Ffos Las Course Guide

Located in west Wales, Ffos Las stages racing both on the Flat and over jumps and has proved popular with horsemen thanks to its flat, galloping and fair nature which many trainers compare as being similar to Newbury.

The course opened in June 2009, becoming the first new national hunt track to be built for 80 years, and its late January meeting has emerged is its annual feature, where the two big races are the West Wales National – and handicap chase over three and a half miles – and the Welsh Champion Hurdle, a limited handicap over two and a half miles which has been won by useful jumpers Oscar Whiskey, Medinas and Saphir Du Rheu.

The best horse to have raced at Ffos Las to date is undoubtedly champion two-mile chaser Sprinter Sacre, who won a novices’ hurdle by 10 lengths at the track in February 2011.

Flat Racing
Jumps Racing

A left-handed track, essentially galloping in nature. Approximately a mile and a half in extent, the course is very flat and fair, with a long home straight, including an extension to enable a straight track for races over five and six furlongs.

I’ve never ridden at Ffos Las, but all the current jocks tell me it’s a good, fair, honest course, with no kinks or ridges. There don’t seem to be any obvious quirks about it, viewed from the stands at least, and I’ve not spotted any great bias, either regarding the draw or across-the-track pace. They always seem to go a sensible gallop there, which suggests the configuration is straightforward enough, but I have noticed they tend to race up the middle, rather than stick to the rails, when the going gets soft.

View from the saddle: Jason Weaver

A wide, galloping, left-handed circuit of 1½ miles, with a straight of just over 4f. It has no undulations but a very slight rise over the course of the back straight and the opposite in the home straight. There are short run-ins for both hurdles and chases, though it is in essence a fair track, with the chase course providing a good test of jumping. Field sizes tend to be on the small side.

I walked the course at Ffos Las on the day it opened for racing and there’s no doubt about it - it’s a beautiful set-up, you can’t help being impressed. I don’t think it gets the backing from some people that it deserves, because all the current jocks - Flat and jumps - say good things about it. The jumping lads reckon the fences are a fair test - not too stiff, but no pushover - and it’s grand to ride. The one worry about it is that the going can become extreme. When it gets properly soft, it can be really hard work.

View from the saddle: Mick Fitzgerald

Ffos Las Top Times
Last 5 years

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat
Flat

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m	Courtland (Good to Firm)	17 Jun 2021	3m 45.23s
2m 3f 83y	Lermoos Legend (Good)	17 Jun 2021	4m 43.48s
2m 4f 199y	Pure Vision (Soft)	10 Feb 2022	3m 45.3s
2m 5f 110y	Smiling Getaway (Good to Soft)	13 Oct 2024	5m 51.02s
2m 7f 177y	Easkey Lad (Good to Firm)	22 May 2023	5m 57.2s
3m 1f 60y	Holokea (Soft)	28 Oct 2025	6m 30.11s
3m 3f 208y	Amateur (Good)	22 May 2023	6m 56.2s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m	Effernock Fizz (Good)	09 Oct 2022	3m 34.43s
2m 4f	Neachells Bridge (Good)	28 May 2022	4m 20.5s
2m 5f 192y	Jaunty Viking (Good)	03 Jun 2021	5m 23.1s
2m 7f 191y	Scrum Diddly (Good)	22 May 2023	5m 39.1s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
1m 7f 182y	Walk Of The Roses (Good to Firm)	22 May 2023	3m 40.01s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
5f	Fox Degree (Good to Firm)	11 Jul 2022	56.03s
6f	Time Step (Good to Firm)	11 Jul 2022	1m 7.95s
7f 80y	Mabo (Good to Firm)	03 Aug 2021	1m 28.26s
1m	Imperial Express (Good to Soft)	10 Jul 2024	1m 38.47s
1m 1f	Cotswold Cottage (Good)	05 Aug 2025	1m 57.52s
1m 2f	Zambezi Magic (Good to Soft)	17 Jul 2024	2m 4.54s
1m 3f 209y	Pearly Prince (Good to Firm)	03 Aug 2021	2m 29.77s
1m 6f	Lusaka (Good)	25 Jun 2023	3m 0.61s
2m	Simiyann (Good)	22 Aug 2025	3m 28.81s

Ffos Las Top Trainers
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat
Flat

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Evan Williams	87	11	31	£46,842	12.64%	-£15.05
D Pipe	28	7	15	£28,887	25%	£5.38
Miss R Curtis	28	6	10	£22,444	21.43%	£1.75
P Bowen	34	5	13	£20,622	14.71%	-£19.75
Miss V Williams	25	5	9	£29,205	20%	£4.38
W Greatrex	10	3	4	£20,702	30%	£0.83
Mickey Bowen	10	3	3	£16,873	30%	£12.25
Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies	11	3	2	£23,184	27.27%	£5.75
P F Nicholls	8	3	2	£21,100	37.5%	£9.25
S-J Davies	20	2	7	£7,209	10%	-£10.67

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Evan Williams	160	12	77	£49,799	7.5%	-£65.92
O Murphy	43	12	17	£53,255	27.91%	-£3.14
B Pauling	29	8	13	£35,426	27.59%	£0.04
D Pipe	35	7	15	£33,968	20%	-£2.92
Jamie Snowden	16	7	6	£33,524	43.75%	£20.25
A J Honeyball	20	6	11	£23,305	30%	£2.91
P Bowen	51	5	13	£20,280	9.8%	-£37.38
N J Hawke	21	5	8	£22,260	23.81%	£8.00
C Boultbee-Brooks	15	5	4	£21,757	33.33%	£7.75
Kerry Lee	14	5	4	£41,594	35.71%	£32.50

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Evan Williams	14	2	5	£5,228	14.29%	£5.00
B Pauling	7	2	4	£4,986	28.57%	-£2.80
O Murphy	4	2	2	£8,238	50%	£0.63
Dan Skelton	3	2	1	£6,535	66.67%	£1.40
P F Nicholls	9	1	7	£2,451	11.11%	-£6.75
Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies	4	1	2	£2,376	25%	-£1.00
Jamie Snowden	3	1	1	£2,376	33.33%	-£1.20
D Pipe	3	1	1	£2,614	33.33%	-£0.63
T H Weston	2	1	0	£2,451	50%	£1.25
P Hobbs & J White	2	1	0	£2,376	50%	£0.63

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
R M Beckett	29	10	13	£45,226	34.48%	£6.09
B J Llewellyn	86	8	45	£26,043	9.3%	-£41.27
W Muir & C Grassick	35	7	14	£31,432	20%	£0.53
B R Millman	37	6	21	£20,777	16.22%	-£9.59
D M Loughnane	27	6	14	£22,394	22.22%	£27.50
A Wintle	36	6	13	£19,406	16.67%	-£21.02
E Walker	23	5	10	£19,321	21.74%	-£13.99
J Channon	23	5	9	£17,119	21.74%	£3.25
J G Portman	14	5	4	£19,679	35.71%	£20.55
Ian Williams	12	5	4	£18,089	41.67%	£38.50

Ffos Las Top Jockeys
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat
Flat

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
S Bowen	40	10	8	£47,451	25%	£10.75
Ben Jones	24	7	11	£44,036	29.17%	£1.63
Jack Tudor	28	6	14	£27,250	21.43%	£0.58
James Bowen	26	5	11	£29,389	19.23%	-£5.42
Adam Wedge	34	5	10	£19,645	14.71%	-£3.55
James Best	28	3	13	£10,906	10.71%	-£18.04
Isabel Williams	21	3	8	£14,549	14.29%	£3.25
Alan Johns	12	3	3	£9,902	25%	£3.87
Charlie Deutsch	18	2	6	£9,559	11.11%	-£9.00
G Sheehan	10	2	4	£6,496	20%	-£1.25

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
S Bowen	88	20	33	£84,388	22.73%	-£17.28
Ben Jones	57	11	21	£46,115	19.3%	-£8.60
G Sheehan	30	8	8	£38,276	26.67%	£11.75
Jack Tudor	51	7	13	£34,470	13.73%	-£15.17
Sam Twiston-Davies	27	6	13	£25,395	22.22%	-£17.03
Brendan Powell	16	5	2	£19,028	31.25%	£29.88
Isabel Williams	52	4	30	£16,391	7.69%	-£18.00
Adam Wedge	52	4	24	£15,236	7.69%	-£14.50
David Noonan	24	4	7	£14,882	16.67%	-£6.33
R P McLernon	22	4	6	£16,133	18.18%	-£12.34

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
S Bowen	11	3	6	£10,852	27.27%	-£4.38
Ben Jones	7	2	4	£4,902	28.57%	-£3.55
Harry Skelton	2	2	0	£6,535	100%	£2.40
G Sheehan	5	1	2	£2,376	20%	-£3.20
Isabel Williams	3	1	1	£2,614	33.33%	£5.00
Sam Twiston-Davies	2	1	1	£2,376	50%	£1.00
Kielan Woods	2	1	1	£2,535	50%	£2.00
J J Burke	2	1	1	£3,921	50%	£3.00
Jack Tudor	3	1	0	£2,614	33.33%	-£0.63
Sean Houlihan	3	1	0	£2,376	33.33%	-£0.38

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Lewis Edmunds	61	12	28	£48,493	19.67%	-£8.06
David Probert	61	11	27	£37,900	18.03%	£4.55
Rossa Ryan	29	11	11	£41,684	37.93%	£12.60
Rob Hornby	49	10	22	£38,686	20.41%	£5.20
Saffie Osborne	42	7	21	£28,605	16.67%	-£12.67
Joe Leavy	26	7	11	£26,380	26.92%	-£2.80
Aidan Keeley	39	6	18	£19,119	15.38%	£5.23
Edward Greatrex	28	6	14	£23,133	21.43%	£9.13
D Egan	24	6	7	£24,038	25%	£0.88
Cieren Fallon	13	6	3	£24,163	46.15%	£5.43