Final Nudge to dig deep
DAVID DENNIS may have been looking nervously at the weather forecast this week but only because he feared that the Coral Welsh National might have to be called off for a second time.
Conditions at Chepstow have improved since December 27, the original scheduled race day to stage the £150,000 chase, but the ground will still be only a few points shy of a bottomless bog.
Dennis will not be complaining. In 14-1 Final Nudge, he runs a steeplechaser who excels when the mud is deep and the going attritional. Four of the gelding’s seven wins have been gained when the going was heavy.
The trainer said: ‘The worst ground he has encountered was at Hereford when he won a novice chase in November. That was nearly unraceable and he handled that well. Heavy ground should not be an issue.’
Final Nudge has been kept fresh for this race since he was second to Present Man on his comeback in the Badger Ales Chase at Wincanton in November.
But he showed he has potential for a big marathon chase when falling four out while still well in contention in last season’s Midlands National at Uttoxter.
Two of Final Nudge’s rivals today — Chase The Spud and Mysteree — were first and second in that race and they head the betting. But longer-priced Final Nudge has a significant weight turnaround of 13lbs with Chase The Spud.
Dennis, who had more than 240 winners as a jump jockey but never rode in the Welsh National, said: ‘I have targeted this race as he runs well fresh. Getting it re-staged is ideal. We had two winners on St Stephen’s Day, one on New Year’s Eve and one on December 30 so the horses are running well.
‘The opinion of Trevor Whelan, who rode him in the Midlands National, was that he would have gone very close if he hadn’t fallen. He was travelling well.
‘Chase The Spud will also like the ground at Chepstow but you’d like to think we have an equal chance.’
Chepstow clerk of the course Keith Ottesen described today’s going as ‘very wet and deep’.
A fence in the back straight will be omitted. The testing conditions have prompted trainer Philip Hobbs to pull out leading fancy Rock The Kasbah.