By the racing Post’s Man In Wales & The West James Stevens
Kitty’s Light and Mac Tottie will bid for history when attempting to end a 119-year wait for a Welsh-trained winner of the Grand National and Dragonbet make it 12-1 for either to prevail at Aintree on Saturday.
As part of a number of offers for Aintree, Dragonbet will be going eight places in the race which starts at 4.00pm on Saturday afternoon.
After an anxious wait, Kitty’s Light snuck in at the very bottom of the weights as the final runner in the newly decreased field size of 34 runners.
Last season’s Scottish Grand National winner is considered not only Wales’ best chance but one of the most likely horses to hold off a huge Irish challenge in the race, with only defending Aintree winner Corach Rambler considered the most likely British-trained winner of the race.
Proud Welsh bookmaker Dragonbet are fully behind the Christian Williams-trained Kitty’s Light who is 12-1 for the 2024 Grand National. “It’ll be a financial disaster for us as bookmakers if Kitty’s won but some things mean more than money and this would be a result that we’d happily pay through the nose to see.” said james Lovell co-owner of the company.
Mac Tottie, representing the father-son trainer-jockey duo Peter and James Bowen, is 66-1 with Dragonbet. He has winning form over the Grand National fences from the Topham last season.
You can follow the action from Chepstow on Saturday with Wales’ premier track hosting a Grand National raceday, sponsored by Dragonbet. They’ll also be offering their usual “Unlucky Butty” money back for 2nd at all Welsh Racecourses Offer (Check the website for the t’s and c’s.)
The card is not short of quality too. Knight Of Allen ran to a high level on his last start at Aintree and runs in the Best Odds On Welsh Sport DragonBet Junior ‘National Hunt’ Hurdle (12.40) while Casa No Mento is also a smart prospect in the DragonBet Born From The Betting Ring Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (1.10).
Trainer Robbie Llewellyn is no stranger to the spotlight having appeared as a knight on Game of Thrones and he was subject to a big interview in the Horse and Hound to look back on an excellent season.
The Welsh-born trainer, who now trains near Swindon, continued his excellent campaign this week when Ask Me Another bolted at Hereford on Tuesday, taking his tally to 21 for the jumps season.
That is a huge step up from the five recorded in the previous season while his seasonal strike-rate is at a highly impressive 22 per cent for the season.
He certainly looks a trainer to follow in the future.
It has been a good week for the Welsh jockeys already, highlighted by a Tuesday double for James Bowen in the build-up to his Grand National ride.
He scooted up aboard Shillanavogy in the 2m3½f novice hurdle at Hereford before 5-1 chance Village Master also proved too good in the 2m5f handicap chase.
Elsewhere, Ben Jones and Jack Tudor enjoyed a winner apiece at Wincanton on Monday and Sean Bowen recorded a wide-margin bumper win on Woodland Park at Market Rasen on Wednesday.
