The Welsh Racing Festival at Chepstow, which traditionally marks the start of the National Hunt season, will launch this year without any chase races on its programme. The decision comes as the racecourse continues to grapple with the lingering effects of an exceptionally dry summer, which has left the ground unusually hard and unsuitable for the larger, more demanding chase fixtures. The three‑day meeting, scheduled for 9‑11 October and broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing, sits at the heart of a sweeping reshuffle of the spring‑autumn National Hunt calendar. Organisers have been forced to re‑allocate several high‑profile events after the prolonged drought left the chase track at Chepstow far from race‑ready.
In its place, the festival will feature a total of nineteen hurdle contests and two National Hunt flat races, giving trainers and jockeys a solid platform to kick off the season while still protecting the integrity of the ground. The ripple effect of the weather‑related changes extends beyond Chepstow. Hereford, which was slated to host a mixed programme on 13 October, will now run an all‑hurdle card, mirroring Chepstow's revised format.
Meanwhile, the premier chase meetings originally earmarked for Chepstow have been reassigned to other venues. Ffos Las will stage an all‑chase card on 14 October, inheriting the marquee contests that would have taken place at Chepstow, and Worcester will host its own all‑chase meeting on 12 October. These adjustments ensure that the season’s most important chase races still occur, albeit on tracks that have retained sufficient moisture to provide a safe and fair racing surface. Ben Cook, the Director of Racing for the Arena Racing Company (ARC), explained the rationale behind the changes.
"We are obviously disappointed to have to make these alterations to the DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival at Chepstow, but we wanted to make and announce the decision as early as possible," he said. Cook praised the dedication of the Chepstow racecourse staff, noting that they had worked tirelessly throughout the summer and into the autumn to prepare both the hurdle and chase courses for the festival.
"We have simply been beaten by the weather, as far as the chase course is concerned," he added. According to Cook, the track received a brief reprieve in late August when an unusually heavy spell of rain delivered 63 millimetres of precipitation.
That downpour, combined with intensive irrigation efforts by the ground crew, temporarily improved the condition of the chase surface, allowing some progress in preparation. However, September proved far less forgiving.
The course recorded only 43 millimetres of rain for the entire month, and the last ten days have been completely dry. This lack of moisture halted any further improvement and left the chase track too firm for the safe running of larger horses over fences.
The decision to cancel chase races is rooted in the fundamental principle of horse‑welfare. A hard, compacted surface increases the risk of injury, particularly in chase events where horses are required to negotiate larger, more demanding obstacles at higher speeds. By limiting the festival to hurdles and flat races, which place less strain on the horses' legs and involve lower fences, the organisers aim to minimise the chance of accidents while still delivering a competitive and entertaining meeting for fans. For trainers, the revised programme offers both challenges and opportunities.
Those with horses that excel over hurdles can now target a packed schedule of nineteen contests, ranging from novice hurdles to more senior Grade races. The inclusion of two National Hunt flat races—often referred to as "bumpers"—provides a valuable chance for young, inexperienced horses to gain racecourse experience without the added complexity of jumps. Conversely, connections of chase‑specialist horses will need to adjust their plans, redirecting their campaigns to Ffos Las or Worcester, or possibly postponing their season debut until later in the autumn when the ground conditions improve.
Spectators will still enjoy a full slate of high‑quality racing across the three days. The festival will showcase a mix of established stars and emerging talent, with many trainers eager to test their horses' fitness after the winter break. The hurdle races will be contested over a variety of distances, ensuring a diverse range of tactical scenarios. In addition, the live broadcast on Sky Sports Racing guarantees that fans who cannot attend in person will be able to follow the action in real time, complete with expert commentary and analysis.
Looking ahead, the weather outlook for the coming weeks remains uncertain. Meteorologists predict a gradual return of rain later in October, which could help restore the chase course to a more suitable condition for future meetings.
In the meantime, Chepstow’s management will continue to monitor ground conditions closely, employing irrigation and other maintenance techniques to preserve the quality of the hurdle track throughout the festival. In summary, while the absence of chase races at Chepstow’s Welsh Racing Festival is a disappointment for some, it reflects a prudent response to an extended dry spell that has compromised the safety of the chase surface. By shifting the chase programme to venues with more favourable ground conditions and concentrating the Chepstow meeting on hurdles and flat races, the organisers are balancing the needs of horse welfare, trainer preparation, and fan engagement. The festival remains a cornerstone of the National Hunt calendar, and the revised format promises an exciting, competitive start to the jumps season despite the challenges posed by the weather.