Thankyou Jeannie - long standing racecourse manager & tourism ambassador steps down

Jeannie Chantler will bring an end to nearly 19 years of service as general manager of Bangor-on-Dee racecourse in Wrexham on Friday with a race named in her honour.

Above; Jeannie accepting her 'special recognition tourism award' at the 2018 This is Wrexham tourism awards

Jeannie was a founding member of the This is Wrexham Tourism Partnership in 2017 and has also been general manager at the racecourse since 2004.

She will oversee her last fixture today, but she will continue as the track's owners and trainers' liaison officer – a position she holds at sister track Chester.

It will be an emotional occasion as she hands over the reins to Paddy Chesters, who has been head of gaming at Chester Race Company for many years.

The seven-race meeting at Bangor is scheduled to end with a bumper titled Thank You Jeannie Chantler Open National Hunt Flat Race.

"A box of tissues will be required no doubt and, although I desperately didn't want a race, they insisted on it," Jeannie told the Racing Post.

"It's been a long time and we have the most fantastic team, many of whom have been there all the way through, and I'm leaving them in good hands.

Commenting on Jeannie's additional work for the tourism industry in Wrexham, This is Wrexham Chair Sam Regan added; Jeannie's work for not just the racecourse, but also the tourism industry across Wrexham has been outstanding. She's been an incredibly positive voice for our area over many years, has provided event support, brought new initiatives to the table and was a champion for the recent 2025 City of Culture bid. I'm sure she'll still champion both Bangor-on-Dee and the wider area and on behalf of the partnership and the Council's tourism & event teams, we really want to thank her for her dedication and support!"

One of Jeannie's legacies will be the introduction of the North Wales National, which will be run for the first time on February 10.

"It's something I've been looking to do for a while," she told the Racing Post recently. "It's run over three miles and five furlongs at the right time of year and we got a sponsor in building company RPM."

Chantler nominated future stars such as Ballabriggs, Peddlers Cross, Amberleigh House, Silviniaco Conti, Denman and Mr Mulligan winning at Bangor as the highlight of her tenure, during which the track was awarded small racecourse of the year at the RCA awards in 2018.

"We've had so many really good horses who have gone on from winning their novice races at Bangor and that's what we've prided ourselves on," she said.

"On the other hand, some of the worst memories have been caused by the River Dee and the risk of flooding. You don't want to be without the river as it allows us to keep reasonably good ground in the summer, but in the winter it can be a nightmare."

Chantler also expressed her delight at seeing Andrew Malam, head groundsman at Bangor for nearly 40 years, win the Racing Welfare Lifetime Achievement Award for the west region in October.