Couleurs back on song for Welsh National mission

Rebecca Curtis is optimistic Haiti Couleurs can prove himself the “class horse in the race” when he bids to get his season back on track in the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on Saturday.

Winner of the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in the spring, the eight-year-old made a successful return to action over hurdles at Newbury to tee himself up for last month’s Betfair Chase at Haydock.

Haiti Couleurs was pulled up on Merseyside, but Curtis feels she has uncovered a genuine excuse for that below-par performance and is hopeful he can show his true colours on home turf this weekend.

“He seems really well at home, we’re very happy with him,” she said.

“He came back from Haydock quite sore on his sacroiliac joint, which we had medicated the Monday after, it seems to have really helped.

“Obviously it’s quite a big ask off top-weight over that trip, but hopefully he might be the class horse in the race and he’ll give it a good shot.

“I don’t think it’s going to be extremes of ground either way and he’s got form on all sorts of ground, so I’m not too worried what it turns up like.”

On what it would mean to win her country’s biggest race, the Pembrokeshire handler added: “It would be brilliant. It’s a race we’ve tried a few times to win and Teaforthree just failed (beaten half a length by Monbeg Dude in 2013). It would be great to have it on the CV.”

Haiti Couleurs was one of 22 horses to stand their ground for Chepstow’s three-mile-six-furlong showpiece at Monday’s confirmation stage, with the weights headed by Tom Gibney’s 2024 Irish Grand National hero Intense Raffles on 12 stone.

Haiti Couleurs is only 1lb behind him with an allotted weight of 11st 13lb, with Sara Bradstock’s Midlands Grand National winner and Becher Chase runner-up Mr Vango next on the list with 11st 11lb.

Curtis is set to have a second string to her bow in the form of the veteran outsider Pats Fancy, who is 7lb out of the handicap as things stand.

“I just felt like we have nothing to lose with Pat and in the Welsh National and these sort of races you can get the odd funny result when an outsider wins,” Curtis continued.

“Now he’s got a bit older I think the extra six furlongs will help him and it’s probably going to be his last season.

“He won at Chepstow before and ran really well first time out this season. Last time they went so fast he was a little bit off his feet, but I think over that longer trip they should go a shade slower for him.”

Other leading contenders include the Sam Thomas-trained Welsh Grand National Trial winner Jubilee Express, Sue Smith and Joel Parkinson’s London National winner O’Connell, Joe Tizzard’s Berkshire National victor Rock My Way and Git Maker from Jamie Snowden’s yard.