Ffos Las Racecourse
| Location |
Ffos Las, Wales, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Owned by | Ffos Las Ltd, operated by Northern Racing |
| Date opened | 18 June 2009 |
| Screened on | At the Races |
| Course type | Flat and National Hunt |
| Official website | |
The Ffos Las racecourse (strictly: Ffos Las Racecourse & Conference Centre) is a British horse racing, equestrian sports and conferencing venue situated in Ffos Las, Wales. The Ffos Las racecourse was built at the site of an open cast coal mine after mining operations ceased.
After the completion of the first phase of construction for a first race meeting in June 2009, the Ffos Las racecourse became the first new National Hunt racecourse to be built in the United Kingdom for 80 years, and Wales's third racecourse. Ffos Las Racecourse was built at a cost of £20 million. The racecourse development site is about 600 acres (2.4 km2) in size and is located in a natural amphitheatre setting. The racetrack itself is an oval which is 12 furlongs in length and has a flat topography.
The initial phase of the development was completed in 2009 and features:
The British Horseracing Board initially confirmed a programme of eight race meetings for 2009. An extra fixture was added to the schedule later on creating a two-day flat event in September.
The Ffos Las Racecourse opened on 18 June 2009 when it held its first race meeting to a sell-out crowd of 10,000. It was an evening National Hunt meeting which included a Ladies Night. The first ever race at Ffos Las was won by 15-8 second favourite Plunkett ridden by Donal Fahy, trained by Evan Williams, and owned by Hywel Jones. The first race at Ffos Las to feature Arabians was held on 27 June 2009.
The first ever flat race at Ffos Las, the EBF/Jamie Yeates Memorial Maiden Stakes, was held on 21 July 2009. The race was dedicated to schoolboy and aspiring jockey Jamie Yeates from nearby Llanelli, who died under tragic circumstances the previous January. The winner of the race was Dream Queen ridden by Michael Hills. Dream Queen was trained by Barry Hills.
The official opening ceremony, conducted by racing commentator Sir Peter O'Sullevan, was held on 28 August 2009, with an audience of over 12,000. Following the final race of the day, there was concert with Cerys Matthews performing.
The first ever race meeting featuring harness racing was held on 9 May 2010.
The racecourse owners intend to introduce a new Celtic Festival in future years to be held around St. David's Day. The racecourse developers plan for the venue to have a capacity for 20,000 people and there will be 120 horse boxes.
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Wikipedia