SO it’s Take Two for the Coral Welsh National today, and it looks like the race is going to beat the elements this time. It may be that it only beats them by a couple of hours, hence the move to a 1.45pm start time from the originally-intended 3.25pm start time, but it’s the result that matters, not the winning distance.

So it goes without saying that conditions are going to be testing, and that will suit most of those horses who are towards the head of the market. Cogry cannot have too stiff a test of stamina, Mountainous won the race two years ago on heavy ground, and rider Aidan Coleman said during the week that Emperor’s Choice, who won the race last year on heavy ground, wants it just about raceable.