Persian War Result 2026: West Hill Verde Wins At 16/1

West Hill Verde has been knocking on the door all through his novice hurdle career, and he finally barged it down in the DragonBet Persian War Novices’ Hurdle at Chepstow on Friday. The 16/1 shot beat Irish raider La Cote Fleurie by three lengths in the Grade 2 for Seamus Mullins and Callum Pritchard, the feature on the opening day of the Welsh Racing Festival.

Remarkably, this was the six-year-old’s first victory at the tenth attempt under rules, and he picked a valuable race in which to break his duck. He had been placed on each of his previous five starts,a run which included a fine third at 33/1 in a Grade 2 novices’ hurdle at Kelso in February, and it means he is still a novice for a second season.

West Hill Verde turns the Persian War on its head

For a long way, it looked as though Henry de Bromhead’s La Cote Fleurie would take the prize back to Ireland. The 5/1 shot travelled smoothly into contention under Darragh O’Keeffe, but her effort petered out once she came under pressure. West Hill Verde was the one finding more, and he pulled three lengths clear by the line.

Stuart Edmunds’ Lock Stock (9/1) did plenty of the donkey work up front under Charlie Hammond and stuck on for a respectable third, a further eight lengths back. Dan Skelton’s North Shore was another eight lengths behind in fourth.

Cosmic Connection and Lord Byron flop

The result did not go to script for the two horses at the head of the market. Chris Gordon’s Cosmic Connection drifted from 11/8 to 15/8 favourite before the off and, under his son Freddie, he trailed home a well-beaten ninth, 37 lengths behind the winner.

Faye Bramley’s Lord Byron fared little better. The 7/2 second favourite, wearing first-time cheekpieces under Harry Cobden, could only finish sixth, 28 lengths behind the winner. Both have plenty to prove after this, but there should be another day for them this winter.

The race was run on good to soft ground, good in places, and 11 went to post.