The Welsh Grand National - one of the nation’s top sporting events - has fallen to the new crackdown on Covid, with crowds banned from next Monday’s (December 27) event, despite advance ticket sales of nearly 7,000

Welsh Government ministers announced on Tuesday (December 21) just six days before the National that all sporting events will have to take place behind closed doors from Boxing Day, meaning the nation’s biggest race will be spectator-less for the second time running after last January’s rescheduled race.

The sweeping edict, which also includes Boxing Day football and rugby matches, comes after a reported ’surge’ in cases of the Omicron mutant variant, with some 400 cases identified across Wales on Monday.

The restriction will apply despite the track, which is less than a mile from the English border, operating with Covid certification on the NHS Wales app for those either double vaccinated or presenting a negative Covid-19 test since October 11 – a measure only introduced at English tracks last Wednesday (December 15).

It’s a huge blow for the racecourse and racegoers, with Chepstow chief executive Phill Bell having said before the announcement: “We’ve seen this coming in recent days. It would be damaging – there are significant amounts of revenue at stake here.

”We’ll be geared up for any eventuality and at least with the announcement coming, we’ve got time to action whatever we need to.

“Advance ticket sales have been going quite well and at the moment we’re looking at about 7,000 people. Normally they ramp up quite significantly in the last week.

“How that will be impacted with this uncertainty is difficult to know.”

In a post on Tuesday morning, the racecourse said: “Following the Welsh Government’s announcement, fixtures until mid-January will be run behind closed doors, without spectators, including the Coral Welsh Grand National.

“We’ll be contacting impacted customers very soon. Please be patient and avoid calling unless urgent.”

By contrast, Wetherby’s Christmas meeting in England is currently going ahead as planned, with no anticipated cap on numbers after the racecourse executive submitted revised proposals to the local council’s safety advisory group.

The restriction also hits Newport Gwent Dragons, who are due to host Cardiff Blues in a much-anticipated derby on New Year’s Day, with chairman David Buttress saying it’s “horrendous” for the Rodney Parade side.

“Nobody should underestimate this. It is devastating for professional rugby and sport,” he said.

“We have done everyone to support, comply and drive/support Covid community initiatives.

“I may not be thanked for being frank, but this is horrendous news for us. This is brutal news.”

In the statement banning crowds at sporting events, the Welsh Government said the latest figures “showed a further steep rise in the number of confirmed cases of the fast-moving variant”.

Welsh economy minister Vaughan Gething also announced that a £3m fund will be in place to “support” clubs and venues.

He said: “Sporting events over the Christmas period are one of the big highlights of the year. Unfortunately, the new Omicron variant is a significant development in the pandemic and could cause a large number of infections.

“We need to do everything we can to protect people’s health and control the spread of this awful virus.

“Throughout the pandemic we have followed scientific and public health advice to keep people safe.

“The advice is clear – we need to act now in response to the threat of Omicron. We are giving people as much notice of these decisions as we can.

“Crowds will come back as soon as possible. We want everyone to be here to enjoy their favourite sports.”

The Welsh National had waited 54 years for a Welsh winner until Potter’s Corner in 2019, and like buses, it had a straight second last January when Secret Reprieve galloped to victory in the rescheduled 125th anniversary 2020 National, to firmly consign the half century-long wait to history.

Secret Reprieve is back to defend the title, but hasn’t raced since the last time at Chepstow.

No horse in the last decade has won the Welsh National off an absence of more than 49 days, but Secret Reprieve will have gone 352 days without a run when he lines up.

Trainer Evan Williams said: “It’s not a nightmare, but it is what it is. You don’t get the same preparation every year and that’s what training horses is all about – working with what you’ve been given.

“We wanted to go back as the current title-holder, but we’re going there on the back of a hell of a different preparation to this time last year.”

Dating back to 1895, and first run at Ely Racecourse in Cardiff, one National race was held at Caerleon in 1948 before its switch to the Wye Valley, with the 2019 National the 70th anniversary of the race moving to Chepstow in 1949, when jockey and later novelist Dick Francis rode Fighting Line to victory.