Five years of Ffos Las
Monday 9 June 2014 12:39, UK
Ffos Las racecourse will celebrate with a fifth anniversary meeting on Thursday June 19.
The west Wales venue was the first turf racecourse to be opened since before the Second World War when it opened in 2009.
Almost 10,000 visitors attended the inaugural meeting and the racecourse has since gone from strength to strength.
On Thursday June 19, the Carmarthenshire racecourse – developed on the site of a former open case coal mine - will celebrate its fifth anniversary with an evening jumps card.
Dai Walters, Chairman of Ffos Las Racecourse, said: "It has been a remarkable journey since the first racing fixture in June 2009.
"We’ve hosted well over 100 racing fixtures and the public in Wales has warmed to Ffos Las as a sporting venue.
“We have faced challenges of course, not least coming through a deep recession which has affected so many people. However, Ffos Las is in a strong position within the horse racing industry and we look forward to the next five years with enthusiasm and confidence."
Tim Long, General Manager and Clerk of the Course, who has been at the racecourse since the year before it opened, said: "We have come a long way since 2009 and there have been exciting highlights over the five years.
"Welshman Evan Williams sent out the winner of the first ever race with Plunkett and he has become our most successful trainer.
"We have had days when all the races have been won by Welsh-trained horses. And, perhaps one of my favourites, is Tom Bach – the only horse trained by permit holder Hywel Evans from nearby Kidwelly – winning four races in the space of six months during the 2013/14 jumps season."
The first anniversary race is at 18.10 (gates open from 16.10) and after the final race is run at 21.20 there will be live music from ‘The Valli Boys’. They will be performing the songs made famous by Frankie Valli. Joining ‘The Valli Boys’ will be local ladies choir Cor Curiad.
The football World Cup game between England and Uruguay, which kicks off at 8pm UK time, will be shown on screens around the racecourse.
