have a look at the result.

:06:21. > :06:27.There it is. Hollow Tree, the 13-8 favourite. Countrywide Flame 2-1.

:06:27. > :06:33.Secret Edge at 7-2. It will be interesting to see the

:06:33. > :06:38.shot from our helicopter as these two turned in to the straight. You

:06:38. > :06:42.pointed out something to me. Timmy Murphy has to start taking evasive

:06:42. > :06:45.action. He is very keen to keep on the inside track here. The further

:06:45. > :06:50.outside you come, the more on to the flat track which has been

:06:50. > :06:53.watered. He is trying to save as much ground as he can. He is

:06:53. > :06:57.virtually hugging that rail. As he comes through, you have to swing

:06:57. > :07:03.off that inside to get to the hurdles track? That's right. You

:07:03. > :07:07.have to bypass that fence. It looks like Timmy has almost clipped the

:07:07. > :07:14.wing. He is that desperate to stay off that - watch him. You can see

:07:14. > :07:19.Dougie Costello, he is not in his slipstream. See here, he brushed it.

:07:19. > :07:23.Again, he is staying down that inside and you see him here when he

:07:23. > :07:26.jumps that third last, he gets to the second last and he has to

:07:26. > :07:31.change his legs again to keep him back in. Look at how much he is

:07:31. > :07:35.hugging that rail. There must be one strip of turf there that is

:07:35. > :07:39.fresh enough for one print. That was the race winner there. He's

:07:39. > :07:44.gone very long there, very brave move by Timmy. This horse, give him

:07:44. > :07:47.his due, he has answered every call. Countrywide Flame, he is flicking

:07:47. > :07:54.through the top. This Hollow Tree gallops low to the ground, very

:07:54. > :07:59.economical way of running. He has a lovely long stride? When he

:07:59. > :08:04.stretches. Always good to see Timmy Murphy! A year or so ago, I wasn't

:08:04. > :08:10.sure whether he would keep riding for much longer. Rekindled his

:08:10. > :08:14.enthusiasm for the job. He has a great family. Two kids. He has an

:08:14. > :08:24.older lad. He is pleased with how things have gone. Riding better

:08:24. > :08:26.

:08:26. > :08:32.than ever. Certainly is. A great man for

:08:32. > :08:38.dropping one out and coming with that well-timed run. He's had a

:08:38. > :08:43.very willing partner, although he did make jumping mistakes. APPLAUSE

:08:43. > :08:50.A very appreciative crowd as well. Great atmosphere here today. This

:08:50. > :08:55.is the biggest day in racing in Wales. And people have really

:08:55. > :09:05.appreciated it. We have seen some really good racing. So, let's check

:09:05. > :09:15.

:09:15. > :09:19.the result now of this Future Considering he has been in front as

:09:19. > :09:23.well, it was a fantastic performance. Timmy Murphy, a

:09:23. > :09:29.fantastic ride and another favourite. He has a great attitude,

:09:29. > :09:33.the winner. If you keep following him, he will win plenty of races.

:09:33. > :09:37.He is a smashing horse. They will have a lot of fun with him. That is

:09:37. > :09:47.- you don't come into racing unless you love horses and you love sport

:09:47. > :09:52.

:09:52. > :09:56.and you want to have a bit of fun. Timmy Murphy was saying how well he

:09:56. > :10:02.is riding at the moment. Mick, he is just enjoying it more than ever?

:10:02. > :10:09.He is an artist at work when you see him, Timmy. It doesn't matter

:10:09. > :10:15.whether he drops them in, you have seen him ride aggressive from the

:10:15. > :10:19.front. Rishi Persad is trying to grab a word with him. I have Timmy.

:10:19. > :10:25.Well done. Congratulations. This fella seems to find for you the

:10:25. > :10:31.more you ask? Look, I rode him in Bangor on soft ground and Donna

:10:31. > :10:35.said he is a lovely horse, he jumps great... Watch your back. He was

:10:35. > :10:42.right. I don't think I have ridden a tougher three-year-old. He never

:10:42. > :10:45.gives up. He will always, he tries too hard sometimes. He will come

:10:45. > :10:51.from where we ask him. That is what you need on that ground. You need

:10:51. > :10:56.something that will go to war for you. We are coming to the end of

:10:56. > :11:01.this year. You are riding as well as you have ever done. Not really.

:11:01. > :11:06.If I'm getting them horses every weekend, it is easy. You can only

:11:06. > :11:10.ride what you are supplied with. If they are no good, you are no good.

:11:11. > :11:14.I have to thank Jason and Donna, they are probably the main reason.

:11:14. > :11:20.David Johnson, we have had a few nice ones this season. It is fun

:11:20. > :11:23.again. He was good and so were you. Thanks.

:11:23. > :11:27.This time a year ago, the racing world was celebrating the success

:11:27. > :11:31.of AP McCoy who was crowned Sports Personality of the Year and then

:11:31. > :11:41.came here and won the Coral Welsh National on Synchronised. AP was on

:11:41. > :11:42.

:11:42. > :11:48.hand to make a presentation and it was the Helen Rollason Award. 30

:11:48. > :11:56.years ago, Bob Champion came back from testicular cancer to ride a

:11:56. > :12:06.horse called Aldiniti. They won the 1981 Grand National. Bob Champion

:12:06. > :12:06.

:12:06. > :12:09.went on to found the Bob Champion Cancer Trust. It was a wonderful

:12:09. > :12:16.moment and a chance again now to see the film that was put together

:12:16. > :12:22.to celebrate the achievements of Bob Champion.

:12:22. > :12:30.The National Hunt jockeys live with danger. It defines them. But being

:12:30. > :12:34.told you have cancer is a hard fall. In racing, they know more than most

:12:34. > :12:40.about inevitability, the power of probability over luck. Well, Bob

:12:40. > :12:49.Champion knew the odds and took a punt on himself. Now, a rank

:12:49. > :12:56.outsider to live. They kept explaining the treatment. Did you

:12:56. > :13:01.feel like giving up? A couple of times. I went and had a look around

:13:01. > :13:07.the kids' ward and I thought if they can go through with it, why

:13:07. > :13:16.can't I? Chemotherapy left him sick and hopelessly weak. He lost stones

:13:16. > :13:26.in weight but fought on sustained by a dream. And in 1981, that dream

:13:26. > :13:26.

:13:26. > :13:34.came true. Just 20 months after starting treatment, Bob Champion

:13:34. > :13:40.climbed back in the saddle and aboard Aldiniti, he beat cancer, he

:13:40. > :13:43.beat the odds and he made history! His epic journey from the pit of

:13:44. > :13:50.despair to winning the world's greatest steeplechase touched the

:13:50. > :13:55.hearts of millions. And changed countless lives forever. So a

:13:55. > :14:00.fairytale outcome... To date, his Trust has raised over �12 million

:14:00. > :14:10.in the fight against cancer. But to the countless sufferers around the

:14:10. > :14:15.

:14:15. > :14:22.world who face similar odds, perhaps his greatest legacy is hope.

:14:22. > :14:27.The voice of John Hurt who played Bob Champion in Champions. It is

:14:27. > :14:31.one of those things, you can't believe it happened? Not at all.

:14:31. > :14:35.Some great moments. Someone was talking about seeing the Rocky

:14:35. > :14:40.films, I remember going to watch Champions for the first time, going

:14:40. > :14:50.to Oxford, there was a big team of us. It was amazing seeing some of

:14:50. > :14:51.

:14:51. > :14:54.the lads. It is a great film. and I were there as part of the

:14:54. > :14:58.line-up, applauding Bob who gave the most fabulous speech and that's

:14:58. > :15:03.the other thing that is so impressive about him, he was never

:15:03. > :15:07.a natural speaker. He has become such a great spokesman. He didn't

:15:07. > :15:12.realise he was getting a standing ovation. He couldn't see. This will

:15:12. > :15:16.tell you, you are in a room full of your peers and these people have

:15:16. > :15:22.shown your appreciation for a man who has done countless hours, weeks,

:15:22. > :15:30.months and years devoted to raising money. Superb for Bob. He is quite

:15:30. > :15:35.shy? Yes. He finds speaks quite hard work. Wonderful. I make a

:15:35. > :15:39.mention of a great friend of ours, Richard Pitman who is waiting for

:15:39. > :15:44.the call because he has offered to donate a kidney, he will have an

:15:44. > :15:51.operation and give a kidney as soon as match is found, which is the

:15:51. > :15:56.most extraordinary thing to say, "I'll do that." At his age, he is

:15:56. > :16:01.getting himself fit. It goes to show, he is putting himself through

:16:01. > :16:06.a rigorous fitness regime to get himself fit. He will never know who

:16:06. > :16:10.it is. It is an extraordinary thing. Good luck. Let's reflect on a

:16:10. > :16:17.magnificent day here at Chepstow, a great crowd, wonderful reception

:16:17. > :16:24.for Le Beau Bai. For Richard Lea, because people really like him, for

:16:24. > :16:29.Charlie Poste, and a lot of support for a whors ha -- for a horse who

:16:29. > :16:34.has been placed in the race before. A great reaction from Richard?

:16:34. > :16:37.is his 12th winner of the season. He has a good strike right. For

:16:37. > :16:42.Charlie Poste, it is his ninth winner of the season. That kiss, I

:16:42. > :16:49.am sure he will never forget either! He won't. It was in the end,

:16:49. > :16:54.we knew it was going to be a slog, but great jumping from the two up

:16:54. > :16:59.front? Yes. Giles Cross, I don't think he missed one. Denis has

:16:59. > :17:07.given him a good ride. If I had been him, I might have sat a bit

:17:07. > :17:11.longer on him. He will be gutted. want to clear up - this is from the

:17:11. > :17:15.earlier race. Maurice Linehan he picked up a suspension, part of the

:17:15. > :17:20.suspension was for going over the allowed number of strikes in the

:17:20. > :17:23.race which was eight. He got another suspension - explain why?

:17:23. > :17:27.He's picked up a ten-day ban for putting his stick down and they say

:17:27. > :17:31.he hasn't ridden the horse out and won the race outright. I have

:17:31. > :17:36.spoken to Maurice, he said that he put his stick down because he

:17:36. > :17:40.realised he had gone over his quota and he said he's hit the line. Like,

:17:40. > :17:43.he is flabbergasted. He is going to discuss it with his boss, I will

:17:44. > :17:47.have a look at the tape and then we will make a decision. He has been

:17:47. > :17:50.slapped for using it too much and slapped for not using it at the end.

:17:50. > :17:54.There are still things to be cleared up in the view between

:17:54. > :17:59.stewards and jockeys as to how best to ride horses. Overall, do you

:17:59. > :18:03.think the whip rules have improved what you are seeing now? I'm not

:18:03. > :18:09.sure. I don't know with - we had the number in a good while ago.

:18:09. > :18:13.They have reintroduced it. I'm against it. I just think that what

:18:13. > :18:17.it will - jockeys have to change the way they ride. They have to use

:18:17. > :18:20.every other means before they go to the stick. The lads are starting to

:18:20. > :18:25.adapt to that. They are getting there. It is not finished yet.

:18:25. > :18:28.There is a bit more of the safety measures thing to be sorted out.

:18:28. > :18:31.certainly saw a fabulous finish to the Welsh National and a great

:18:31. > :18:34.afternoon of racing here at Chepstow. I do hope you have

:18:34. > :18:44.enjoyed watching it. Many congratulations to Le Beau Bai.

:18:44. > :18:54.

:18:54. > :19:00.# You never know what you might find