Move Over, Cheltenham . . . Chepstow To Host New DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival

Wales will have its very own rival to the Cheltenham Festival as the new Dragonbet Welsh Racing Festival was unveiled on Wednesday.

The three-day meeting at Chepstow in October was hailed as a "sporting and cultural event that celebrates the very best of Wales” when launched by the track's general manager Luke Admans on Wednesday.

It replaces a two-day jumps fixture which already has a rich history as producing future stars and signifying the starting point of the core season. It will run between October 10-12 in 2025.

Value for money is one of the main aspects of the meeting with a weekend ticket for racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday costing £39 - working out at £13 per day.

A Welsh Racing Hall of Fame will also be created as part of celebrations.

Admans said: “This festival builds on everything that made the Jump Season Opener such a highlight of the calendar. 

"By transforming it into the Dragonbet Welsh Racing Festival, and bringing home the Welsh Champion Hurdle, we’re creating a sporting and cultural event that celebrates the very best of Wales.” 

For the first time in 2025, the prestigious Dragonbet Welsh Champion Hurdle will feature as part of the meeting. 
It has been moved from Ffos Las, where it has been staged since the track's opening in 2009, to now run on the final day of the Dragonbet Welsh Racing Festival.

The opening day highlight is the Grade 2 Dragonbet Persian War Novices' Hurdle, a race which usually unearths top prospects with two-time King George winner Silviniaco Conti among the most famous.

Saturday includes two high-profile handicaps, the Wasdell Group Silver Trophy and the Dragonbet Native River Handicap Chase, named after the Welsh Grand National winner who went on to Gold Cup success.

The launch is also of great significance for growing Welsh bookmaker Dragonbet. 

The Lovell family have traded on-course at Chepstow for almost 60 years, first with John Lovell and then sons James and David who now jointly head Dragonbet.

David Lovell said: “We’re incredibly proud to be the headline sponsors of the newly formed Welsh Racing Festival, especially with our family’s long-standing connection to Chepstow Racecourse since the late 1960s.

"This festival carries all the prestige and excitement that fans have come to expect from the traditional jump season opener, while offering an affordable, accessible way for racegoers to enjoy everything a festival has to offer.

"Partnering with the Welsh Racing Festival is a significant milestone for us as a company, and a fantastic opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come. It also allows us to celebrate racing in Wales.”

Other events will include live music after racing and the Piercefield Cup Trainers Championship, awarded to the best yard across the three days.

Tickets are available via Chepstow's website.