Welsh Contenders to watch in the Grand National: Jockeys, Horses, and Odds

Summer has been and gone, which means the attention of horse racing fans is gradually turning to the national hunt season. Arguably the most eagerly anticipated event on the British horse racing calendar is the Aintree Grand National, and the 2025 race should offer exciting opportunities for those keen to support a Welsh competitor.

Find out who you should be keeping an eye on, with the likelihood of two exceptional Welsh jockeys and a Welsh-trained horse in the race.

Welsh Representation at the Grand National

If the 2024 Grand National is anything to go by, we can expect the 2025 edition to highlight the talents of Sean Bowen and James Bowen, two of Wales’ most accomplished jockeys, along with the Welsh-trained horse Kitty’s Light. Let’s delve deeper into these Welsh competitors and their chances of clinching victory.

Sean Bowen

The older of the Bowen brothers, Sean Bowen, has had a tremendous career to date and has been acknowledged as one of the best jockeys in the last several years.

Bowen has already won multiple prominent races at age 27 and he retained his title of National Hunt Jockey of the Year at the most recent annual Welsh Horse Racing Awards.

He has already impressed over the famous National fences, defying expectations to steer Noble Yeats to fourth place in 2022.

For this year’s race, Sean Bowen was aboard The Goffer, an outsider owned by Irish trainer Gordon Elliott. Horse and jockey made it round successfully in 13th place, and are currently 66/1 to come out on top next April.

In a race renowned for its unpredictability, and under the guidance of a seasoned jockey like Bowen, The Goffer could very well exceed expectations next time round.

James Bowen

James Bowen is younger than brother Sean but he took no time to establish himself as a leading jockey in his own right. At 16, he achieved a unique feat by becoming the youngest jockey to win the Welsh Grand National in his debut season as a professional, riding 57 winners.

He recently celebrated securing tickets for the upcoming Oasis reunion tour by riding the aptly named Roll With It to victory a day later, and all the signs are that there’ll be plenty more success on the cards, as he currently sits in a very respectable fourth place in the latest National Hunt Jockeys Championship standings.

Kitty’s Light: Wales’ Best Shot at Victory

Christian Williams’ eight-year-old gelding Kitty’s Light is this year’s horse to watch from Wales. Kitty’s Light really came to the fore in 2023, having secured back-to-back wins in the bet365 Gold Cup and the Scottish Grand National.

A fifth place finish in April’s race showed he is a worthy contender over the Aintree fences, and he’s currently available at odds of 33/1 to secure victory for Williams next time round.

Kitty’s Light would become the first horse trained in Wales to win the Grand National since 1905, which would be a tremendous accomplishment for both the trainer and the Welsh racing industry.

A win for Kitty’s Light would also mean a great deal to Williams and his family, who had to deal with the heartbreaking news that their daughter Betsy had leukaemia back in March 2023. A victory would be a heartfelt homage to their tenacity and fortitude in the face of difficulty.