DragonBet on-course bookmaker James Lovell gives the inside track on Welsh sport – what’s hot, what’s not, and who’s the talk of the betting ring. Cheltenham 2023 will live long in the memory. It had it all – a horse for the ages, emotion by the bucketload, and a Welsh winner to cherish.

The last Welsh jockey to win the Gold Cup reckons that record may need updating before the end of this year’s Cheltenham Festival. It’s now 15 years since Sam Thomas became the last Welshman to ride to glory and win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he saddled the magnificent Denman to victory over great rival, Kauto Star in 2008.

DragonBet on-course bookmaker James Lovell gives the inside track on Welsh sport – what’s hot, what’s not, and who’s the talk of the betting ring. If last week was about recovery, this week was about getting prepped for attack! I was pleased – although you may not be – that we managed to win a few quid on the site. Nothing ground-shaking and that penthouse villa in Barbados is still a very, very long way off, sadly. But as the saying goes, little acorns make big trees.

DragonBet on-course bookmaker James Lovell gives the inside track on Welsh sport – what’s hot, what’s not, and who’s the talk of the betting ring. Let’s start with a little confession. I’m still slightly punch drunk from that big football hit the week before (the one with lots of zeroes on the end), so this week was all about recovery.

Chepstow-based Sarah Guest believes horse racing can provide a positive future for people working in the industry – at all levels. Guest – who lives just a mile from Chepstow Racecourse – has scooped two awards at the 2023 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, held at York Racecourse. Not only was she named Employee of the Year for her role as yard manager at trainer John O’Shea’s stables in Gloucestershire, but she also won the Leadership Award.

DragonBet on-course bookmaker James Lovell gives the inside track on Welsh sport – what’s hot, what’s not, and who’s the talk of the betting ring. They say Sunday is the day of rest. Well, after the second bad one in a row, it seems to be the day for DragonBet to take a good kicking! Perhaps it’s time to take up church!

Welsh pride, generosity, and a love for top sport will all be on show on Sunday, March 5 when Ffos Las Race Course hosts its Proud to be Welsh Raceday. On the weekend of the St. David’s Day week, the course will offer a chance to celebrate the best of Welsh music, culture and sport as well as an opportunity to support victims of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Alongside a variety of on-course entertainment, there will be collections and a charity auction – run by the Rotary Club – to raise funds for the Disaster Emergencies Committee Appeal.

DragonBet on-course bookmaker James Lovell gives the inside track on Welsh sport – what’s hot, what’s not, and who’s the talk of the betting ring. The sun has re-emerged on weekday afternoons, the days are getting longer, and the daffodils will soon be bursting into bloom. Yep, spring feels just around the corner and that means I’ve got Cheltenham on my mind. Where there’s spring and Cheltenham, there is hope. And I’m hoping to be a millionaire by the time the Festival is over.

By Graham Thomas David Prichard admits life has not changed beyond recognition just because he rode the winner at the Coral Welsh Grand National. But one month on at least he can look back on December’s sacrifices – like a “very meagre portion” of Christmas Day dinner – and reflect that it was all worthwhile. […]

After the eerily empty stands of the past two years, around 10,000 spectators are expected to be at Chepstow Racecourse on December 27 as the Coral Welsh Grand National is restored to its full-throated glory. Always one of the great days in Wales’ sporting calendar, the race was held in near silence last year, and again in 2020, due to Covid restrictions. But this year, the race – which dates back to 1895 when it was held at Ely Racecourse in Cardiff – will once again be played out in front of packed crowds, which creates a unique festive atmosphere.

By Graham Thomas Warren Gatland could be left regretting he didn’t become a racehorse owner if Gats And Co romps home to win the Coral Welsh Grand National next week. The horse – named after the returning Wales coach – is a 100/1 outsider with the bookies but Gatland has form when it comes to […]

Welsh horse racing has been backed to provide a major economic impact over the next year, despite the difficult financial outlook. The success of race meetings held across Wales, along with individual achievements by owners, trainers and jockeys based in Wales has been highlighted by a group of Senedd members in Cardiff Bay. They heard from representatives of the Cross Party Group on Horse Racing who have stressed the vital importance of the industry.

Sean Bowen has underlined his status as one the UK’s top jockeys by winning the National Hunt Jockey of the Year prize at the annual Welsh Horse Racing Awards. The 25-year-old – who is enjoying a highly successful season – picked up the award in recognition of an outstanding year during which he has ridden 116 winners at a strike rate of 21%. That has put Bowen second in the current race to be champion jockey, with the Pembrokeshire rider having amassed 67 winners so far this season, behind only Irishman Brian Hughes.

Evan Williams and his family enjoy the summer, but not as much as the winter and the jump season when, as he puts it, “the mud is flying, and the days are short, and the flowers have died.” That’s poetry. And there’s more. “That’s when we really come alive,” says the trainer. “And it will be good to get back amongst it.”

By Harry Corish The results are in from the Royal Ascot Charity Day at Chepstow Racecourse and this year the event raised a remarkable £72,000 for the Noah’s Ark Charity. In the midst of economic problems and rising costs, it’s an eye-catching achievement that once again highlights the success charities can achieve when they link […]

By Graham Thomas Heroes of a different kind will be honoured at Chepstow Race Course later this year. As well as the normal parade of winning horses and their jockeys, the course will salute both serving and former members of the military with the inaugural Chepstow Military Race Day. The event – on November 18 […]

By Graham Thomas Bernard Llewellyn has urged race-goers to support the Brain Tumour Research race day at Chepstow on Friday 10th June, aimed at raising awareness and funds to combat the illness. The event is being held in memory of the trainer’s son Gwilym Llewellyn, who died after a very short illness just over a […]

Ukrainian refugee Svetlana Osiptsova will be guest of honour at Ffos Las Racecourse this week – in recognition of her incredible story of courage and solidarity with those in her homeland. The speech therapist and her 16-year-old daughter Sofia are among the more than 1,100 Ukranians who have fled the war and settled in Wales since March. Leaving behind her husband, Alexander – an ambulanceman – in their home city of Mykolaiv, Svetlana and Sofia arrived in Wales on April 11.

By Graham Thomas David Brace has already fulfilled plenty of sporting ambitions and now he’s looking ahead to witnessing those of his grandchildren. The race horse owner, breeder and trainer knows there are any number of hurdles that must be overcome before the winning post, but that doesn’t stop him dreaming. One vision for Brace […]

No sport was hit harder by the Covid pandemic than horse racing, where empty courses and cancelled meetings are estimated to have cost £450 million in lost income. But Kevin Hire – the recently appointed general manager at Ffos Las Racecourse – reckons the sport is fighting back and has bold plans for the future, as he tells Graham Thomas. Kevin Hire carries a vision in his head of what a perfect day’s racing looks like from his perspective. The new general manager at Ffos Las wants racegoers – both new and old – to leave the course with a smile of satisfaction and an intention to come back for more.