CARDIFFREMEMBERED When Ely played host to the Welsh Grand National

WALES’ most famous horse race, the Coral Welsh Grand National, takes place at Chepstow Racecourse next Wednesday.

However, it hasn’t always been held at Chepstow.

The race was first staged at Cardiff ’s Ely Racecourse in 1895 when it was won by Tom Cannon’s Deerstalker which came home four lengths ahead of Dr Moyran’s Measure For Measure.

The race then was over two miles and four furlongs and there were only the two finishers.

The famed Aintree Grand National winner Cloister was 12 years old when he won under Welshman Gwyn Saunders-Davies the following year.

It wasn’t until 1899 that the race was held over the longer distance of three miles, when it was won by the five-year-old Nat Gould, ridden by Mr A W Wood, who had a big following at Cardiff and Abergavenny races.

Five-year-old Kirkland, who was runner-up to Gangbridge in 1901, went on to win the 1905 Grand National at Aintree and to this day remains the only horse actually trained in Wales to win the race.

Gangbridge’s rider, Mr HS Sidney, was sadly killed in a race riding accident the following year.

This is how the South Wales Echo described the 1905 race: “Most Excellent from Glenrocky, Slipthrift and Crautacaun, with Sanguinetti last, showed the way for nearly two miles, when the leader dropped back to the rear and was soon pulled up.

“Six furlongs from home Crautacuan took a slight lead of Glenrocky and soon after Slipthrift fell, leaving Glenrocky to win by two lengths from Creolin with Sanguinetti a bad third. Crautacaun was remounted to finish fourth.”

Fast forward to 1925 when the race