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Coral Welsh National  

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By Dylan Jenear ValueChecker

Synchronised Heads Market for Chepstow Marathon
07/01/11

Tony McCoy laid a ghost to rest when finally winning the Grand National at Aintree aboard Don’t Push It last spring and the 13-time champion jockey, crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2010, will be bidding to land the Welsh equivalent of that Aintree spectacular at Chepstow on Saturday 8th January.

Synchronised
© Grossick Racing Photography

Synchronised
The Coral Welsh National is one of few big races on the National Hunt calendar that McCoy has failed to win. But he has a cracking chance of ending his hoodoo in this marathon handicap chase this year aboard Synchronised, who has evidently been trained with this race in mind by his astute trainer Jonjo O’Neill, successful in this Grade 3 event with Mini Sensation in 2002.

Synchronised, generally the 4-1 favourite at the time of writing, has warmed up for this race by having a couple of spins over hurdles, with connections keen to preserve the gelding’s handicap mark for this valuable contest. The eight-year-old is lightly-raced as a chaser and looked a very good prospect when winning three of his four starts in this sphere last term, proving his stamina when coming out on top in the Midlands Grand National under attritional conditions at Uttoxeter last season.

There’s no doubt that Synchronised is worthy of his place at the head of the market, and he has the right type of profile for this race. Indeed, seven winners of this race since 1997 have previously won at the Welsh venue; eight winners since ’97 were second-season chasers; and eight previous winners had also proven their stamina, having scored over trips in excess of three miles prior to landing the Welsh National. Synchronised falls into each of the aforementioned categories and the forecast soft ground at Chepstow is ideal for McCoy’s mount.

However, only one horse since 1997 has carried more than 11st to victory in the Welsh National – Halcon Genelardais, who won under 11st 3lb in 2006 – so Synchronised has no easy task in attempting to lump 11st 6lb to victory. Furthermore, there is another horse in the line-up with a particularly good profile in Dance Island, who is available at around the 8-1 mark at present.

The son of Turtle Island doesn’t hail from a fashionable yard, but for which he would probably be a more prohibitive price. But Dance Island’s credentials are strong, having proven himself a leading staying novice last season when chasing home Burton Port in a Grade 2 novices' chase at Aintree’s Grand National meeting. He is also a second-season chaser that has previously scored at Chepstow, and has won beyond 3m. Conditions will be fine, too, and he has a nice racing weight of 10st 7lb, meaning that he will be in receipt of almost a stone from Synchronised.

Maktu
© racing-images.co.uk

Maktu
Ben Case’s charge shaped well when chasing home the highly progressive King Fontaine when last seen out at Haydock in November, which should have put him spot-on for Saturday’s assignment. Kings Fontaine had previously taken the scalp of another Welsh National hopeful at the same track earlier in November, just seeing off Maktu, who is second favourite for Saturday’s race at a best-priced 6-1. The Pat Murphy-trained nine-year-old is an improved performer this term and has to be accorded plenty if respect.

Silver By Nature was unlucky not to win this race last year when a last-fence blunder arguably made the difference between victory and defeat. The grey should give another good account, but he’s 20lb higher this time round, while the horse that edged him out 12 months ago, Dream Alliance, was pulled up on his seasonal reappearance in the Hennessy at Newbury, so his wellbeing has to be taken on trust. Best of the rest is Paul Nicholls’ Watamu Bay, who has taken well to fences, scoring at Exeter in good style the last twice, but this is an altogether stiffer test for the novice.

 

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