Bangor-On-Dee Racecourse & Betting Review: Famous Events, Top Offers and Facts

In our complete punter’s review of the Bangor-On-Dee Racecourse you’ll be getting a thorough overview of all the most important information relating to the top-rated Welsh horse racing venue. In the table above you’ll see an easy-to-read summary of what we think are the better betting sites for wagering on races at this track with regard to new-player welcome bonuses, betting types and odds levels. For a more detailed look, which includes historical facts, course analysis and fun facts and figures, keep reading down to the bottom of the page. If you are looking for more tracks, check our guide here.

The Turf Itself

Bangor-On-Dee Racecourse is famed for being a cheerful, family-friendly venue that boasts stunning natural scenery. It is also unique in that it doesn’t have a grandstand – it is the only horse racing stadium in the country that doesn’t have one. In many ways, this adds to the spectator experience as races are viewed from the grass banks surrounding the course, creating a natural amphitheatre with top vantage points and a much more intimate atmosphere. It is a left-handed, fairly sharp course with a few minor undulations. National Hunt races are staged here all-year-round and they are usually pretty well run – experts say this is partly due to runners being on the turn for the majority of the race. The fences on the course are said to provide a fair test – they aren’t overly difficult but are by no means to be taken lightly – and suit faster more accurate jumpers.

Most Popular Bangor-On-Dee Horse Racing Events

Whilst it is true that Bangor-On-Dee Racecourse racing is not of the highest order, the events that are held here are always competitive and make for great viewing regardless of whether you’re a dedicated fan or a casual spectator. Every year there are important meetings in August, October, November and December, normally around Christmas time. In early-August there’s a handicap steeplechase worth almost £13000 for horses with a rating between 0-130, which is run over a distance of 3 miles and 30 yards; in late August there’s a handicap hurdle race for horses rated between 0-120 worth just over £6000 and ran over a distance of 2miles 7furlongs 32yards; in November there’s the Class 1, listed Yorton Stallions Mares’ Novices’ Chase – run over 2miles and 1½furlongs and worth around £14,000; and in December there’s a Class 3 Novice’s Chase for horses ages four-years-old and above which is run over 2miles and 1½furlongs and worth around £10,000.

Some Interesting Facts

As previously mentioned, Bangor-On-Dee horse racing track is not famed for hosting a string of top quality racing events. However, a number of horses, trainers and jockeys that have gone on to become legends of the sport have made appearances here. Fred Archer (nicknamed the Tin Man), the English jockey of the Victorian era who is often described as the best all-round turf jockey of all time won his first steeplechase event at Bangor-On-Dee in either 1869 or 1870 aged just ten-years-old on a horse named Maid of Trent. He went on to win nearly every race of worth in his time including several British Classics, the Champion Stakes and the Prix du Jockey Club. He recorded a stunning 2,748 career wins.

Racecourse Information:
First Opened:	1859	Bangor-On-Dee logo The Grandstand at Bangor
Max. Race Distance:	3m 30y
Surface:	Turf
Event:	Ladies Day
Average Temperature:	2°/21°
Racecourse Capacity:	8000

Memorable horses that have achieved success at Bangor-On-Dee include Denman, an Irish-bred national hunt specialist that easily won a novice hurdle at the Welsh course before going on to win the Hennessy Gold Cup and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, finishing his stellar career with a Timeform Rating of 183; local hero, Amberleigh House, that went on to win the Becher Chase in 2001 and the Aintree Grand National in 2004; and Iris’s Gift, a British-trained Gelding that made his hurdling debut at Bangor in 2001 and went on to win the World Hurdle in 2004. All of these figures have contributed to making Bangor-On-Dee betting the huge market it is today.

Bangor-On-Dee Racecourse: The Story so Far

Bangor-On-Dee hosted its first ever horse race way back in 1859 and, except for a brief hiatus during the World Wars, racing has been proudly held there ever since. Since 2006 the track has been used to host Point-to-Point races (races featuring fences reserved mostly for hunting horses and amateur riders), which are coordinated by local hunts. Point-to-Point races are held inside the main track and are run the opposite way – right-handed. Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse horse racing betting was transformed in May of 2012 when all the Tote betting stands were replaced by the course’s very own in-house betting system, bangorBET.

Looking back to when horse racing first started at the Bangor-On-Dee horse racing track, it was the cross country contest between Richard Myddelton Biddulph and Lloyd Kenyon, members of the Sir Watkin Williams Wynn’s Hunt, that really kicked things off. The widespread interest in this race was what inspired the decision to create a full day of racing, which first took place in 1959 in the form of a chase event that had a total of 12 runners. In the first few years of its existence, the track was also famous for staging pony racing events.