There was little action on the racecourse but Wales’ trainers, jockeys and racecourses still stole the show across a quiet week in Britain. The Racing Post’s James Stevens has more.
It was Ffos Las to the rescue this weekend as the west Wales track survived the cold to put on the main Saturday action on ITV4.
Meetings across Britain and Ireland were cancelled left, right and centre but conditions in Britain’s newest racecourse were good for racing and an additional meeting was rescheduled on Wednesday and passed a morning inspection.
Ffos Las’ card included the Grade 2 DragonBet Towton Novices’ Chase, one of the highlights each year at Wetherby, and it was won by Welsh jockey Ben Jones. He knows the track better than anyone else as his father Dai clerked at the track for a number of years before moving to sister track Chepstow.
It was something of a homecoming for Jones, fresh from a Grade 1 breakthrough over Christmas, and he continued his brilliant form as Handstands kept on to record a nine-length victory and continue to look like a major force for Cheltenham-based Ben Pauling.
The trainer may be English but he is surrounded by Welshman at his yard is quickly becoming one of the most powerful in the country.
“This is a win for Wales, every day of the week,” said Jones. “Most of the staff in Ben’s are Welsh now so we’re slowly taking over.
It’s great to be back racing and I was very impressed by him. The race fell apart but it was a good performance.”
The DragonBet traders were impressed too by the performance from Handstands as he was cut to 20-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but Pauling could avoid the meeting and target him at Aintree.
Victory puts Jones on 46 winners for the season and he occupies eighth spot on the jockeys’ championship.
Brilliant Bowen
The big talking point at Ffos Las was the remarkable James Bowen, who showcased the trials and tribulations jockeys face on a daily basis in the most dramatic of fashions.
There was major fears regarding him after Saunton Surf fell at the last and the horse landed on top of his legs with the Welsh-born rider unable to wiggle out.
After some help, Bowen and Saunton Surf were absolutely fine after the race and the jockey remarkably went on to deliver a brilliant winning ride on just his next ride aboard Keep Running in the 2m Download The DragonBet App Handicap Chase.
Cheltenham clues
There were no Welsh-trained horses among the entries for the Gold Cup or Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but the country could have a Champion Chase hope in Libberty Hunter.
Llancarfan-based Evan Williams entered him in the feature race on the second day of the meeting where he is a 40-1 shot with DragonBet.
Libberty Hunter was second in a handicap at the meeting last season and made an encouraging comeback at the course on his return last month, powering clear by four lengths. He will need to improve a long way to be a Champion Chase winner but there have been some surprise winners in recent years.
Team Williams also enjoyed a good week with exciting prospect Juby Ball running out an impressive four-length win on his hurdles debut at Ffos Las on Saturday. The DragonBet Supporting British Racing Maiden Hurdle winner is definitely one to follow this season. The stable also won at the only jumps meeting in the week at Taunton as Ironed out won the 2m½f mares’ handicap hurdle.
Great result
Taunton also had a feel-good winner as Angels Breath bounced back to form to win the hunter chase for Tim and Edward Vaughan.
The 11-year-old was a star prospect for Welsh owner Dai Walters many years ago, heading into the 2019 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle as one of the main fancies before winning two novice chases the following season.
Yet he had his injury issues which kept him off the track for more than 1,100 days and he failed to win when he finally returned for Sam Thomas last season.
He then moved to Vaughan who gave him a confidence booster in a point-to-point before he ended a near five-year drought with a five length win.
