Our next meeting at Ffos Las is our Superhero Family Fun Race Day on Easter Sunday 9th April where children go free and there is plenty of free family entertainment including fun fair rides and an Easter Egg hunt. There are seven races from 1.40pm and don’t forget, you can bring a picnic (excluding alcohol). The feature race is the West Wales National with prize money of £17,500. The John Flint trained Amateur has won the last two renewals of the race and we hope to see him back for a hat trick attempt. A big thank you to our race day sponsors 3A’s Leisure.
There is also racing at Chepstow on Easter Monday 10th April as well as a meeting on Grand National day, Saturday 15th April sponsored by DragonBet.
Welsh trainers took two races at Bangor-on-Dee’s Saturday meeting. Sam Thomas was first off the mark with Ed Keeper in a 2m4f maiden hurdle. Close third and second places in similar races indicated suggested this was a perfect opportunity for him, but he was all out to justify odds of 5/6. Ed Keeper got the job done, which was the main thing. The trainer is confident he will improve over three miles next season. After a long quiet spell in the middle of the current campaign, the yard has shaken off the effects of a persistent bug and five winners have gone in so far this month.
Half an hour later Christian Williams achieved his first success at the north Wales track at the 22 nd attempt. This was with William Ewart, who ran out a comfortable winner of the 2m7f novice handicap hurdle. It was the horse’s first try at this distance, and based on this day’s handicap mark of only 81, he has a lot of potential upside.
John Flint and Connor Brace were successful at Exeter on Sunday, when Marty Byrde opened his account in a 2m5f novice hurdle. The horse disputed the lead throughout and was in front as they left the far side. He appeared about to be overwhelmed by his rivals as the field straightened up for home, but he fought back to retain his advantage. Running a little erratically and looking around him in the closing stages, Marty Byrde kept going to win by two lengths in a slow-motion finish. Brace confirmed that the 11/1 shot loved the soft ground and put his waywardness down to still being green.
Earlier in the week Isabel Williams rode the 50th winner of her career at Ffos Las on Pageant Material, who is owned by her grandparents Billy and Mary Evans. It ended a 28-day losing run for Evan Williams, and almost inevitably another winner followed the next day at Chepstow. This was the unconsidered outsider Ring The Moon, who improved for making most of the running in a conditionals’ race. Adam Wedge and Sean Bowen rode winners elsewhere on the card
