Major deal sees popular Ffos Las racecourse sold
Ffos Las Racecourse in Carmarthenshire has been sold. The venue became the first course to open in Britain for more than 80 years when it staged its first meeting in the summer of 2009.
It has now been purchased for an undisclosed fee by Arena Racing Company (ARC) in a major deal, less than a year after it achieved record attendances in 2017.
Previous owner Dai Walters has been at the helm since the course’s opening, and will remain part of its future as he takes on the role of honorary chairman.
The course, built on a former opencast site near Trimsaran , is due to stage 19 fixtures this year, with six flat meetings and 13 over the jumps.
The mile-and-a-half oval course hosts the Ladbrokes Welsh Champion Hurdle in October as well as the West Wales National every Easter.
After finalising the sale of Ffos Las to ARC, Mr Walters said: “My association with the creation and delivery of Ffos Las Racecourse is something that I am very proud of, and I will continue to support the further development of the facility by remaining as the honorary chairman.
“Ffos Las has provided a stage for Welsh racing to display their racing excellence and encouraged people to visit this beautiful part of West Wales.
“The facility has provided employment to the area and boosted the local economy.
“The acquisition by ARC will allow Ffos Las to expand through utilising the knowledge and expertise gained from its other racecourses. They will be able to draw on other fixtures which have always been an issue for us, and provide more non-racing opportunities, through staging large music concerts.
“This is a very exciting new chapter with many opportunities for Ffos Las Racecourse to pursue.”
Ffos Las has also been the venue for a number of other prestigious events, including the Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star community awards ceremonies.
Officially opened by broadcasting legend Peter O’Sullevan, Ffos Las has been visited by the Prince of Wales as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, and has a stand named after local rugby hero Jonathan Davies.
It also caters for parties and conferences and acts as a popular wedding venue.
The venue will now form part of ARC’s racecourse group, the biggest of its kind in the UK.
“We are delighted to welcome Ffos Las Racecourse into ARC,” said ARC chief executive Martin Cruddace.