DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival - Chepstow - Day 3 12/10/25

Day three of the DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival known colloquially today as 'Student Day' with an estimated 3000 here today. After a bad day yesterday the sponsors were hoping to get some back but with today's demographic not known for lumping on, it may prove to be a tall order but the unchanged teams on the two pitches would be doing their best. 

The opening Champion Equestrian Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Chase saw field money of £2179 across the two pitches, it was good to see that the students, welcome in all enclosures were getting around the racecourse and engaging in the betting. The race went to 7/2 chance Safe Destination trained by Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies and ridden by Toby McCain-Mitchell. At first glance it didn't look like a very good result for the layers, but DragonBet copped £1140 on the heat, so a good start. The was excitement in the press room prior to the second race, the DragonBet / EBF Mares' 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle when trainer Evan Williams 'adopted the position', the word was that whenever the shrewd handler stood where he was stood at time of writing, he had an uncanny strike rate, there was even more excitement when it was spotted that his charge Where's Cato was a 28/1 chance. Sadly, Williams horse was described as 'huffing and puffing' in the commentary a long way from home but did bag the £861 fourth prize money. The race went to even money favourite Settle Down Jill for the Skelton team, the winner had been as big as 11/8 down in the ring where they'd been finding it hard to lay him. After the race I double checked and there had been a late move for the jolly, but amazingly was still a winner with DragonBet, copping £290. So far so good. 

The third heat on the card, the Tom Malone Bloodstock Novices' Chase never really caught alight in the betting ring, the two DragonBet pitches took £1646 between them, the favourite Doyen Quest was a winner in their book. Not being able to get the jolly from this recreational crowd cost them dearly when 9/4 second-in Speculatrix won the race for Gordon Elliot under Sean Bowen, the book blew £775 in what really would normally have been expected to be a winning race. Next up was the feature of the meeting the DragonBet 'Welsh Champion' Hurdle which was preceded by a rousing live rendition of the Welsh national anthem. Speaking to pro-punter Andy Gibson yesterday he made Celtic Dino a good thing with everything in his favour today so chances of the bookmakers getting out on the heat looked iffy. The trouble was on the rail Dan told me that 'They aren't a punting crowd' and he appeared to be correct as the two prime pitches occupied by DragonBet only managed to field £1887 between them. For a while it looked as if despite shrewd racing brains like Andy Gibson making the jolly a bet the 2/1 that he opened up was holding, that is until the most lethal of money, late, came flying in. Flying in on the machine and off course though. That was just as well as the jolly won nicely and returned 6/4. Bollocks really could have been well and truly done, DragonBet sort of got away with it losing £470, it could have been a lot worse. 

Race five, the DragonBet John Ayres Memorial Handicap Chase was reduced to four runners from the original nine of which Jane Williams' Saint Segal opened tips-on ten to eleven favourite. The gelding remained that price and justified being a shade of odds on to win the race. Down at the predominantly student end of the course Dave Spice of the Billy No Mates firm didn't want to talk to me for an X interview, camera shy rather than having upset him I hope but he did say that he thought student days were brilliant. Luckily, Frank on the Dick Oliver satellite pitch right in the thick of it was more talkative, he thought they were great too, see his chat with others on X. Dax on the rails pitch didn't look so chirpy, the results today had been terrible for the books so I thought better of sticking a microphone under his nose. Once again, DragonBet dodged bullets, they'd only managed to take £1100 between the two pitches but kept £50 of it which was some feat, though sadly the punters appeared to have drifted off in members. 

Moveit Like Minnie opened 13/8 in the ring to win the dragonbet.co.uk Born From The Betting Ring Seniors' Handicap Hurdle where the bookies were fearing the worst and starting to think that the jollies winning each race was inevitable. Sipping on his thermos coffee Robert of R&J on number one pitch in the front row had resigned himself to losing on the meeting and although he didn't say it appeared to be looking forward to going home. Meanwhile, back on the rail DragonBet, staunch as they are were chopping away doing their best to get a few quid in their combined hods. The money was for the favourite bet from 13/8 into 11/8 but this time the money stayed with the bookies, at least some of it, Washington the 2/1 second-in won the race for Harry Derham under Paul O'Brien the 2/1 second-in, the teams took £1747 of which they kept £1075 of it. Copping that in the penultimate put them going into the last £1274 in front on the day, yes, even with those results. That last being the Wasdell Group Open NH Flat Race in which Lancelot D'Alene opened 2/1 on course. 'It's jig-jogging' declared Terry resplendent in his new hat when the favourite walked around the parade ring, a bad sign I'm told. It was, not only did he not go off favourite, that was ultimately Cooltobecareless the 15/8 runner-up behind Black Eddy the 15/2 winning for Toby Bulgin under Tom Cannon. That was a £926 cop in the DragonBet book which ensured an unlikely winning day and concluded the three day DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival. What an enjoyable three days it's been, if you didn't venture to Chepstow this year, stick it in your diary for next.

Thanks for reading - Terry knew! 

Simon Nott 

DragonBet are an independent family firm, born from the betting ring with an expanding portfolio of pitches across the country. Their aim is to carry over the timeless and old fashioned values of betting on-course into the on-line world. With a healthy appetite for risk and an ethos of putting customer service at the forefront of their operation I'd recommend give them a spin and taking them on. Bet £20 and Get £20 via the link below.

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