In what is usually one of the most anticipated times of the year on the horse racing calendar, the Christmas period is packed with plenty of action for racegoers to look forward to.
This year, though, there have been quite a few changes to the schedule, the most notable of which being that the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow has been moved to 28 December; a day later than previous years.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has confirmed this as one of a number of changes to the 2026 festive period. As such, there will be four consecutive days of ITV racing coverage starting on Boxing Day, through to 29 December at various venues.
The Ultimate Winter Test
Seen as arguably, the most gruelling race during this period, the Welsh Grand National is a stayers’ handicap chase and is run over a distance of three miles, six-and-a-half furlongs, on deep, heavy winter ground.
It is essentially a major test of stamina and serves as a crucial benchmark for determining the major contenders for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Aintree Grand National. Chepstow generally attracts a considerable crowd to its festive meeting, so it will be interesting to what extent racegoers change their plans to try and accommodate the Welsh Grand National.
Interestingly, the BHA has also approved a request from Chepstow racecourse and ITV to move the Hereford meeting on Tuesday 8 December to Sunday 27 December so that it can supplement ITV’s coverage for that particular day.
Other Headline Races Moved Around
| Date | ITV Racing Coverage |
|---|---|
| 26 December | Ladbrokes King George VI Chase Day (Kempton Park) – Races also from Wetherby and Aintree. |
| 27 December | Kauto Star Chase Day (Kempton Park) – Races also from Wetherby and Hereford. |
| 28 December | Coral Welsh Grand National Day (Chepstow) – Races also from Leicester. |
| 29 December | Coral Challow Hurdle Day (Newbury) – Races also from Doncaster. |
In addition to the Welsh Grand National, the BHA has also approved other changes. Another flagship event during this period, is of course, the Ladbrokes Cheltenham Festival at Kempton Park.
Crucially, the headline King George VI Chase will retain its Boxing Day fixture, though The Ladbrokes Kauto Star Chase has been moved to 27 December. Meanwhile, at Newbury, the Coral Challow Hurdle takes place on the 29 December.
Reason For The Changes
It is understood that these changes are the result of a cross-industry collaboration that has been initiated by Coral and Ladbrokes owner, Entertain in addition to being powered by Racecourse Media Group (RMG), with the support of Kempton Park (Jockey Club), Newbury racecourse, Chepstow (Arena Racing Company), the BHA and ITV Racing.
In making these changes, it is hoped that it creates a much more marketable Christmas racing proposition for fans, racegoers and those watching at home and, having the existing programme across four consecutive days, means that the current clash between Kempton and Chepstow is removed.
That means, fans don’t have to continuously switch their attention between Kempton and Chepstow, while having the two headline races on separate days also makes this a lot better for all those involved.
Furthermore, Newbury racecourse had been lobbying for its Coral Challow Hurdle to have a permanent home on 29 December for a while, so these changes have been met with positivity.
