The 2015 running of the Coral Welsh Grand National looks set to be another exciting race with a strong field of entries. 72 horses have been entered for the race, including last year’s winner Emperor’s Choice, trained by Venetia Williams as well as Alan King’s recent Paddy Power Gold Cup Winner Annacotty. Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls leads the way with seven entries, including the last two runners up Benvolio and Hawkes Point, whilst the 2013 winner Mountainous receives an entry from local trainer Kerry Lee.

Coral Welsh Grand National Day at Chepstow Racecourse on 27 December will see opera star Rebecca Evans and male voice choir Only Men Aloud sing the Welsh National Anthem and marks the end of a glittering year for Welsh sport.

Wales’ biggest raceday will see Coral Welsh Grand National runners racing for a £120,000 prize fund, while the Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle, one of only three Grade One juvenile hurdles in Britain, will be run for £50,000, an increase of £15,000.

As in 2014, Chepstow Racecourse and sponsors Coral will be offering a £100,000 bonus for winning both the Welsh and Scottish Grand National, which takes place at Ayr Racecourse on Saturday 16 April 2016.

Other entertainment on the day for an expected crowd of over 10,000 will include the fifty strong Bidgend Male Voice Choir in the parade ring whilst the meeting will be supporting two local charities, Ty Hapus and Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital in Cardiff.

Phil Bell, Executive Director of Chepstow Racecourse said. ‘The Coral Welsh Grand National is one of the biggest races in the jumping calendar and always attracts a bumper crowd at Chepstow. When Aidan Coleman won last year on Emperor’s Choice he showed lots of emotion which proved how much it means to the participants. We are also delighted to have secured the services of some of the biggest names in Welsh entertainment to sing the national anthem.”

Simon Clare, Director of PR & Broadcasting for Coral said: “It is great to see a typically high class entry for this year’s Coral Welsh Grand National, a contest that always features highly in the annual list of races by betting turnover. Everyone at Coral remains extremely proud of our link with Wales’s greatest race, which has spanned five decades, making it one of the longest-standing partnerships in the sport, and the £100,000 bonus on offer should the Chepstow winner go on to triumph at Ayr next April links two great Nationals.”

It has become a tradition for celebrities to sing the Welsh National Anthem as the runners gather at the start and last year Rebecca Evans was joined by fellow opera star Bryn Terfel to entertain the crowds.

Rebecca said:”The Coral Welsh Grand National is always a dramatic and exciting race. Last year Bryn and I were delighted to perform on such an important and popular day for Welsh sport. It will be fantastic to be back again this year – this time with Only Men Aloud”.

Craig Yates, baritone singer of Only Men Aloud said: “We’re really looking forward to singing at the Coral Welsh Grand National. It’s been a fantastic year for Welsh sport and we seem to have found ourselves right in the middle of it. We sang the National Anthems before the winning Six Nations game in Paris and the first Ashes Test Match in Cardiff. We also sang at the Football Association of Wales Awards where we celebrated the successful national team’s campaign. We are looking forward to adding another sport to the list at Chepstow in December!”

Tickets start from £25 booked in advance, with children aged 17 and under admitted free of charge. Hospitality packages are available from £89. Gates will open at 10am, with the first race at 12.20pm. The raceday bus service will run from Newport and Chepstow railway stations. Full information about the day can be found here: http://www.chepstow-racecourse.co.uk/whats-on/fixture/coralwelshgrandnational2015/.