Chepstow Course Guide

Situated just over the River Severn estuary in south-east Wales, Chepstow is a historic racecourse that stages action both on the Flat and over Jumps.

Initially devised as a Flat course – the great Sir Gordon Richards rode the winners of 11 consecutive races there over two days in 1933 – the track is better-famed for its National Hunt racing in recent times; the highlight of the calendar being the Welsh National over Christmas, a card which also includes the Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle.

Flat Racing
Jumps Racing

Left handed, undulating. An oval-shaped track, about two miles in extent, with a run-in of five furlongs. While not an out-and-out galloping course, owing to the pronounced undulations, the track puts the emphasis on stamina almost regardless of ground. All races up to a mile are run on the straight course.

Chepstow takes a fair bit of getting. Because it’s so up hill and down dale, stamina has to come into play and it’s also worth noting that the straight is quite long, meaning that some horses start to race a lot earlier than is ideal. If you’re on one that wants to make the running, for example, you’ll often get a few keen to take you on earlier than you might like, so patience is vital for a jockey. Long-striding horses can often go well on the straight track but, as it’s quite stiff, they definitely need to get home.

View from the saddle: Jason Weaver

Left-handed, undulating, oval course, nearly two miles round with eleven fences to a circuit, a five-furlong home straight, and a run-in of 250 yards. Conditions can be very testing. With five fences in the straight, the first part of which is downhill, front runners do well here.

Record times for Chepstow are very quick, which shows how slick it can be when the ground is fast, but horses can finish strung out like washing when it gets soft. Punters really must take note of conditions then, if they’re having a bet, because horses with stamina limitations can get home when the going is right for them, while it can be a real slog when it’s heavy. The other things to consider seriously are the undulations and the downhill run from the last. If you walk round the course, for example, you’ll be aware that, from several places out in the country, you can’t see the stands. The run-in, on the other hand, is quite steeply downhill, very quick on fast ground, and that’s why you often see horses make a mistake at the final jump.

View from the saddle: Mick Fitzgerald

Chepstow Top Times
Last 5 years

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat
Flat

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 16y	Torneo (Good)	24 Apr 2026	3m 54.09s
2m 3f 98y	Saint Segal (Good)	21 Apr 2025	4m 41.09s
2m 7f 131y	Hang In There (Good to Firm)	10 Oct 2025	5m 55.31s
3m 2f 54y	Inflexible (Good)	24 Apr 2026	6m 32.59s
3m 6f 136y	Haiti Couleurs (Good to Soft)	27 Dec 2025	7m 52.24s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 16y	The Kemble Brewery (Good)	24 Apr 2026	3m 44.97s
2m 3f 100y	Beau Quali (Good)	24 Apr 2026	4m 40.51s
2m 7f 131y	King Of The Lake (Good to Soft)	27 Dec 2025	5m 42.67s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 11y	Limerick Lass (Good)	21 Apr 2025	3m 49.11s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
5f 16y	Rhubarb (Good)	08 Jul 2022	57.36s
6f 16y	Swissal (Firm)	30 Aug 2021	1m 8.17s
7f 16y	Iconic Knight (Firm)	30 Aug 2021	1m 20.4s
1m 14y	Zulu Girl (Good)	15 Jul 2021	1m 32.8s
1m 2f	Carp Kid (Good)	18 Jul 2024	2m 3.28s
1m 4f	George Bancroft (Good to Firm)	29 Jun 2021	2m 32.98s
2m	Tigerten (Good to Firm)	29 Jun 2021	3m 30.24s

Chepstow Top Trainers
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat
Flat

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
S Thomas	19	7	6	£83,072	36.84%	£15.88
D Pipe	22	6	7	£50,259	27.27%	£39.83
Miss R Curtis	38	5	16	£117,675	13.16%	-£21.63
Dan Skelton	33	5	16	£49,957	15.15%	-£19.15
Tim Vaughan	26	5	11	£20,464	19.23%	£18.25
Jamie Snowden	10	5	2	£26,616	50%	£9.37
Evan Williams	53	4	28	£49,902	7.55%	-£35.05
Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies	13	4	4	£35,941	30.77%	£0.95
Miss V Williams	31	3	9	£14,418	9.68%	-£19.50
P Hobbs & J White	19	3	7	£29,670	15.79%	-£10.15

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
P F Nicholls	64	10	28	£66,577	15.63%	-£46.98
P Hobbs & J White	39	9	18	£44,524	23.08%	£91.55
Dan Skelton	81	8	32	£42,191	9.88%	-£58.45
Evan Williams	96	8	27	£34,459	8.33%	-£31.38
O Murphy	31	8	8	£120,919	25.81%	£10.04
Harry Derham	30	8	8	£60,950	26.67%	-£5.34
Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies	41	6	18	£68,686	14.63%	-£16.27
S Thomas	20	6	8	£47,615	30%	£12.60
Miss R Curtis	37	5	18	£22,545	13.51%	£24.77
F O'Brien	38	5	14	£25,022	13.16%	£2.60

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
P F Nicholls	18	7	6	£19,552	38.89%	-£3.81
Dan Skelton	15	4	7	£13,180	26.67%	-£2.63
Evan Williams	17	2	5	£4,902	11.76%	-£4.50
Miss R Curtis	7	2	4	£6,372	28.57%	£2.12
J Scott	10	2	3	£4,902	20%	-£1.00
D Pipe	7	2	3	£5,065	28.57%	-£1.92
S Thomas	7	1	5	£2,614	14.29%	-£6.60
Jamie Snowden	5	1	4	£2,451	20%	-£3.17
P Hobbs & J White	9	1	3	£2,451	11.11%	-£1.50
T H Weston	6	1	2	£2,451	16.67%	£4.00

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
A Watson	46	12	18	£43,142	26.09%	£19.88
G Harris	119	10	58	£36,164	8.4%	-£74.29
A Wintle	88	10	32	£35,903	11.36%	-£8.75
P D Evans	63	10	25	£52,538	15.87%	£13.00
C Mason	48	10	20	£38,468	20.83%	-£11.88
J L Flint	45	10	11	£32,971	22.22%	£62.33
J G M O'Shea	91	9	30	£31,558	9.89%	-£28.75
A M Balding	28	8	8	£77,591	28.57%	£1.99
B R Millman	45	7	18	£34,557	15.56%	-£11.92
J Channon	36	7	9	£26,020	19.44%	£3.18

Chepstow Top Jockeys
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat
Flat

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Sam Twiston-Davies	24	7	9	£72,941	29.17%	-£2.17
G Sheehan	14	5	2	£37,525	35.71%	£3.37
Alan Johns	18	4	6	£15,764	22.22%	£17.75
Adam Wedge	29	3	12	£43,723	10.34%	-£15.67
Ben Jones	20	3	9	£16,319	15%	-£10.38
Ned Fox	17	3	9	£15,897	17.65%	£19.75
Harry Skelton	14	3	7	£38,920	21.43%	-£5.90
H Cobden	23	3	6	£28,006	13.04%	-£3.50
David Bass	10	3	5	£22,920	30%	£0.38
Paul O'Brien	8	3	5	£16,741	37.5%	£2.88

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
H Cobden	56	12	25	£75,888	21.43%	-£28.23
Sam Twiston-Davies	45	10	15	£56,747	22.22%	£4.38
S Bowen	44	10	12	£133,269	22.73%	£4.27
Ben Jones	45	9	20	£40,685	20%	£28.67
Harry Skelton	49	7	26	£37,943	14.29%	-£29.45
Adam Wedge	43	7	12	£27,356	16.28%	-£7.10
G Sheehan	32	7	10	£76,613	21.88%	£17.41
David Noonan	38	6	16	£30,918	15.79%	-£8.94
James Bowen	27	5	6	£47,128	18.52%	-£4.75
Dylan Johnston	14	5	3	£42,550	35.71%	£14.47

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
H Cobden	13	6	2	£16,775	46.15%	£1.00
Lorcan Williams	8	3	2	£7,516	37.5%	£6.25
Harry Skelton	7	3	2	£10,729	42.86%	£2.88
G Sheehan	6	2	2	£4,902	33.33%	£5.83
Tom Cannon	2	2	0	£12,516	100%	£11.50
Sam Twiston-Davies	7	1	5	£2,614	14.29%	-£6.60
Jack Tudor	8	1	3	£2,451	12.5%	£2.00
M G Nolan	6	1	3	£2,451	16.67%	£2.50
Freddie Gingell	4	1	2	£2,614	25%	-£2.56
Ben Godfrey	5	1	1	£2,451	20%	-£0.50

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Hollie Doyle	55	17	20	£62,294	30.91%	£16.51
Gina Mangan	97	16	35	£62,072	16.49%	£6.75
Saffie Osborne	47	14	17	£156,833	29.79%	£27.75
Finley Marsh	80	10	30	£37,264	12.5%	-£10.25
Billy Loughnane	54	10	21	£35,171	18.52%	-£9.65
Ray Dawson	36	9	13	£32,135	25%	£64.38
T E Whelan	63	8	22	£27,140	12.7%	-£31.80
Callum Hutchinson	50	8	16	£27,738	16%	£6.96
William Carson	79	7	24	£25,173	8.86%	-£37.50
Charles Bishop	57	7	22	£85,281	12.28%	-£10.38