Bangor Racecourse Guide

Bangor-on-Dee to give the course its full and proper name is a small National Hunt racecourse situated in the north of Wales and plays host to a number of jumps fixtures throughout the year. Unlike many of the bigger jumps racing tracks Bangor hosts race-meetings all year round in summer and winter with a programme of around 15 fixtures.

Offering some fantastic views across the Welsh countryside, Bangor is perhaps unique in that it doesn’t have a grandstand and the facilities at the track are all on ground level.

Bangor’s layout sees a sharp, left-handed triangular-shaped layout that is mildly undulating with fairly stiff fences. Runners are almost always racing on the turn which often leads to races being well-run so it is important for horses to be able to travel and stay well.

Ground conditions can become very testing in the winter, but on quicker ground it can pay to side with front-running types.

Alan King’s runners at Bangor are always worth a look with the handler operating at almost 30% strike-rate over the past five years. Donald McCain has no shortage of runners at the track and despite the large amount of horses he saddles at the track he returns a respectable 20% strike-rate over the same period.

Olly Murphy, Venetia Williams and Jennie Candlish are other trainers who often do well at the track.

Over the past five seasons Jonjo O’Neill Jr is the man to keep onside with the rider boasting a 25% return on his mounts; Aidan Coleman and Brian Hughes are both notable jockeys to consider with both operating above 20% over the same period from their respective rides.

Racing at Bangor has been around since 1859, halted only by the outbreak of two World Wars and the Coronavirus pandemic. The first race to be run at the track was in settlement of a wager and the hype around the race cemented the course’s popularity with an annual meeting created to satisfy demands.

It wasn’t until 1947 when the track saw the addition of the hurdles track to complement the chase course, while point-to-point racing has been taking place more recently since 2006 on the track’s inner.

Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse

Bangor Is-Y-Coed

Wrexham

LL13 0DA

Fancy a visit to Bangor-on-Dee? Here's how to get there!

By road – Situated just a 25-min drive from Chester the course is well signposted from the A483. Motorists travelling from all directions can follow signs to Wrexham and then use local signage to arrive at the track.

By train – The nearest rail station to the racecourse is Wrexham General Station which is served on racedays by free shuttle buses to and from the track. It is also possible to travel by taxi and there is a rank available outside the train station with fares taking around 20 minutes.

By air - It is possible to arrive in style via helicopter, but landing and departure must be pre-arranged with the racecourse. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the closest airport to Bangor Racecourse, around an hour’s drive from the course.