The British Harness Racing Club has confirmed that one of S4C’s live races on the Rasus programme at Amman Valley on Monday, 16 August was a British record.
The record was broken during the latest leg of S4C’s The Crock of Gold challenge when the pony-sized superstar Doonbeg, broke the British pacing record with a mile in one minute and 53.7 seconds.
The race was broadcast as part of S4C’s Rasus coverage of Ladies’ Night at the Amman Valley Trotting Club in the county of Neath Port Talbot.
The race can be seen on S4C’s catch-up service, s4c.co.uk/clic and on Rasus’ website at s4c.co.uk/rasus.
Owned and trained by Christy Dunne in Ireland and driven by his son, Jonathan, Doonbeg was an outstanding horse in his homeland of Canada and then in the USA.
The horse was retired young because of health problems, but training out of a paddock and using the Dunnes’ back-to-nature approach, Doonbeg has made a remarkable comeback.
S4C’s Director of Commissioning, Rhian Gibson said: “It is fitting that this important record-breaking performance was broadcast live on S4C. It reflects our commitment to televising live events all over Wales and our determination to provide top quality coverage of harness racing on Rasus.”
Rasus producer Geraint Lewis said: “It was an unforgettable evening of trotting and a great experience to witness a British record live on Rasus. It is not only this remarkable horse that deserves the plaudits but also The Amman Valley Trotting Club who have nurtured this comparatively new track so carefully over the last four years.”
Eric Jones of Amman Valley Trotting Club added: “We congratulate the owner and driver and glad to share their delight of capturing this British record. We are very proud that our four-year-old track has provided the platform for this record. We hope to see more records here in the future.”
