Welsh Charger

The most important thing to understand about Welsh Charger is where he's capable of performing on a big day. In February 2025, he won a Class 2 race at Musselburgh — one of the better races in Britain — which is the ceiling of what most horses at this level ever reach. It showed that on the right day, in the right conditions, he belongs at a higher level than his usual outings suggest. He particularly thrives on wet, muddy ground, where he has won 2 of his 3 races, a 67% record that tells you this horse is a completely different animal when the rain comes. His trainer, Alastair Ralph, operates a busy yard out of Bridgnorth in Shropshire and has sent out 25 winners this season alone — Welsh Charger is in capable hands.

Ludlow, just down the road from home, is where Welsh Charger first showed what he could do, winning there on debut back in February 2023 and adding a second win at the course since. Two wins from three races at any track is the kind of record that makes a horse worth following whenever the entries go up there. His most regular jockey, Jonathan Burke, brings out the best in him too — three wins from seven rides together, winning 43% of the time, is a combination any trainer would want to keep intact.

The recent form, though, needs some context. His last run ended before it started — he whipped round at the start at Musselburgh and unseated his jockey, which wrecked a carefully laid plan to use the race as a warm-up for the Cheltenham Festival. That was frustrating enough for trainer Alastair Ralph, who had the County Hurdle in his sights. With that disruption now behind them, the team has declared him for a race at Taunton on Thursday before heading to Cheltenham. After 15 months without a win, Welsh Charger is being aimed squarely at one of the biggest occasions in racing — and given what he did at Musselburgh, it would be a mistake to write him off.