The first jumps meeting of the autumn at Ffos Las could hardly have gone better for the Welsh. No fewer than five of the seven races on the card went the way of horses stabled in Wales. On top of that, five Welsh jockeys ended the day with winners.
Evan Williams – the leading trainer at the Carmarthenshire track with 150 winners – ended the day with two successes on the board, while there was one each for fellow Welsh handlers Tim Vaughan, Grace Harris and Thomas Faulkner.
Meanwhile, the Welsh riders to taste success were James Bowen, Osian Radford, Eleanor Williams, Ben Jones and Jack Tudor.
For Radford, it was another fruitful trip home. The promising up-and-coming conditional was brought up just a few minutes’ walk from Ffos Las, so he probably knows the course better than most. And he made that local knowledge count when steering Puddlesinthepark to a wide-margin victory in the staying handicap chase.
Puddlesinthepark was sent off the 15-2 outsider of three but won eased down to record his fourth win since April. It was the second time this season the combination had won at Ffos Las as they were following up a course success in June.
Williams’ second win came in the concluding three-mile handicap hurdle when D’Jo Dela Barriere bounced back to form under the trainer’s daughter Eleanor (photographed).
The six-year-old rallied on the run-in to see off the challenge of Mickey Bowen’s Isle of Sark. It rounded off a frustrating day for Bowen, who had earlier seen three favourites beaten.
Tudor’s win came on board Order of the Dance for his boss David Pipe in a two-and-a-half mile handicap hurdle, while Jones and Faulkner teamed up to land the novices’ handicap chase with Mini Fortune.
Harris took the two-mile handicap hurdle with Baikal. It was her 23rd victory of the calendar year. Joe Anderson was the successful rider.
Ben Jones has enjoyed a very productive few days. He followed up his Ffos Las win by making all the running to win a competitive two-mile hurdle at Newton Abbot on Manuelito for Philip Hobbs and Johnson White.
And he repeated those front-running tactics at Kempton on Sunday to land a novices’ handicap chase on the talented Bluey for the in-form Emma Lavelle. He made it two on the day when guiding course specialist Bad to a comfortable success.
Sean Bowen, meanwhile, made the long trek to Sedgefield pay off as he landed a two-and-a-half mile handicap hurdle on Zanndabad for Irish trainer Tony Martin.
Our next meeting is Thursday 28th October when the first race is off at 1.58pm. Tickets are £19 in advance.
