THE race bearing the name of one of the most iconic horses in Welsh racing history went to a Ffos Las favourite.
The DragonBet Norton’s Coin Handicap Chase was run at the Carmarthenshire track at the weekend. It remembers the horse trained in Nantgaredig who shocked the racing world back in 1990 by winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup – and leaving the legendary Desert Orchid back in third place – at odds of 100-1.
This year’s renewal went the way of Howaya Now. The seven-year-old is trained in Hampshire by Richard Bandey, but he clearly has an affinity for the West Wales air as this was his fourth visit to Ffos Las and he has yet to finish outside the first four.
Howaya Now didn’t always jump with fluency, but he took up the running early in the home straight and kept on doggedly to record a comfortable success.
Welsh trainers were, somewhat unusually for a Ffos Las fixture, out of luck on the card. But there were still home wins supplied by jockeys Sean Bowen and Ben Jones.
Both riders tasted victories on board promising novice hurdlers. Bowen‘s success came on They Call Me Hugo, while Jones landed the opener on the odds-on shot Our Boy Stan.
Meanwhile, Wales’ current great Cheltenham Gold Cup hope has come back with a bang.
Haiti Couleurs, trained in Pembrokeshire by Rebecca Curtis, is the shortest-priced British runner in the betting for next year’s blue riband of steeplechasing after ending last season on a high and returning to action in style last week.
The eight-year-old triumphed in the National Hunt Chase at the Festival in March before heading to Fairyhouse where he duly landed a massive jackpot by winning the Irish Grand National under Sean Bowen.
Haiti Couleurs returned to the track last week in a three-mile handicap hurdle at Newbury in what was widely seen as a pipe-opener for bigger targets down the line. But he showed his well-being by carrying top weight to victory under Bowen against a field of classy rivals.
He was immediately installed as favourite for the valuable Coral Gold Cup back at Newbury at the end of the month, but Curtis seems likely to pitch her stable star into Grade 1 company in the Betfair Chase at Haydock the previous week.
If he runs well there, he will be trained with Cheltenham in mind.
There were a number of standout performances at Chepstow’s midweek card, which featured a host of Welsh winners.
The starring role was delivered via Sober Glory – with Ben Jones in the saddle – who made it four wins from four under rules with a smooth success in a maiden two-mile hurdle. Bigger targets surely await.
The race was split into two divisions, with Sean Bowen landing the other on the promising The Blue Room.
Arguably the training performance of the week was delivered by Sam Thomas. He landed a double at the track, triggered by the success of Rocking Man in a two-and-a-half mile maiden hurdle.
He hadn’t appeared on the track for almost 20 months, but made light of his absence to lead all the way and justify the faith of those who had backed him into 5-6 favouritism.
Thomas’s double was completed by the success of Palacio in a novices’ handicap chase. Both winners carried the colours of Dai Walters.
