Thomas holds strong hand in bid to win second Welsh National

Sam Thomas has two big darts to fire at the Coral Welsh Grand National as prepares to saddle both Jubilee Express and Shomen Uchi in a bid to bag his second win in the race after Iwilldoit.

Iwilldoit was strongly fancied when striking in 2021, just like Jubilee Express will be when he bids to go one better than last year’s second-placed run.

He returns to Chepstow having won the trial for the race at the same track and will be carrying a very low weight.

Thomas said: “He’s one of those big, burly horses and takes so much work.

“There’s definitely more to come, especially as he’s now a bit more battle-hardened and has been in some bigger races; he knows what to expect.

“I think that goes a long way when you’re going into these big races, they are well prepared and know what’s about to happen.”

Stablemate Shomen Uchi is extremely lightly-raced for an eight-year-old with just the seven career starts, only two of which were over fences, and he made a pleasing seasonal comeback when fourth behind Top Of The Bill at Haydock.

Thomas added: “Shomen Uchi is a very different horse, a little bit classier than Jubilee Express.

“He’s always been held in high regard by all of us here. He’s been very fragile throughout the years, so he hasn’t had much racing, but what we’ve seen of him on the track has been good, and he comes into the race with a completely different profile than Jubilee Express.

“If he can align all the stars on the day, he could be a league above the other horse, but it’s a big unknown, having not had much racing.”

Thomas trains just 30 miles from Chepstow and explained just what winning the race means to him and owner of both horses, Dai Walters.

He said: “We’re very proud Welshmen, being on the doorstep feels that bit more special. We love going to Chepstow and having runners; we’ve had a nice bit of success there over the years.

“It (Iwilldoit) was very special for a few reasons. Stan Brown, the owner and breeder, gave me my first winner as a jockey. It was very special to be able to repay him and his family with such a success. He leased the horse to Diamond Racing, so on the day, they got to really experience the ownership feel of such a big race.”

Stable jockey Dylan Johnston has still not made up his mind which of the two to ride.

“It’s a tricky one. You just have to go with your gut, and I’ve just put off really thinking about it at the moment. We’ll take Sam’s input, and my agent will be sharp on form,” he said.

“It’s a real tricky one, and I always think the real top lads never seem to get it wrong. I don’t want to get it wrong too often, or I’ll be down the pecking order.”