Racing: Rain prompts Welsh National cash for Frantic Tan

Tension was growing at Lilly Hall Farm yesterday as final preparations were being made for Frantic Tan's tilt at the Welsh National at Chepstow on Friday.

Any number of things could stop Frantic Tan winning the big prize, but heavy ground is not among them. The Welsh National, then, was an obvious target for him. There is not much "Grand" about mid- winter's toughest slog. This is an event whose reputation increases with the amount of mud thrown at it.

Odds for Frantic Tan, who is based at Ledbury in Herefordshire, were cut to 16-1 from 20-1 by the race sponsors, Coral bookmakers, at the weekend. He is only 12-1 with the Tote, after being widely available at 25-1 five days ago.

"We are cautiously confident," Denis Caro, Frantic Tan's trainer, said yesterday as downpours began turning the Chepstow circuit into its usual festive quagmire. "We're very hopeful that he's coming back to the form he showed a couple of seasons ago."

Caro's belief, backed up by the stable's assistant trainer, Peter Scudamore, arises from an eye-catching comeback at Cheltenham in mid-November over too short a trip. Two years ago Frantic Tan, then trained by Nigel TwistonDavies, was impressive when winning the De Vere Gold Cup at Haydock. Minor problems then kept him off the track and he is now a lightly-raced 10-year-old.

There was also further Welsh National support at the weekend for Rugged River, a seven-year-old trained in Dorset by Richard Alner.

There is no racing in Britain until Boxing Day, when there is a full programme of 10 cards. Officials at one of them, Huntingdon, are keeping a close eye on the weather.

"We've had 20 millimetres of rain overnight and parts of the home straight are flooded," the clerk of the course, Michael Prosser, said yesterday.

"The one thing in our favour is that at Huntingdon the water subsides as quickly as it comes so we're going to have to wait and see what happens when the levels peak and how quickly they subside afterwards. We'll know more by tomorrow morning. There is rain forecast for tonight but then the forecast as I understand it is not too bad after that leading up to Boxing Day."

Kempton Park, however, had by yesterday afternoon escaped the worst of the downpours and the official going was described as Good to Soft, Good in places.

WELSH NATIONAL (Chepstow, Friday; 3m 5f 110yd) William Hill ante-post odds: 3-1 Gunner Welburn, 6-1 The Bunny Boiler, 8-1 Chives, 10-1 Bounce Back, 12-1 Rugged River, Supreme Glory, 14-1 Carbury Cross, 16-1 Frantic Tan, Frosty Canyon, It's Himself, Stormez, Take Control, 20-1 Jock's Cross, Mini Sensation, Native Buck, Wonder Weasel, 25-1 others. Ladbrokes ante-post odds: 7-2 Gunner Welburn, 6-1 The Bunny Boiler, 7-1 Chives, 10-1 Bounce Back, 12-1 Carbury Cross, Supreme Glory, 16-1 Frantic Tan, It's Himself, Stormez, Take Control, Rugged River, 20-1 Frosty Canyon, Jocks Cross, Mini Sensation, Native Buck, Wonder Weasel, 25-1 others.