New racecourse Ffos Las has been hailed a successs after the first meeting went smoothly yesterday (Thursday, 18 June).
And Welsh trainer Evan Williams and local owner Hywel Jones celebrated a home-win when racehorse Plunkett became the first winner at the new Llanelli-based track.
“It’s a historic moment and, as a Welshman from this part of the world, I’m so proud to win the race for Wales,” Mr Jones told local press.
A sell-out crowd of 10,000 attended the inaugural race meeting, with crowds gathering as the gates opened at 1pm, even though the first race was not until 6.20pm.
Champion jockey AP McCoy, who rode three winners at the opening meeting, led the praise for the course. “It’s a lovely track, and obviously the ground is probably a little bit quicker than they would have liked, but I’m sure they’ll fix that.
“It’s similar to places like Newbury in lots of ways – there are no faults with the track,” he said.
