The Two Amigos has been crowned the 2022 Welsh Grand National winner and was ridden to victory by Welsh jockey David Prichard.
Prichard, who was born in Pontypridd, described the triumph as the "best win of his career" after riding the perfect race, with The Two Amigos leading the 17-strong pack for the vast majority of the race at Chepstow on Tuesday, December 27, and successfully holding off challenges from The Big Breakaway and The Big Dog.
It was the first Welsh Grand National to be held in front of spectators since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the Welsh jockey winning, The Two Amigos' triumph brings an end to three years of dominance for Wales-trained horses, with home-based horses Potters Corner, Secret Reprieve and Iwilldoit having won the race from 2019 to 2021. The Two Amigos, aged 10 and trained by Nicky Martin in Somerset, was fifth to Potters Corner in 2019 and second to Secret Reprieve two years later, making it third time lucky in the race.
"Obviously the biggest win of my career so far," Prichard told ITV after the race. "[The Two Amigos] is ultra consistent. He chucked in a few bad runs, but that was mainly because the yard wasn't in great form last year. But Nicky has got them all firing this year and we thought we were coming in with a real chance, especially with the ground getting softer.
"This is amazing. I'm a proud Welshman, so to win our own national is incredible. I'm from near Cardiff, my mum and dad are from near Pontypridd, so it's a big day."
Top weight The Big Dog was alongside The Two Amigos (16-1) for much of the contest and it was not until jumping the final fence that his welter burden began to take its toll and he eventually began to weaken. That allowed The Big Breakaway, who is trained by Joe Tizzard, to move into second while The Two Amigos held on for the winner. The Big Dog was five lengths back in third place, with Truckers Lodge, ridden by 16-year-old Freddie Gingell, in fourth. It was a poignant day for the teen, as the race was run in memory of his late mother Kim - Tizzard's sister - who died aged 43 from cancer earlier this year.
