It was not to be in the Grand National itself, but leading Welsh jockeys and trainers were in the headlines - partly thanks to one incredible Aintree moment as The Racing Post's James Stevens reports.

It’s the biggest profile horse race of the year as Aintree hosts the Grand National, with two Welsh brothers taking centre stage and fans also watching from Chepstow.

Sean Bowen is racing away with the champion jockeys’ championship but now the Welsh star also has a chance to grab the spotlight at Aintree this weekend, as James Stevens reports.

Sean Bowen secured his 100th win of the season on board Dominic’s Fault at Lingfield on Monday – and is confident he can further strengthen his position at the top of the Jump Jockeys’ Championship. The Championship runs from 4th May 2024 to 26th April 2025 and is based on the amount of winners jockeys ride over the course of the season.

Wales’ leading jump jockeys will put their pride on the line this weekend as they help start the Welsh jump season with a charity ride that already appears an institution. The likes of Sean and James Bowen, Connor Brace, Ben Jones, Jack Tudor and Alan Johns will feature in the Welsh Jump Jockeys Derby – the first race of the Unibet Jump Season Opener at Chepstow on Friday October 11.

Welsh jockey Sean Bowen is determined to take his quest to become champion jockey right to the final furlong – and hopes Ffos Las Racecourse plays a part. Bowen – who hails from Pembrokeshire – would love nothing better than to bag a few winners at Ffos Las on Easter Sunday, March 31.

Sean Bowen insists his chances of riding a winner in the big race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival have improved – but admits he still expects State Man to win the Champion Hurdle. The Welsh jockey rides Not So Sleepy in Tuesday’s feature race, which has been denied its biggest draw card in the absent Constitution Hill, last year’s winner.

Sean Bowen returns to racing on Thursday, convinced he can still become the first Welsh rider to win the jump jockeys championship for 70 years. Bowen is back in the saddle at Huntingdon, having finally overcome a knee injury he suffered on Boxing Day.

Welsh jockeys have crowned their own champion in Connor Brace and helped raise £15,000 for Welsh children’s cancer charity, Latch. Brace – whose younger brother Max plays rugby for the Ospreys Academy – won the Welsh Jump Jockeys’ Derby last weekend at Chepstow Racecourse.

Kitty’s Light – and jockey Jack Tudor – have been made favourites to win a Friday test of the best among the top Welsh riders. Wales’ leading jockeys will battle it out in their own Unibet Jump Jockeys’ Derby as part of the two-day season opener at Chepstow Racecourse this weekend.

Sean Bowen has half a dozen more opportunities to put some distance between himself and Brian Hughes at the top of the Jump Jockeys Championship at Ffos Las on Thursday. The Welsh jockey currently leads the way, having ridden 20 winners so far this season, which runs from the start of May to the end of next April.

Adam Wedge will bide his time before he bids to nose past Sean Bowen and become the leading all-time jockey at Ffos Las Racecourse. The Vale of Glamorgan-based Wedge was neck-and-neck with Bowen in the race to overtake the legendary AP McCoy, who led the way at the Carmarthenshire track with 69 winners at the venue before his retirement in 2015.