off the ground and then surviving. So far they have been proving the doubters completely wrong.


And, despite the drawbacks of opening its doors in the midst of a world recession, Wales’ third course, joining Chepstow and Bangor-on-Dee, has enjoyed a fruitful 2009- 2010.


In the fi rst 12 months the course, built at a cost of £21m on 650 acres of a former open cast mine near Trimsaran, put on 19 meetings, including 127 races competed by 1,100 horses and watched by almost 70,000 spectators.


The opening meeting, on June 18, 2009, was watched by a crowd of 10,000, and appropriately the fi rst race was won by a Welsh-trained horse.


Already Ffos Las is well into its second year and looking forward to a three-day Summer Festival starting on August 25 combining fl at and jump racing.


Almost £200,000 is up for grabs at that meeting. It includes a £20,000 three-mile steeplechase on the Wednesday followed by £15,000 in a six-furlong handicap on the Thursday.


But the highlight of the meet comes with a £30,000 Summer Festival Chase on the Friday - the most valuable two-mile steeplechase in Britain this summer.


"The Tote Summer Festival is a ground- breaking venture that will really capture the imagination of horse racing fans on both sides of the Irish Sea,” explained Tim Long, general manager and clerk of the course.


"Mixed meetings are popular in Ireland, Haydock Park and Sandown Park hold one each year in Britain.


"We have received great encouragement and support from the British Horse Racing Authority for this initiative at Ffos Las and it will be an occasion that will attract a lot of interest from racing fans.”


The course has confi rmed that the Welsh Champion hurdle will go ahead next year on Feburary 5.


Looking back at the fi rst year in operation general manager and clerk of the course Tim Long said, "The racecourse has come a long way in a very short time. People have really taken Ffos Las to their hearts - they view it as 'their' racecourse and have supported us in big numbers.”


So what is the secret of Ffos Las, which will put on a total of 28 meetings during this calendar year?


Long is in no doubt that it is a combination of factors which have put the new course on the British and Irish racing map.


“The design and the build of the course was done so professionally that there were very few major things to go wrong,” he said.


“To take what was the biggest hole in Europe and fi ll it in, then to have the vision to drop a racecourse in there in only two and a half years, just refl ects what the Walters Group is capable of.


“On top of that you have the local community and local businesses who have really straight away had a huge sense of ownership of a racecourse which is one of the best in the industry.


“Like the community, the racing world has also embraced Ffos Las. If you have got the venue and conditions right then trainers will bring their horses.”


Certainly, being just a 75-minute journey from the port of Fishguard has been a huge incentive for Irish trainers, owners and jockeys to come to Ffos Las.


Also a burgeoning Welsh racing industry has fully supported the course, benefi ting at their June 1 meeting when all six races were won by horses stabled with Welsh trainers - fi ve of them based in Wales and Nigel Twiston- Davies from Gloucestershire.


“It must be so nice for Pembrokeshire trainer Peter Bowen not to have to sit on a lorry for eight hours! The Welsh trainers have supported us right from the fi rst fi xture and we are so grateful for that,” said Long.


“Because of the excellent nature of the construction, it is a very fair track and good


issue12twothousand&ten sportingwales


track to get an idea of how good a horse is because it fl at and wide. You do not get too many shock results here and jockeys cannot have too many excuses.


“I do not think it is any coincidence who has been doing well. The top yards do well and the top jockeys, for instance AP McCoy has consistently had doubles and trebles when he has raced here and has an almost 50 per cent strike rate.


“You go to some of the other courses, especially the more suburban ones, and the atmosphere can be rather matter of fact, but here every winner gets a really good reception whether they have backed it or not.


“I think that refl ects the sporting ethos of the area. It is very happy atmosphere here. It is very much like racing in Ireland.”


The only problem on the horizon is that the Levy Board set to cut back the number of race meeting it allocates to race courses throughout the UK, which will obviously have an impact on income.


But the hope is that through the Walters Group and the infl uence of Northern Racing, which oversees the running of the course, that Ffos Las has the ability to weather the fi nancial storm.


“We have had a lot of help from Northern Racing on the commercial side, but it is not easy and there is a lot of competition for the leisure pound. We have been sensible here and not taken on the established sports like rugby. You have to know where you fi t in,’’ explained Long.


“In an economic situation you just have to stay competitive and provide a very high level of customer service and give people a good spectacle to look at.


“In the near future there are big challenges for the whole racing because of the way it is funded through the bookmaking industry.’’


Long admits there are challenges ahead with the Levy Board’s cuts but Ffos Las looks well established enough even after a year in the market to keep pace with the rest of the fi eld.


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