Madness concert night at Ffos Las was preceded by some racing. The going was good, good to firm in places.
There was an all-Welsh success in the first race, a 3m hurdle. Buck Bravo (9/2) was trained by Dai Rees and ridden by Sean Bowen. He had a great chance on one piece of 2018 form, and was backed from 25/1 this morning with the confidence it would be reproduced, with first-time blinkers added to his armoury. He took the lead three out and ran on stoutly from there to win by a length and a half from the fast-finishing Boethius.
May is not normally a month that’s associated with Venetia Williams winners, but the 2m chase proved the exception to the rule when her Khairagash (5/1) won easily. He took the lead at the fifth last and steadily drew away from Mr Lando and his other rivals. Jumping well for Miss Lucy Turner in only his second race over fences, he came home 13 lengths in front.
There was another decisive victory in the 2m novices hurdle. Approaching the second last we looked set for a good finish, but Oliver Sherwood’s West Coast Flyer (6/1) got away from it well and streaked ahead of his opponents. An erratic leap at the final flight didn’t hinder him or faze his jockey Leighton Aspell, and he sauntered in 12 lengths ahead. Ultimately the close finish was the one for minor honours, where Toshima came out on top.
There was a good tussle along the length of the home straight by two novices in the 2m4f chase, the pair pulling further and further clear of the rest. The jumping of Forgot To Ask (5/2) wasn’t as fluent as that of the leader Precious Bounty, but at the last fence Jonathan Burke got a fine leap from Forgot To Ask, and he forged ahead on the run-in to score by four lengths. Tom George trained the winner, who had fallen twice in two chases in 2018 and probably needs some more schooling.
There were five in line jumping the penultimate flight in the 2m handicap hurdle, and three were still level at the last. There Chapmanshype (9/2) jumped ahead, only to be challenged all the way to the line by Nabhan. Gavin Sheehan was all out to retain his lead by a neck. Jamie Snowden was the winning trainer.
All seven runners in the 2m4f hurdle were trained in Wales and it furnished Dai Rees’s second success of the night. His durable performer Gone Platinum (3/1) had three wins and three seconds to his name so far this year. The ten-year-old was left with a small lead approaching the second last and galloped on determinedly under Lorcan Williams to repel Master Dancer by a length and three quarters.
The card ended with a Carmarthenshire-trained winner. The bumper was a slowly-run affair and everything was still in with a chance as they sped up in the home straight. Debra Hamer’s Jac Brown (7/2) was going the best and in the end won without Mr Ben Jones getting too serious. He’d shown promise at Chepstow when finishing fourth at Chepstow last time out. Pebbly New Moon finished four lengths away in second.
