David Lovell: DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival Showcases the Strength of Welsh Racing and Betting Culture

The inaugural DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival has been hailed as a major success by DragonBet co-founder David Lovell, who described the event as “a landmark moment for Welsh racing and betting”, a celebration of national sporting pride and a showcase of how the industry can thrive through collaboration and value-driven experiences.

Over 14,000 fans attended the three-day festival, with Friday’s crowd up 29% on last year’s opener, around 5,000 in attendance on Saturday, and a further 4,500 for Sunday’s student raceday. For Lovell, those numbers are proof that Welsh racing (and the betting community that supports it) is alive and growing.

“This weekend was about more than racing, it was about celebrating Welsh sport, culture and the people who make it special,” said Lovell. 

“Racing in Wales has a proud past, and we want to make sure it has an even brighter future. The response we’ve seen from fans proves there’s a real appetite for local sport when it’s presented with authenticity, passion and value.”

The DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival, created in partnership with Chepstow Racecourse, brought together two key fixtures — the Persian War Novices’ Hurdle and the Welsh Champion Hurdle — to form a standout showcase for Welsh jump racing. Central to its success was a strong commitment to value for money, with a £39 three-day pass giving fans access to racing, entertainment and live music across the weekend.

Chepstow’s general manager Luke Admans praised the response:

“The importance of value for money is the main thing we’ve got out of this. The three-day pass broke down to just £13 a day with loads of entertainment and quality racing. Value is at the heart of what we want to do.”

While the quick ground affected field sizes, the festival still achieved its main goal — to mark Chepstow as the official start of the National Hunt season in Wales.

For DragonBet, the festival represented a natural extension of its ethos, a Welsh bookmaker supporting Welsh sport. Lovell, who comes from one of Wales’s most established racing families, said DragonBet’s involvement goes beyond sponsorship:

“As a Welsh bookmaker, we feel a responsibility to give back to the sport that’s been part of our lives for generations. Betting and racing are intertwined. They both rely on passion, integrity and connection. Our goal is to help create events that strengthen that bond and showcase what makes Welsh racing unique.”

The success of the weekend has already set the tone for the future, with the DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival confirmed to return next year.

Lovell concluded:

“We’ve shown that when Welsh racing and betting work hand in hand, great things happen. The crowds, the atmosphere and the energy this weekend were outstanding. This is just the start of what we hope will become one of the standout events in the UK racing calendar.”