A Lovely Day at One of Racing's Hidden Gems
My old dad used to say that Bangor-on-Dee was the sort of racecourse that reminded him why he fell in love with the sport in the first place. No fuss, no pretension — just a pretty stretch of turf beside the River Dee, a decent crowd, and horses doing what horses do best. I thought of him this afternoon as I looked over the Bangor-on-Dee racecard for Thursday the 13th of August, and I reckon he'd have been rubbing his hands together. Six races, good to firm ground with the going described as good in places, and a card that had something for everyone from the novice punter to the seasoned form student.
It was very much a day for the northern and Welsh racing community — the sort of afternoon Racing TV was made for — and the Racing TV Club members were well catered for with their name splashed across the first two races. A nice touch, that. These are the people who keep the sport ticking over on a Thursday in August, and they deserve a bit of recognition.
The Feature Race: The Connexin Super Fast Sprint (15:45)
If you're asking me which race had me leaning forward in my chair, it was the Connexin Super Fast Sprint Handicap Stakes over five furlongs at 15:45. Class 5, £8,700 in the pot, and a field of twelve with more course-and-distance winners than you could shake a racecard at. The C,D flags were flying everywhere in this one, and on good to firm ground over the minimum trip at Bangor, that experience absolutely matters.
The two highest-rated runners, Call To Action (Lewis Chalkley, 75) and Holbache (Tom Kiely-Marshall, 75), both carried that crucial course-and-distance form into the race, and on paper they looked the ones to beat. But in a twelve-runner sprint handicap, paper doesn't always survive contact with reality. Castan (Paul Mulrennan, 74) and American Bay (Jason Hart, 74) were right there on ratings too, and both are the sort of horses that travel well in these tight northern sprint fields.
The one that really caught my eye, though, was Good Earth ridden by Tom Eaves, rated 72 and carrying both the course and distance badge. Tom Eaves knows a five-furlong track like this one inside out, and when he's on a horse with proven form at the venue, you take note. Ventura Express (David Nolan, 71) was another with plenty of experience on this sort of card — David Nolan is as reliable as a good pair of racing binoculars, and he rarely turns up without a chance.
Ones to Follow — Horses Worth Keeping on Your Radar
What A Girl Wants (14:15 Fillies' Novice)
In the opening EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes, the one that stood out before a ball was bowled was What A Girl Wants, trained to carry a rating of 84 into a field of unrated debutantes. That's a significant chunk of form advantage in a novice contest, and Sam James is a jockey who knows how to manage a short-priced favourite without getting into trouble. Keep an eye on how the unraced fillies in this race perform over the coming weeks — Empress Princess (Clifford Lee) and Flower Youmzain (Tom Eaves) are names I've noted down. If either of them ran with any credit here on debut, they could be interesting once handicap marks are assigned.
Ariane Sky and Amantha (15:15 Nursery Handicap)
The seven-furlong nursery over 7f 75y was a lovely little puzzle. Ariane Sky (Mason Paetel, 63) and Amantha (Ben Robinson, 62) both carried the course-and-distance flag, and in a nursery — where horses are still finding their feet and form can be deceptive — that kind of familiarity with the track is worth more than the ratings suggest. Amantha in particular is one I'd want to follow into the autumn. Ben Robinson is riding with real confidence this season, and a horse that handles this track over seven furlongs could easily find a similar opportunity before the turf season wraps up.
That Darn Cantor (16:15 Middle Distance Handicap)
The mile-and-a-half handicap at 16:15 was the most intriguing race on the card for the form student. Wardlaw (Luke Morris, 69) was the top-rated runner, but That Darn Cantor — what a name, by the way, someone's parent clearly had a sense of humour — ridden by Cieren Fallon at a mark of 68, is a horse I'd be watching carefully. Fallon junior has been in excellent nick, and he tends to get the best out of horses in these staying handicaps where tactical nous counts for as much as raw ability. If That Darn Cantor ran with any credit here, he's the sort to follow into a similar contest at a track like Catterick or Carlisle in September.
Dumfries (16:45 Closer)
In the final race of the day, the mile handicap, Dumfries (James Sullivan, 55) caught my attention. Course-and-distance form, a jockey in James Sullivan who rides this type of race with his head as much as his hands, and a rating that looks workable in a Class 6 contest. If he ran well here, he's absolutely one to note for the remaining weeks of the flat season.
Jockey Watch — Familiar Faces Doing the Business
One of the pleasures of a card like this is seeing the northern jockey colony doing what they do — grinding out winners on competitive afternoons that the southern racing press largely ignores. David Allan had three rides across the card, which tells you something about the confidence trainers have in him on a track like this. Clifford Lee was similarly busy, and Duran Fentiman popped up in both sprint races — a jockey who's been quietly building a very solid book of rides this season.
Cieren Fallon on That Darn Cantor in the middle-distance race was perhaps the most intriguing jockey-horse pairing of the afternoon. When Fallon takes a booking at a track like Bangor, it's rarely without reason.
Looking Ahead — Where Next for Today's Runners?
With the flat season moving into its final quarter, the horses that ran well today will likely be pointed at similar opportunities in the coming weeks. The northern circuit — Catterick, Carlisle, Musselburgh, Redcar — will be where most of these horses reappear, and if you've seen something today that caught your eye, it's worth setting a tracker alert and being ready when they pop up again.
The nursery horses are particularly worth following. Ratings can shift quickly at this stage of the season, and a horse that ran a solid race here today — perhaps finishing closer than expected — could find itself racing off a very attractive mark next time out.
As for Bangor-on-Dee itself, the next meeting is flagged in the final race title — Saturday the 29th of August. Mark it in the diary. It's the kind of afternoon my dad would have loved, and frankly, so do I.
Final Thoughts from the Paddock
Thursday afternoons at Bangor-on-Dee don't make the back pages of the national papers, and they never will. But for those of us who love racing in all its forms — not just the Guineas and the Gold Cups, but the honest, competitive, everyday stuff that keeps the sport alive — days like this are the heartbeat of the whole thing. Six races, good ground, a competitive card, and plenty to talk about over a pint on the way home. That'll do me.
Full results and updated form analysis will be on the Bangor-on-Dee racecard page as they come in. Keep an eye out — and if any of today's runners took your fancy, get them in your notebook before they reappear. The autumn's coming, and the handicapper won't wait.
