Val Dancer waltzes off with big prize for an emotional Mel Rowley at the Welsh Grand National 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.
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.
