A Grand Day Out in Carmarthenshire

Right, settle in and grab yourself a drink, because Ffos Las delivered a decent Sunday afternoon's entertainment — and on good ground that stayed on the easy side, we saw some proper jumping and a few performances that'll have trainers rubbing their hands together as the autumn season starts to crank up. Six races, a mix of hurdles and chases, bumpers and conditional riders — the full works. Not Cheltenham, granted, but there was enough quality on the Ffos Las racecard to keep even the most demanding punter ticking over.

The going — good, sitting on the easy side with a SMMR of 47 — was about as fair as you'll get at this time of year. Nothing too quick to expose a lack of stamina, nothing too soft to flatter the plodders. An honest surface, and one that should have brought out honest performances. Let's get into it.

The Feature Race: The KEP Communications Handicap Chase (3m 1f 210y)

If you're asking me which race I had circled before racing, it was the KEP Communications Handicap Steeple Chase over three miles and a furlong — a proper stamina test around here, and an ARC Summer Chase Series qualifier to boot, which adds a layer of significance. Six runners, modest prize money at £7k, but a competitive enough spread of ratings from 69 to 92.

Edgewell (Harry Reed, rated 92) came in as the highest-rated runner and the one to beat on form. Course and distance experience always matters at a track like Ffos Las — it's no Cheltenham galloping track, it demands a horse that settles and travels — and Edgewell looked the part on paper. Harry Reed is a conditional who's been making quiet progress, and this was a decent opportunity to add to his tally.

Gata Ban (Dylan Johnston, rated 91) is the one that intrigues me most, though. Rated just a pound below the top weight, with both course and distance form to his name — those C and D flags aren't just decoration, they mean something. A horse that's been here before and knows the job. Dylan Johnston doesn't get enough credit, in my view, and if Gata Ban was anywhere near his best, he'd have made life very uncomfortable for the market leader.

Down at the bottom of the weights, Of Corse I Can (Bradley Harris, rated 69) is another course-and-distance specialist, and at that rating, the handicapper has given him every chance. Don't be surprised if he pops up again in similar company before Christmas.

Ones to Follow — Keep These Names in Your Notebook

Every card throws up a few horses worth tracking, and today was no different. Here are the names I'd be writing down:

  • Coastal Command — Running in the KSR Lighting Maiden Hurdle with Nico de Boinville in the plate. That's not a jockey booking you make unless you mean business. Unrated, so we're going in blind on form, but de Boinville doesn't do charity rides. If this horse showed anything today, he'll be worth following into better company. The two-mile-three trip here suits a horse that's still learning the game.
  • Moab — The only rated runner in the maiden hurdle at 110, which tells you he's had a previous life in some shape or form. Brendan Powell takes the ride. A rating of 110 in a maiden hurdle is a curious situation — there's always a story there — and if he's returning from a setback, today was about getting the wheels turning again. Watch this space.
  • Jiair Madrik — Top-rated at 110 in the Bison Events Handicap Chase, with Theo Gillard aboard. This is a GBB race and an ARC qualifier, so connections will have had this pencilled in for a while. Gillard is a young rider making strides, and a horse rated 110 in a Class 4 over two-and-a-half miles here has a real chance of going close. If he won today, he'll need to go up in grade, but there's a nice programme of autumn chases that could suit.
  • Delulu — I mean, the name alone demands attention. Harry Skelton takes the ride in the mares' bumper, and when Harry Skelton turns up at Ffos Las on a Sunday afternoon for a £4,500 bumper, you pay attention. The Skelton operation doesn't send horses on day trips for the craic. This could be a nice prospect being given a quiet introduction before being aimed at something more valuable in the winter.
  • Martin's Denuo — Rian Corcoran in the saddle for the Bison Events Chase, rated 108. Corcoran is a rider I've been watching with interest — there's a polish there that suggests he'll be riding at a higher level before long. If Martin's Denuo ran a race today, he could be one for the ARC Summer Chase Series final if connections fancy a crack.

The Conditional Riders' Hurdle — A Word on the Young Guns

The opener, the Mercedes-Benz of Chichester Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, is always worth a look for spotting the next generation of jump jockeys. Over two-and-a-half miles on good ground, this was a fair test, and the six-runner field had a nice spread of ability.

Royal Rhythm (Benjamin Macey, rated 96) headed the market on ratings, but it's Fern O'Brien on County Champs (rated 88) that caught my eye from a jockey perspective. She's been riding with increasing confidence, and an 8lb claim over this sort of trip gives her a significant weight advantage over the more experienced riders. Don't dismiss County Champs just because the rating looks modest — in a conditional riders' race, the claim is everything.

Atreides (Mr Laurie Gallacher, rated 94) comes in with course form, which is always a plus, and at 94 he's well within himself if the handicapper has been kind. Amateur rider Gallacher taking this one on suggests it might be a horse that needs a quiet, sympathetic partner rather than a bustling conditional.

Looking Ahead — Where Do These Horses Go Next?

The autumn jumps season is just around the corner, and a card like today's is essentially a shop window. Here's where I'd expect some of today's runners to fetch up:

The ARC Summer Chase Series qualifiers — the KEP Communications and the Bison Events — will have connections eyeing the series final. If either Edgewell, Gata Ban, Jiair Madrik or Martin's Denuo ran well today, expect to see them again in similar company over the coming weeks as connections try to accumulate points or qualify.

Delulu in the mares' bumper, if she showed any ability, is the sort of horse the Skelton yard will be pointing at a Listed mares' bumper or a decent mares' novice hurdle once the proper season kicks in. Keep her very much onside.

For the hurdle horses — Coastal Command with de Boinville and whatever Moab showed today — maiden hurdle winners at this time of year often reappear in novice hurdles once October arrives and the prize money improves. Both are ones to track on the Ffos Las tracker and beyond.

Final Verdict — Was It Worth the Trip?

Look, Ffos Las on a Sunday in September isn't going to set the world on fire, and nobody's pretending otherwise. But it was a solid, honest card with competitive racing, a few intriguing maiden performances to analyse, and enough ammunition for the notebook to keep us busy for the next few weeks. The ground was fair, the racing was genuine, and there were horses here today that will be making headlines when the season proper gets going.

Check back on the full racecard and results for the official verdicts, and keep an eye on Paddock Punter for updates on the ones to follow as the autumn unfolds. Until then — good luck, and may your fancies jump clean.