Coral Welsh Grand National betting: Monbeg Genius early favourite
Monbeg Genius heads the sponsor’s Coral Welsh Grand National betting odds at 8/1 in their opening show on the December 27 race at Chepstow.
The course specialist was ante-post favourite for several of the top staying handicap chases in the UK this season prior to being pulled up on his seasonal reappearance at Ascot recently.
He is one of three entries for Jonjo O’Neill, who has won this famous race twice before.
Last year’s runner-up, The Big Breakaway, is among the 12/1 joint-second favourites in the Coral Welsh Grand National betting odds, along with Complete Unknown, Iwilldoit and Major Dundee.
As well as Complete Unknown, champion trainer Paul Nicholls has also entered course winners Threeunderthrufive, Broken Halo and Truckers Lodge.
The latter has contested the last four renewals of this event, finishing placed on two occasions.
Badger Beer Chase winner Blackjack Magic is chasing a third consecutive victory and could still be open to improvement if he were to go beyond 3m1f for the first time in his career.
The in-form Venetia Williams has trained the winner of this race twice in 2000 (Jocks Cross) and 2014 (Emperor’s Choice). She is evidently targeting a third win in this marathon contest after entering Chambard, Cloudy Glen, Didero Vallis, Farinet and Fontaine Collonges.
Not since 2017 has there been an Irish-trained winner of the Coral Welsh Grand National, but that could change in 2023 with a total of seven entries received from yards across the Irish Sea. Despite their domination of the jumping game in recent years, neither Willie Mullins nor Gordon Elliott have ever won the Welsh National.
Mountainous is the only horse to have regained his Coral Welsh Grand National crown this century, but the 10-year-old Iwilldoit (pictured below) could attempt to join that exclusive club this year for trainer Sam Thomas.
Nicky Henderson has famously never won any kind of Grand National, but it could be notable that he has just two entrants in the shape of the Joe Donnelly-owned City Chief and maiden chaser Mister Coffey.
The latter-named eight-year-old travelled well for a long way in the Randox Grand National before fading and looks made to win a race of this nature soon.
Coral’s David Stevens said: “Monbeg Genius is our opening favourite for this year’s Coral’s Welsh Grand National, as we fully expect him to leave his disappointing return to action at Ascot recently well behind him, while The Big Breakaway is among the co-second favourites to gain compensation for last year’s narrow defeat.”
The 59 entries for the £150,000 contest has surpassed the number received in 2022, when 58 horses were entered.
Coral Welsh Grand National betting odds
8/1 Monbeg Genius
12/1 Complete Unknown, Iwilldoit, Major Dundee, The Big Breakaway
14/1 Gevrey, The Galloping Bear, Your Own Story
16/1 Autonomous Cloud, City Chief, Fontaine Collonges, Galia Des Liteaux, Highland Hunter, Minella Crooner, Mucho Mas, Super Survivor
20/1 Bar
Coral Welsh Grand National guide
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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
