The Welsh walked off with four wins as Ffos Las waved farewell to another high-class jumps campaign.
Three of the six races at the track’s Jumps Season Finale went the way of Welsh trainers, with Pembrokeshire-born jockey Lorcan Williams also getting in on the act with a comfortable success.
That victory came in a novices’ handicap chase which carried the name of Francky du Berlais, one of the most popular horses trained in Wales this century and who thrived during the summer months, with two wins in the valuable Summer Plate at Market Rasen to his name.
Williams was aboard the favourite Loki’s Mischief, who followed up his win at Ffos Las earlier in the month by striding away for a three-length success. It means the six-year-old’s up-and-coming trainer Chester Williams has a perfect 100 per cent strike rate with his runners at the Carmarthenshire venue.
Mickey Bowen – whose father Peter used to train Francky du Berlais – was out of luck in that race as his representative Axel Bleue finished well adrift in third. Bowen also had to settle for the runners-up spot when Fiskardo found the impressive The Flaggy Shore 12 lengths too good in a two-mile novice hurdle.
But the Haverfordwest handler was on the mark elsewhere on the card as Green Asset ridden by Shane Fenelon (photographed) finished strongly to run out an easy winner of a three-mile handicap hurdle.
Lynsey Larue gained her first success under rules when rallying strongly to claim victory in a three-mile mares’ handicap chase for jockey Conor Ring and Vale of Glamorgan trainer Cath Williams.
And Monmouth trainer Nikki Evans got off the mark for the new season when Kates Choice took the concluding mares’ handicap hurdle under a patient waiting ride from James Best.
Ffos Las stages its first flat meeting of the summer on Thursday, June 4.
Irish jumps maestro Gordon Elliott was among the winners as Ffos Las’s sister track Chepstow opened its 2026 flat campaign last week. It is very rare for Elliott to have flat runners in Wales, but those who took the hint were rewarded when his raider Battle of Maldon took a 10-furlong handicap in the hands of Saffie Osborne.
It completed a double for Osborne, who was also in the winner’s enclosure after partnering My A’Ali Baba to a length success in a six-furlong two-year-old maiden for Welsh trainer David Evans.
Bargoed-born jockey David Probert was also among the winners as he guided The Green Mile to a neck success in the closing mile-and-a-quarter handicap.
Ben Jones and Sean Bowen spearheaded a fine weekend for the Welsh as the winners continued to flow across the country.
Jones landed his second valuable handicap chase of the summer on board Somespring Special in a three-mile contest at Bangor-on-Dee. The mare – who saves her best for this time of year – was following up her success at Newton Abbot earlier in the month.
And on Sunday Jones bagged the £50,000 Clarke Chase at Uttoxeter on the front-running Glengouly.
Also at Uttoxeter, Bowen bagged himself a treble on Sir Galahad, Vocito and Blinded by Grace – the latter of the trio trained by brother Mickey – while at Fontwell Charlie Price continued his fine run when partnering Footloose Man to a comfortable triumph.
And Christian Williams saddled his second winner of the new campaign courtesy of staying chaser Prince Cleni.
To top off a hugely successful week for Welsh racing, Gstaad – bred at Maywood Stud in Carmarthenshire by Kelly Thomas - stormed away to win the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh.
Gstaad, now in the care of Aidan O’Brien, is Royal Ascot-bound where he will seek revenge on Bow Echo, who beat him in the Newmarket version of the colts’ classic.
