Image source, PA Media

Image caption,

Welsh jockey Sean Bowen celebrates after riding Haiti Couleurs to victory on home turf at Chepstow

ByDylan Mohammad-Smart

BBC Sport WalesAtChepstow Racecourse

Sean Bowen delivered a home victory aboard Haiti Couleurs to win the 2025 Welsh Grand National at Chepstow.

The Rebecca Curtis trained horse went off at 5-1 and won by three lengths.

The eight-year-old Haiti Couleurs won the 2024 Irish National and is likely to now be targeting the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in March.

Haiti Couleurs beat O'Connell into second place, with Deafening Silence in third and Livin on Luco in fourth.

Seventeen runners went to post, with 2023 winner Nassalam being a late withdrawal alongside last season's Midlands Grand National Winner Mr Vango.

The 9-2 favourite Jubilee Express set out to make all under Kielan Woods but his jumping came under pressure in the second circuit and was pulled up five from the finish.

Champion jockey Sean Bowen sat behind the favourite and took up the running a mile into the 3m 6f race and was not for catching.

The Bowen-Curtis duo teamed up to win the Irish Grand National last season, and Bowen's front-riding tactics worked again.

The horse was pulled up in his last start at Haydock but trainer Curtis was happy to put a line through it, saying the 16-day race turnaround might have been a bit quick for him.

"I thought the weight was going to get him today, but he's absolutely amazing," said Curtis.

"We knew we had him bang-on today but that was some performance.

"This is the race we've wanted to win for years. He ran so well all the way round and if he got nabbed on the line I'd have been absolutely gutted."

Gold Cup on the cards?

Champion jockey Bowen has been riding at a high level all season with a 25% strike rate and leads the Jockey Championship on 162 wins after his Welsh National success.

"It's incredible to win the Welsh race, in my home country," said Bowen

"It was an unbelievable training performance from Rebecca to bring him back, I can't quite believe it.

"He's been an incredible horse for me and the whole team.

"We're hoping he'll end up a Gold Cup horse, we're not sure where he'll go somewhere in between, but the hope is that he's a Gold Cup horse."