Racing: Chatam to miss Welsh National

Martin Pipe yesterday confirmed that Chatam, the top weight, will miss Tuesday's Welsh National. The repercussion of his absence is that the weights will rise by 5lb, which puts his stable-companion and ante-post favourite, Riverside Boy, just 1lb outside the weights. Party Politics will shoulder 11st 11lb. 'Chatam's owner, Adrian Nolan, is going to Hong Kong for three weeks so the horse will now be aimed at the Hennessy Gold Cup in Ireland on 6 February,' Pipe said.