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Roughly two hours ahead of kick-off in the Six Nations showdown, Haiti Couleurs will line up in the William Hill Denman Chase at Newbury.
Trained in Pembrokeshire by Rebecca Curtis and partnered by Welsh champion jockey Sean Bowen, the nine-year-old faces elite staying chasers from England and Ireland in one of Britain’s most prestigious trials.
While the Welsh rugby team look to spring a surprise in west London, Curtis, Bowen and Haiti Couleurs are seeking a similar upset further along the M4 at one of England’s flagship racecourses.
Over the past 12 months, Haiti Couleurs has emerged as a standard-bearer for Welsh racing, enhancing his reputation with a run of performances that have firmly placed him among the Cheltenham Gold Cup contenders.
His recent record is impressive, with four wins from his last five starts, and he holds entries for both next month’s Gold Cup and April’s Aintree Grand National.
The gelding produced one of the standout Welsh sporting highlights of the winter over Christmas, storming to victory in the Coral Welsh National at Chepstow to hand Curtis her first triumph in the race.
READ MORE: Sean Bowen and Haiti Couleurs Confirmed as Cheltenham Gold Cup Contenders
Curtis, whose partner and yard manager is former Ospreys player David Bishop, feels the horse is still on an upward curve.
“He's been truly amazing for the yard and he just keeps delivering,” said Curtis.
“He just seems to get better and better with every run. I think the fact he went on that nicer ground (in the Welsh National) just shows he has got that bit of class; it wasn't an old slog in the mud.
“He's won most of the handicaps he's run in, so he just keeps going up and up and we'd like to try him now in graded company because he's probably at the top-end of running in those staying handicaps and giving all that weight away.”
READ MORE: Sean Bowen and Rebecca Curtis Chase Welsh Double with Haiti Couleurs
The Denman Chase will provide a searching examination of his credentials.
Haiti Couleurs had initially been pencilled in for last weekend’s Irish Gold Cup, but travel logistics and doubts over conditions led Curtis to change course and keep him at home for Newbury instead.
“It'll be very interesting on Saturday and going forward to the Gold Cup,” she said.
“He's always been ridden handily or made the running, so I don't think it really matters there are less runners.”
Following several withdrawals because of the testing ground, just four horses will go to post, though the contest still boasts considerable quality.
READ MORE: Sean Bowen: The Champion Jockey Who Deserves Wales’ Sporting Spotlight
After opting against the trip across the Irish Sea, Curtis added: “I am happy that the ground is going to be fairly soft and testing, so at least his stamina should come into play.
“It's a completely different test but he's got good form around Newbury.”
Events in Ireland last weekend only reinforced her belief that the decision to stay put was the right one.
“Watching the Irish Gold Cup I was delighted we made the decision we made, there were too many question marks going into it for us with the travel and the ground, then watching it I thought they finished very tired horses.
“It just looked an old slog and I'm glad we stayed away for it.”
Sean Bowen celebrates his Welsh Grand National victory on Haiti Couleurs. Pic: Chepstow Racecourse.
Haiti Couleurs is priced at 4/6 for the Denman Chase with Welsh firm DragonBet and remains a 10/1 contender for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which Curtis confirmed remains the long-term target.
“Providing he runs a good race this Saturday, even if he was to get beat but runs a good race, we'll still end up going for the Gold Cup,” she said.
“I think you have a track that he absolutely loves, he loves going up and down hills, plus the extra two furlongs. I do think it takes a real stayer to the win the Gold Cup and whatever happens Saturday, providing it's not horrendous, we'll definitely be going to Cheltenham with him.”
