Welsh National should be run in January every year Quite apart from being an end in itself, the race has often been a great pointer to the future, as proved by horses such as Cool Ground, Carvill's Hill, Master Oats, Earth Summit, Bindaree, Silver Birch, and Synchronised, who proved tailor-made for the demands that this contest places on a horse. In what are likely to be as testing conditions as there have been all winter, especially as a few days without rain means the ground will probably have become very gluey, it is going to be what long-distance chases are all about; three miles five furlongs on the Chepstow heavy is going to test the toughest horse. I do not expect anything will be going very fast at the finish and it is certainly going to be a challenge. Trained by Rebecca Curtis, who is based near Fishguard on the west coast of Wales, Teaforthree would be a popular winner. She has laid him out for the race since he won the four-miler for amateur riders at the Cheltenham Festival last March and I was very pleased with him when we were sixth in the Hennessy. He may have been beaten a long way by Bobs Worth, but he was cruising down the back straight and, as you would expect of a four-mile winner, the speed horses outpaced him up the straight. But the Hennessy form was done no harm when the second and third, Tidal Bay and First Lieutenant, were first and second in the Lexus over Christmas. My horse is a worthy favourite and I would not swap him, but at 3-1 he represents no value at all. It is a very tight, competitive race and he has only 3lb less to carry than Synchronised when he won. At this stage, he is not yet another Synchronised. All the in-form staying chasers are here and it should be 7-1 the field. In my book, there is very little between Teaforthree, Michel Le Bon, Monbeg Dude, Viking Blond and Master Overseer, who went a right gallop at Cheltenham last time and kept on going. It is worth noting that Tom Scudamore is coming on from Wincanton to ride him. If I have a worry about Teaforthree it is the ground. It was good when he won at Cheltenham and though I believe he will handle it, I would not put him down as a mudlark. Otherwise he is a big horse, he will carry the weight and jumping-wise I would have him down long-term as an Aintree horse one day. I'm busy with five other rides at Chepstow and with a bit of luck one of them will be winner. O'Faolains Boy (12.25) landed a bumper on the track and has also won a point-to-point so he has a bit of jumping experience, which is always valuable. He has Eleven Fifty Nine to beat. Megalypos (1.35) may be the best value of any of my rides. He has plenty of experience at Auteuil without winning and will be used to the ground. I would not put you off him. Shoegazer (2.10) may find Cedre Blue too good while Tell Me Y (2.45) is what he is, but I hope that there's room for a bit of improvement. Rebecca Curtis has a good record in bumpers so Bob Ford (3.55) should not be without a chance in the last.