Who was the first Jockey to Win the Welsh Grand National

by Mel Jenkins
(UK)

Dick Francis

Who was the first Jockey to Win the Welsh Grand National?

Answer: The first jockey to win the Welsh Grand National when it moved to its current venue at Chepstow in 1949 was Dick Francis. The winning horse was Fighting Line, trained by Ken Cundell.

Dick Francis went on to become a well known writer of horse racing themed crime novels. He was awarded an OBE in 1983 and promoted to CBE in 2000.

The Welsh Grand National first took place at Ely racecourse, Cardiff in 1895, until the course closed in 1939. In 1948 it moved to Caerleon in 1948 and a year later to Chepstow.