The Racing Horse offers our Chepstow Racecourse Template for Thursday 21 March 2024. There is a 6-race card and the going is expected to be soft.

There is not a Pacafi for Thursday...

CHEPSTOW RACECOURSE WHAT'S ON

WHAT are RACECOURSE TEMPLATES?

CHEPSTOW FAVOURITES (5 years)
Non-handicap                   Handicap
Hurdle 69-140   49%   +1.36    37-126   29%   -19.62
Chase  8-17     47%   -2.57    55-165   33%    -7.93
NHF    15-51    29%  -14.56    0-0	 	
TOTAL  92-208   44%  -15.77    92-291   32%   -27.56

TOP 5 TRAINERS at Chepstow last 5 years      +/-   E
Paul Nicholls (24%)  58-225   26%   -35.85   +2%   0
Evan Williams (11%)  28-264   11%   -37.00   +0%   3   
Fergal O'Brien (19%) 16-126   13%   -37.52   -6%   1   
Jonjo O'Neill (15%)  16-131   12%   -50.04   -3%   0
Ven Williams (17%)   15-100   15%    -8.62   -2%   1

HOT TRAINERS 20/02/2024 to 20/03/2024        +/-   E
James Owen (21%)   8-23	  35%	-1.00       +14%   1
Rob Walford (12%)  4-14	  29%	+0.00       +17%   1
Jeremy Scott (12%) 4-16	  25%	-1.00       +13%   1
David Pipe (14%)   8-37	  22%	-2.00        +8%   2

COLD TRAINERS      SAW                             E
Neil King (11%)	    36    80 days                  1              
Nigel Hawke (9%)    32    48 days                  1
Ben Clarke (15%)    18    28 days                  1

TOP 5 JOCKEYS at Chepstow last 5 years       +/-   R
Harry Cobden (23%)  41-157   26%   -41.45    +3%   1
Adam Wedge (13%)    21-180   12%   -19.8     -1%   0
Ben Jones (14%)     19-84    23%   +71.68    +9%   2 
Jonjo O'Neill (16%) 15-109   14%   -34.63    -2%   0 
Paddy Brennan (20%) 14-76    18%    -0.52    -1%   0

HOT JOCKEYS 20/02/2024 to 20/03/2024         +/-   R
Harry Kimber (11%)  5-15   33%	 -1.00      +22%   1
James Turner (11%)  4-13   31%	 -2.00      +20%   1
Harry Cobden (23%) 21-78   27%	 -2.14       +4%   1
Jack Tudor (11%)   10-39   26%	 -2.00      +15%   3

COLD JOCKEY           SAW                          R
Tabitha Worsley	(5%)   96    127 days              1

TOP 5 OWNERS at Chepstow last 5 years        +/-   E 
William Rucker (14%) 11-64   17%    -5.87    +3%   1
John P McManus (15%) 10-70   14%    +0.40    -1%   0
David Brace (13%      7-26   27%   +26.00   +14%   0
Colm Donlon (24%)     6-14   43%   +11.93   +18%   0 
Walters Plant (19%)   6-40   15%   -13.05    -4%   0

Upcoming Chepstow Fixtures:		
Thursday 21 March 2024
Monday 1 April 2024
Saturday 13 April 2024 

Forthcoming Racecourse Templates
Doncaster (Saturday 23 March 2024)

CHEPSTOW TEMPLATES - FREE OF CHARGE!

CHEPSTOW CONFIGURATION: Chepstow is a left-handed, undulating, oval course, nearly two miles around 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 - or those leading into the straight - do well here, especially over shorter distances, and the fences don't claim the number of casualties that might be expected.

FAVOURITES: Chepstow is a punter friendly racecourse. The last 5 years show 184 winning favourites from 499 races for 36.87% (-43.33) so around +3% above the national average. Non-handicap winning favourites score 92-208 for 44% whilst handicap winning favourites score 92-291 for 32% for a 12% differential.

BEST CATEGORY: Non-handicap hurdles 67-138 for 49% (-0.46)
WORST CATEGORY: Handicap hurdles 37-125 for 30% (-18.62) 

TRAINERS: There are 4 hot trainers at the meeting with a total of 5 runners and they look an angle into the meeting.

Paul Nicholls (24%) scores 26% at the course but has 0 runners tomorrow. Evan Williams (11%) is currently in the doldrums with just 5 winners from his last 82 runners for 6% and has 3 runners including  MAC BE LUCKY 2.15, ASK BREWSTER 3.50 & PUDDLESINTHEPARK 4.25

JOCKEYS: Harry Cobden (23%) has just the one ride at Chepstow tomorrow in LOVE TREE 2.45 so this one is entitled to go close but has a Sean Bowen ride to beat!

Sean Bowen (19%) has 3 rides including LARGY FORCE 2.45, ROBSAM 4.25 & JUST A MEMORY 5.00.

Ben Jones (14%) has been riding brilliantly at Chepstow in recent months and he has 2 rides including VALENS BRUYEE 3.50 & BARRABOOL 5.00

OWNERS: None of the top owners have a runner at the course tomorrow.

RED FLAG: There is added interest at the course tomorrow. The British Jump Jockeys’ Championship 2023/24 is clearly set to go down to the wire after an epic battle between Harry Cobden (23%) and Sean Bowen (19%) and both appear on the card. They each have a ride in the 2.45: Core - Centre Of Roofing Excellence Hereford Mares' 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle run over 2m on soft ground. The couple look certain to ride the first two in the market with Harry Cobden riding LOVE TREE for James Owen, whilst Sean Bowen rides LARGY FORCE for Warren Greatrex. We can reasonably expect these two jockeys to fight out the finish of this race with a slight TRH preference for the latter.

Let's look at some interesting figures:

GB Jumps 2023/24
Harry Cobden: 147-628 for 23% (-66.37)  £2,760,882
Sean Bowen:   136-609 for 22% (+46.64)  £1,385,320

• As we go to post Cobden leads by 11 winners (from 19 more rides).
• Between them they have ridden 283 winners for over £4m in prizemoney this season.
• Interesting Cobden has ridden 113 second places whilst Bowen rode 113.
• Rides finishing 2-3-4 shows 248 for Cobden and 243 for Bowen.
• Cobden scores 41% on winning favourites but Bowen scores 46%

One imagines Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls has a number of horses available for Cobden should he need them before Sandown Final Day at the end of April, though we accept Bowen has supporting trainers also.

 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 - Mick Fitzgerald