Drama is synonymous with the Coral Welsh Grand National and so it proved once again – even though many watching the great race didn’t see it. The marathon event produced a fairytale result for Mel Rowley, the trainer who has a small string based in Shropshire; she had meticulously prepared Val Dancer for the contest and the 7/1 chance landed the £85,425 first prize from the fast-finishing Jubilee Express.
But thick fog around Chepstow made visibility from the stands and on TV almost impossible and it was only in the final 100 yards that Val Dancer emerged from the gloom to stick his neck and fend off Jubilee Express, who had built up a head of steam. ‘I don't know whether to laugh or cry, because this is what dreams are made of,’ Rowley said. ‘He's a horse who has really come of age this year. We took our time with him with him as he was really raw, but he's found his confidence.
‘After his run last time we said we should come here and the plan has paid off! We're just a small yard from sleepy Shropshire, so to do this is really special.’. The length-and-a-half success was also the most notable in Charlie Hammond's riding career and provided the perfect pick-me-up as 24 hours earlier, he had come within a whisker of winning the Formby Novices Hurdle on Aintree’s big Boxing Day card.
Val Dancer triumphed in the Welsh Grand National on a fog-filled afternoon at Chepstow. Hammond said: ‘I thought we were going to get beaten after the last, but he's battled back so well. It's a massive day for me. Yesterday was a nearly day when I was second in the Grade One at Aintree but doing it on a lovely horse is what days like this are made for.’.
