Carlisle Racecourse general manager Molly Dingwall has bid farewell to Cumbria as she prepares to embark on a new role.

After four years, she will be heading to join Haydock Park racecourse in Lancashire as their general manager.

Dingwall took charge at Carlisle in 2018 as one of the youngest racecourse managers in the country.

She went on to play a leading role in the development of the Carlisle track, overseeing a number of initiatives and a broad range of racedays - including the now annual Ladies Night held each August at which every jockey in every race is female.

An increase in ticket and hospitality sales followed, with a number of concerts also coming to the Durdar venue during her tenure.

Penning a farewell column, Dingwall said: "It was a decision I haven’t taken lightly, as it has been nothing short of a thrill to take on stewardship of this wonderful little racecourse and turn it into a real asset both for the sport and also for the local community.

"It’s been a real passion of ours to raise the profile of Carlisle in terms of the racing during my time here and we have welcomed some fantastic horses over the last four years. We’ve seen stars of the future such as Cosmic Law, Hello Youmzain, El Caballo and Protektorat, while we’ve also been treated to last hurrahs – like when the wonderful Seeyouatmidnight won here at the princely age of 12!

"In terms of star factor I don’t think we’ll ever see anything quite like Lostintranslation’s amazing performance to win the Colin Parker here in 2019. We knew he was a star at that very moment and it didn’t take him long to prove it, winning the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park a month later.

"There have been lots of special moments involving racing people here too, from Nicky Richards’ fabulous four-timer in 2019 to jockey Emma Sayer bowing out with a winner with Redarna on our Ladies Night – it was a special night and it meant a lot to us that she chose Carlisle as the place to sign off.

"We’ve always had a passion that we want Carlisle to be the best small racecourse in both the north and the whole of the country, it’s kept us fighting and I hope we’ve been able to deliver that.

"I feel like we’ve held some amazing events over the past four years and I’ve honestly had the time of my life doing it, whether that’s chatting with the racegoers on Steak Night or seeing stars like Paloma Faith and Jess Glynne dazzle on our music nights. All of the praise has to go to the staff here at the racecourse, who have gone above and beyond to put everything together.

"I promise you I’m not fibbing when I say I’ve had the time of my life here. This racecourse will always hold a place in my heart for being the place that my dreams came true and I still pinch myself that I got this opportunity in the first place."

The Jockey Club are recruiting for a new general manager to oversee the continued development of the venue.