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	Teaser (Good)	18 Jul 2019	3m 47.2s
2m 3f 83y	Le Musee (Good)	26 Jun 2019	4m 41.1s
2m 4f 199y	Patricks Park (Soft)	21 Oct 2017	3m 49.4s
2m 7f 177y	Bally Longford (Good)	26 Jun 2019	5m 49.2s
3m 1f 60y	Fortunes Hiding (Good)	14 May 2019	6m 21.2s
3m 3f 208y	Pobbles Bay (Good)	21 Apr 2019	7m 18s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
1m 7f 182y	Borak (Good)	21 Jun 2018	3m 36.4s
2m 4f	Voodoo Doll (Good to Firm)	13 Jul 2018	4m 36.5s
2m 5f 192y	Sizing At Midnight (Good)	14 May 2019	5m 11.8s
2m 7f 191y	Marble Moon (Good)	21 Jun 2018	5m 39.9s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
1m 7f 182y	High Change (Good)	26 Jun 2019	3m 32.7s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
5f	Perfect Charm (Good to Firm)	29 Jul 2019	56.8s
6f	Handytalk (Good to Firm)	29 Jul 2019	1m 7.46s
7f 80y	Hellovaqueen (Good to Firm)	24 Jul 2018	1m 29.72s
1m	Aqua Libre (Good)	05 Sep 2018	1m 39.39s
1m 2f	Renardeau (Good to Firm)	29 Jul 2019	2m 5.38s
1m 3f 209y	Trueshan (Good)	29 Aug 2019	2m 31.18s
1m 6f	Urban Space (Good to Soft)	19 Jul 2016	3m 3.35s
2m	Long John Silver (Good to Firm)	24 Jul 2018	3m 25.42s

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	68	8	22	£44,807	11.76%	-£36.33
P Bowen	55	8	21	£65,446	14.55%	-£27.78
D A Rees	43	6	13	£28,851	13.95%	-£10.38
C L Tizzard	17	6	6	£35,011	35.29%	£16.98
Tim Vaughan	26	5	8	£21,770	19.23%	£3.17
Miss V Williams	17	5	6	£25,862	29.41%	£11.00
J L Flint	12	3	6	£11,892	25%	£23.00
N P Mulholland	13	3	5	£15,011	23.08%	£18.00
A J Honeyball	5	3	2	£16,027	60%	£8.45
D Pipe	14	2	6	£12,671	14.29%	-£10.80

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Evan Williams	101	14	35	£91,945	13.86%	-£22.78
P Bowen	70	9	18	£32,686	12.86%	-£12.90
N A Twiston-Davies	34	7	13	£27,033	20.59%	£7.37
Miss R Curtis	17	6	6	£22,419	35.29%	£16.63
B J Llewellyn	47	5	16	£24,148	10.64%	-£28.38
D Pipe	29	5	10	£20,729	17.24%	-£21.50
W Greatrex	20	5	5	£25,003	25%	£3.83
N J Henderson	13	4	5	£19,040	30.77%	-£0.83
C L Tizzard	16	4	4	£23,134	25%	£18.50
Jamie Snowden	10	4	3	£16,441	40%	£1.12

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Evan Williams	12	2	4	£5,848	16.67%	-£0.75
Harry Fry	7	2	4	£5,198	28.57%	£1.44
Sam Thomas	5	1	3	£2,274	20%	-£3.25
D Pipe	5	1	2	£3,249	20%	-£2.63
F O'Brien	5	1	2	£2,274	20%	-£2.50
M Scudamore	4	1	2	£2,599	25%	£17.00
H Whittington	3	1	2	£2,599	33.33%	£0.50
W Greatrex	5	1	1	£3,899	20%	£0.00
N A Twiston-Davies	5	1	1	£2,274	20%	-£3.50
Miss V Williams	4	1	1	£2,274	25%	-£1.75

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Archie Watson	20	7	2	£24,552	35%	£6.15
B R Millman	33	6	10	£24,163	18.18%	-£5.50
R Charlton	22	5	8	£17,532	22.73%	£30.44
Richard Hughes	22	4	9	£13,844	18.18%	£11.18
R M Beckett	19	4	6	£14,168	21.05%	£5.25
J A Osborne	16	3	11	£13,650	18.75%	£9.75
A M Balding	23	3	10	£13,715	13.04%	-£2.33
Ed Walker	15	3	9	£13,714	20%	£7.63
Hugo Palmer	13	3	6	£10,416	23.08%	-£8.33
A King	8	3	0	£10,675	37.5%	£8.50

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	43	9	14	£61,294	20.93%	-£1.38
Adam Wedge	39	9	12	£49,096	23.08%	-£5.83
T Scudamore	23	5	5	£26,642	21.74%	-£3.43
H Cobden	11	5	4	£30,671	45.45%	£19.75
P J Brennan	15	4	5	£25,668	26.67%	£38.00
Alan Johns	16	4	4	£17,156	25%	£12.50
Sam Twiston-Davies	22	3	8	£27,343	13.64%	-£12.77
Charlie Deutsch	11	3	6	£17,090	27.27%	£7.00
Ben Jones	9	3	5	£13,387	33.33%	-£1.83
James Bowen	34	2	20	£17,148	5.88%	-£28.90

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
S Bowen	64	12	23	£44,967	18.75%	£7.35
Adam Wedge	62	11	26	£83,173	17.74%	-£0.90
G Sheehan	15	8	3	£34,685	53.33%	£8.59
T Scudamore	39	5	14	£24,173	12.82%	-£18.75
H Cobden	12	5	1	£24,564	41.67%	£8.28
Sam Twiston-Davies	35	4	16	£18,325	11.43%	-£27.51
Aidan Coleman	24	4	11	£17,935	16.67%	-£10.93
T J O'Brien	20	4	7	£17,285	20%	-£11.13
Lorcan Williams	16	4	6	£17,610	25%	£9.00
D A Jacob	16	4	5	£37,111	25%	£1.68

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Ben Jones	5	2	1	£4,548	40%	£1.25
G Sheehan	4	2	1	£6,173	50%	£3.25
T Scudamore	10	1	5	£3,249	10%	-£7.63
Adam Wedge	5	1	3	£3,249	20%	£3.00
D A Jacob	5	1	2	£2,599	20%	-£1.50
Tom Cannon	3	1	2	£2,599	33.33%	£1.50
Sam Twiston-Davies	7	1	1	£2,274	14.29%	-£4.50
Nico de Boinville	3	1	1	£2,599	33.33%	£0.25
N D Fehily	2	1	1	£2,924	50%	-£0.56
Jonjo O'Neill Jr.	2	1	1	£2,274	50%	£0.50

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Finley Marsh	35	6	12	£23,127	17.14%	-£4.50
Rossa Ryan	31	6	9	£22,059	19.35%	£14.88
L Morris	24	6	7	£27,689	25%	£11.75
Jason Watson	27	5	13	£18,665	18.52%	-£8.06
M Dwyer	22	5	11	£29,378	22.73%	£3.83
Hollie Doyle	29	5	8	£17,371	17.24%	-£10.55
Oisin Murphy	12	5	5	£19,959	41.67%	£4.25
Rhiain Ingram	13	4	0	£12,163	30.77%	£6.35
Tom Marquand	29	3	12	£9,640	10.34%	-£14.88
Cieren Fallon	5	3	1	£11,419	60%	£26.25